If you want to know what I think our problem is, I think it is that we just can't suck it up when we have to. You know, it is part of our culture to live a pampered life, to live comfortably, to push our limits only when we have to.
That 10k race at worlds was not between the training of Geb and Kenny; it was not between their talent; it was desire vs. desire. And while we say we have that desire, every time it gets challenged we back away and hide in our little holes from the evil foreigners. I rarely see any American perform well at a championship.
I don't believe EPO or talent or anatomy has anything to do with it. We just don't have the desire and nothing in our lifestyle or our surroundings helps to foster that desire.
How do we change this? Let's get our media to make national heroes out of our runners. Let's get our runners in high quality races. Let's get our runners training with the best.
During a press conference in May, a bunch of reporters, including myself, were interviewing Lunn at a luncheon. All these track reporters were focused on Lunn's finishing as the first American at Pre. He was like seventh, woopdedoo. When was Lunn, our new mid-distance hero, going to challenge the Kenyans or the Moroccans or even the French for goodness sake.
It's like a self-reinforcing curse. There are no great distance runners to look up to, so we don't have any. Then, track and field itself is not a mainstream American sport even though hundreds of thousands of kids all across the nation participate. We need something to inspire not just these kids, but everyone so that distance running inspires as much hype as it did in the 1920s or the 1960s or the 1970s.
And as much as many of you are going to hate this, I think we should run our athletes. There used to be incredible track meets in America. Incredible duels between countries. Let's bring things like that back, even if it means people are racing more often. It will bring people back to the sport. It will give our runners inspiration.
Right now, in Ethiopia, the country is celebrating its heros. They have accomplished something great for their nation. Right now, no one in American knows that Allen Johnson just won his fourth hurdle title. No one knows who Allen Johnson is. It's even worse for the distance crew who failed to advance any runners to the finals except in the men's 5k where Jorge could have been dead and run fast enough to make it. Our long-distance crew ran at the back of their races. I feel that there was no American pride at this year's Worlds, in general. I don't feel that the athletes need to perform well to represent their country... because who would they be representing? No one cares; no one knows. And if they fail, they will only become fodder for us lazy, useless message board'ers.
I think they need encouragement. I think our distance runners need to have some pride, and we have to help them with that. It shouldn't be about beating everyone in the U.S., it should be about bring the U.S. up to beat everyone else. They need fans. Each needs to represent someone other (or many others) than himself or herself. That's where their desire will come from; from us, the fans.
Over the last four years, some of the greatest high school distance runners in history have been entering into the college and professional level; let's welcome them. Let's tell them that we support them instead of criticizing them every time they get injured or only run a 4:00 mile instead of 3:55. Instant gratification will get you nowhere in track and field, and if we were truly a track conscious society, we would know that. It seems that even many of our lower-level participants are ignorant of this fact. But, I think with a little education, it will come. We are on the cusp. Now we need to help our athletes take that last step.
It's about encouragement, confidence, and support. It's about desire...