Why do these threads always occur? When a generational talent emerges, there's always a group saying, "Hey, they should race another event!"
Mu was (note the past tense) a generational talent. The 800m WR that has stood for, what, 40 plus years? was within her reach... and then Kersee moved her up to the mile. Granted, Mu was (is) a head case, but when you have an athlete with WR potential, moving them up (or down) especially when one of the races is the 800m, has more risk than reward. The training is just too different.l
It's the classic Letsrun "move up" fallacy where people perceive longer events to be less competitive and they think that someone with "raw speed" can simply hone their aerobic development and dominate any event of their choosing.
I Remember when Jeremy Wariner was the best 400 meter runner in the world. We had these threads every week on LRC. "He should move up to the 800. He could run a 50 second first lap and that would feel like jogging to him. Then he just has to run another 50 second lap and we will have a new WR."
I honestly don't know how this kid isn't sub-4 yet. I feel like he'll be able to threaten the high school records from 400m to mile before he graduates
Not that it really matters, but it's pretty likely he could go faster than his PR of 4:06 these days.
With raw speed like that imagine what a few years of aerobic development would do. This is the next hicham
Definitely not right this minute. He proves the point of talent and muscle fiber types approach to 800. At 16 y/o he has not had even close to enough time to have accumulated the physiologic changes that the more veteran guys have been working on for 10-15 yrs. Yet still runs 1:42? He is running on unique talent for this race and some training. I think the odds you will see a 16 y/o run a 3:30 1500 are infinitely smaller and so forth up to 5k 10k. This accomplishment put a fine point on what we all talk about all the time with the 800. We are not AS shocked when quincy wilson does what he does as we would be if he did it in the mile. These guys can run on 99% talent in the 100/200,400, just a bit more shocking in the 800.
An awesome and shocking performance.... Some random thoughts/caution/a warning.
Did everything go perfect for him this year, and then he ended up in the perfect race during a perfect peak. Will that happen next year? If he runs 1:45.1 and maybe improves to a 4:02 mile, will people be disappointed in 2026?
Did making the team, and thus extending his season to the World Champs, will that take too much out of the well for one season?
When Alan Webb ran 3:53 in high school in 2001, his 2002 and 2003 years fell short of what he did his senior year. A change of scenery, an injury, and perhaps a lack of that perfect scenario held him back a couple years. It's possible Lutkenhaus may have a year like this next year. You never know.
My hope is that he continues to excel, but one reason great performances and PR's are so satisfying, is that one's progression is not necessarily linear, it comes with setbacks, disappointments, injuries, missed opportunities, etc. Look at Donovan Braziers path to his 1:42.16 PR victory.
A 1:42.27 second place at USA's by a HS Soph certainly conjures up speculation/expectations about what's in store for the future, but equally possible is a bumpy path. Toping his Sophomore year won't be easy. If he does, wow.
He should. That skinny frame does wonders for swimming and your FTP. Since he has the speed so he should go straight to Ultramans and just sit and sprint past.
He should. That skinny frame does wonders for swimming and your FTP. Since he has the speed so he should go straight to Ultramans and just sit and sprint past.
There's nothing more letsrun than posters telling the guy who, quite literally, has notched the best performance ever for a 16 year old in any track event that -