I don't know the cause, but can surely the Kersee is still a good coach delusion is over for good? He has taken a 1:54 runner and made her a 1:59 one in what, 3 years????
Your memory sucks. During Mu's first year being coached by Kersee she broke the American record running 1:54.
Her 1:59 yesterday is a direct result of Mu being lazy and not wanting to train.
All this blaming of Kersee ignores the real issue. Kersee has coached Syd to multiple WRs and global titles. Clearly, his coaching has worked for her.
Mu is an adult and highly paid professional athlete. If she is not happy with her coaching situation she can change it. At some point she has to take responsibility for her own career.
Mu isn't changing coaches because she knows who her coach is isn't her problem. She knows her problem is her unwillingness to train hard.
Then Kersee should fire Mu. Having a former olympic champion, American record holder having so little motivation she is not fit enough to run 5 seconds off her PR at the national champs, doesnt make the finals, etc. Is embarrassing. He shouldn't waste his time with her if she doesnt want to put in the work.
At the end of the day the result is completely unacceptable. If its Mu's fault bc she won't put in the work, kersee should fire her, Nike should fire her.
Frankly, if Mu sticks with Kersee at this point, its just an admission that its her fault she sucks. No injury excuses this year.
Being 5 seconds off your PR fitness at nationals in the 800 is inexcusable as a pro athlete at her age. How many collegians or 800 pros are really that far off their prs in season (unless injured or aging), much less at a championship? Maybe their rust busters?
You really have to question if she's even training 6 days a week. This feels like the fact pattern you see as HS coach wondering why a runner isn't getting better and you discover the athlete has been running a half mile to and from McDonald's, getting a mcflurry, then jogging back, instead of doing easy runs for months.
I'm sure he will try and take credit for the 1:54, but Kersee didn't get that out of Athing. Keely and Mary Moraa got that 1:54 out of her. That muscle memory from her A&M days was still in there when she did that, but that's gone now.
I don't know the cause, but can surely the Kersee is still a good coach delusion is over for good? He has taken a 1:54 runner and made her a 1:59 one in what, 3 years????
Your memory sucks. During Mu's first year being coached by Kersee she broke the American record running 1:54.
Her 1:59 yesterday is a direct result of Mu being lazy and not wanting to train.
That 1:54 was in her from the previous training. because she kept training, she pretty much retained everything she had before. maintenance is fairly easy once it's there.
once she injured the hamstring last year, that speed disappeared, as it does, and because kersee is obsessed with the distance crap, he never built the speed back up. And now we have what we have. A former 49.5, who also split a 48.3, who can't keep up with the field for even 200 meters.
I can understand the blame Kersee gets here. I've always thought the 1500 stuff with her was nonsense as well. Plus her lack of running 400s has always been confusing.
But come on. It's on her. She's consistently running 6 seconds slower than her PB in the freaking 800. If she's not hurt (doesn't appear to be) that's mental and something she has to work out. It's hard to imagine a coach applying training that would make someone 6 seconds slower in the 800. As coaches we can guide the mental aspect of things but sometimes it comes down to athletes applying things that work for them individually.
Mu even admitted yesterday in her interview after the race that she has not been doing great mentally. That's unfortunate but that's not Kersee's fault.
Kersee’s coaching isn’t the cause of Mu’s mental health challenges, but it clearly hasn’t been the solution either. I’ve been saying for a long time here that the key to Mu’s success is having fun in the sport like she did at Texas A&M. Kersee hasn’t done the two obvious things that would help her rediscover that fun: 1) bring in training partners for her, and 2) have her race the 400m, which she said yesterday she loves. Not doing those two things is coaching malpractice.
Let’s face it. He clearly was doing something wrong as a coach. He’s already had 2 athletes die very young and they were both amongst the best in the world. I have no respect for him as a coach. I heard too many things around the track scene in the 80s and saw some very unexplainable things.
Kersee had a very close connection with former US 800m record holder Kim Gallagher, who like Flo Jo, died very young. He had a sketchy distance coach in his club at the time whose name was associated with her as coach But everyone knew Kersee was pulling a lot of the strings.
I don't know the cause, but can surely the Kersee is still a good coach delusion is over for good? He has taken a 1:54 runner and made her a 1:59 one in what, 3 years????
Your memory sucks. During Mu's first year being coached by Kersee she broke the American record running 1:54.
Her 1:59 yesterday is a direct result of Mu being lazy and not wanting to train.
I HIGHY HIGHLY HIGHLY doubt that Mu isn't lazy. This is a woman who won Olympic gold at 19. Obviously, we don't know the innerworkings of her and Kersee, but I put the blame on Kersee. He's not an 800 coach. He's one of the most famous sprint coaches in history.
What does that have to do with the 800? And what's crazy is he doesn't let her run the 400.
It's time for her to find a new coach.
I talked about it on the podcast last night. We give runners mental attributes like "tough, weak, etc" that they so often don't deserve. When people are in shape, they are normally ferocious competitors naturally.
Mu seems to be in a good head space mentally right now. She's just running horribly. I blame that on coaching, not motivation.
Of course, she's not the only 800 star struggling right now. Moraa is racing all the time but can'tconsistently break 2:00 (2 out of 7 800s in 2025) and Keelyy is hurt.
But I break down the leading candidates to replace Kersee here:
You, just like many other posters here, are completely ignoring the fact that Mu set the current American record with Kersee coaching her.
The problems that Mu is currently having are mental problems that are causing her not to train hard. Those same mental problems will go with her to a new coach. What Mu really needs is a good sports shrink to fix her mentally.
People on LR tend to treat former HS phenoms like they are perpetual teenagers. Mu is an adult now.
I think that if Mu is serious about competing at the highest level, she should get a new coach. But "investigate Bobby Kersee"? For what? It's not a crime to be a bad fit for an athlete. Nor is it a crime to be bad at your job.
Mu is a grown woman and a professional. She should move on of her own accord if that's what she chooses to do.
I just don't get this notion that she's somehow being victimized. If she stays with Kersee, she's only a victim of her own poor decision making.
I HIGHY HIGHLY HIGHLY doubt that Mu isn't lazy. This is a woman who won Olympic gold at 19. Obviously, we don't know the innerworkings of her and Kersee, but I put the blame on Kersee. He's not an 800 coach. He's one of the most famous sprint coaches in history.
What does that have to do with the 800? And what's crazy is he doesn't let her run the 400.
It's time for her to find a new coach.
I talked about it on the podcast last night. We give runners mental attributes like "tough, weak, etc" that they so often don't deserve. When people are in shape, they are normally ferocious competitors naturally.
Mu seems to be in a good head space mentally right now. She's just running horribly. I blame that on coaching, not motivation.
Of course, she's not the only 800 star struggling right now. Moraa is racing all the time but can'tconsistently break 2:00 (2 out of 7 800s in 2025) and Keelyy is hurt.
But I break down the leading candidates to replace Kersee here:
Kersee being a sprint coach for so long, I would assume she is doing minimal mileage and some sort of complex program. It was figured out 70 years ago that the 800 is more aerobic than anaerobic and 800m runners need a volume phase.
70 miles or 115km per week for 10-12 weeks. And that isn’t even that high of volume. But she needs at least that and no racing or no deep anaerobic sessions during that phase. Long runs of two hours. She probably is running 25 miles a week….. would for sure be interesting to know. A club coach could get her to sub-2
what?! not a single world class 800m runner, even the men, is running that much. brazier never ran a full hour in one run. how do you get to 70 miles with that?
crazy talk
This post was edited 46 seconds after it was posted.
I HIGHY HIGHLY HIGHLY doubt that Mu isn't lazy. This is a woman who won Olympic gold at 19. Obviously, we don't know the innerworkings of her and Kersee, but I put the blame on Kersee. He's not an 800 coach. He's one of the most famous sprint coaches in history.
What does that have to do with the 800? And what's crazy is he doesn't let her run the 400.
It's time for her to find a new coach.
I talked about it on the podcast last night. We give runners mental attributes like "tough, weak, etc" that they so often don't deserve. When people are in shape, they are normally ferocious competitors naturally.
Mu seems to be in a good head space mentally right now. She's just running horribly. I blame that on coaching, not motivation.
Of course, she's not the only 800 star struggling right now. Moraa is racing all the time but can'tconsistently break 2:00 (2 out of 7 800s in 2025) and Keelyy is hurt.
But I break down the leading candidates to replace Kersee here:
I HIGHY HIGHLY HIGHLY doubt that Mu isn't lazy. This is a woman who won Olympic gold at 19. Obviously, we don't know the innerworkings of her and Kersee, but I put the blame on Kersee. He's not an 800 coach. He's one of the most famous sprint coaches in history.
What does that have to do with the 800? And what's crazy is he doesn't let her run the 400.
It's time for her to find a new coach.
I talked about it on the podcast last night. We give runners mental attributes like "tough, weak, etc" that they so often don't deserve. When people are in shape, they are normally ferocious competitors naturally.
Mu seems to be in a good head space mentally right now. She's just running horribly. I blame that on coaching, not motivation.
Of course, she's not the only 800 star struggling right now. Moraa is racing all the time but can'tconsistently break 2:00 (2 out of 7 800s in 2025) and Keelyy is hurt.
But I break down the leading candidates to replace Kersee here:
Athing Mu just doesn't care anymore. She isn't willing to work hard. It's 100% her fault.
You should be able to run within 4 seconds of your 800 PR under any type of training.
She completely gave up at the end of her 800 semifinal. None of the coaches you listed even want to coach her because she is going to bring a cr*ppy attitude. Bringing a lazy person into a very motivated training group is idiotic.