2014 Lausanne Preview: Centro skipped USAs for this one - how low can he go?

Fastnbulbous wrote:

Yeah lots of rigid thinking going on here. Of course Centrowitz can and will PR. It's certainly more likely that he can break 3:30 than Kiplagat improving over 3 seconds for a world record.

I think Centrowitz won't be satisfied until he at least beats Farah's 1500 PR. It's got to bug him that a 5/10K specialist is 2 seconds faster than him in his own event.

In reality Mo Farah is more of a 1500/3000 guy than a 5000/10000 guy. Should be interesting to see his upcoming 2 mile.

PR today for Centro by a hair.

I support the decision to not run the USA championship, it's OK to design your own career the way you want it.

Yeah, I think skipping USAs is important. If he woulda run, that wouldve been 2 really hard efforts back to back (semis and finals) as he wouldve undoubtedly been in contention FTW.

Just finished watching FLOTRACK's Driven Alan Webb ep. 2. Number one point he says is that the 3:46 took so much out of him, he needed more of a break after. With Centro chasing 3:30 (Webb ran once), it requires lots of recovery. He's being smart!!!

Calling Centro in under 3:30 today. 3:29 and change... close to the win, but Kiplagat with probably take it. Set up for a good fast race in Monaco. If he is sick / injured than I am allowed to be wrong, but he wants to be in the WaPo on the fourth of July with a fresh PR!

Hopefully the race isn't too crowded. These big fields impede most of the runners. I wish they'd go to fields of 10-12 elite runners. If you want a pace setter or two add them in.

Midwesterner wrote:

I don't get it brojos: you harp on USATF for their terrible management and shitshow enforcement of flawed rules; you trash US champs as a low calibre meet; and yet you expect centro to show up there and pass up running in the big leagues before a real crowd. He made the right decision. No two ways about it. He's helping the sport by mixing it up with the big boys in Europe. He wouldn't be helping the sport by throwing USATF a bone with an appearance at US Champs. Until USATF gets its act together quality athletes shouldn't do USATF any favors. Most athletes don't have the leverage to pull off this kind of move, but centro does, so more power to him for stiffing the circus that is USATF.

We here at LetsRun.com constantly are asking ourselves, "What about the sport?"

We've thought about starting a page 2 - the "Unofficial commissioner" - where we talk about things that would be good for the sport.

If you think it's good that athletes skip the US championships, then you are sadly mistaken.

I'm not saying if I was Centro I wouldn't have done the same thing but it's not good for the fans and it's not good for the sport.

If we have to use a bit of a bully pulpit to get people to do stuff for the greater good of the sport, so be it.

The #1 problem track has is generally there is only a few meets that truly matter. Where the wins and losses matter. Everything else is the equivalent of a pre-season football game or all star game.

The exceptions to that - the Olympics and Worlds - are VERY popular. The same thing is true in college. The NCAAs are big, everything else is a practice.

Normally one of the meets that matters is the US Champs.

Centro or any runner running fast in Lausanne or Rome or wherever is close to the equivalent of Tom Brady saying, "I'm going to have the game of my life at some point this season, throw for 500 yards and 6 touchdowns, but I'm not sure when it's going to be or where."

If Tiger Woods wins the Memorial no one cares, if he wins a major, it's significant.

My guess is he'll run 3:30.

3:32.43

This is poorly argued, largely because it resorts to a hackneyed, either-or logic of absolutes and mutual exclusives--if it's not this, then it must be that, if Centro running isn't good for the sport, then it must be bad for the sport.

The truth of the matter is that there are plenty of other options between these two extremes, and this case is one of them. I have been a fan of this sport at its professional for 15 years now; I have attended several USA championships and Diamond League meets; and if you asked me which I would rather to see in a non-championship year such as this one--Centro winning another USA title or cracking 3:30--I am going to go with the latter option.

You can object that this is because I'm not a potential fan but a seasoned one. I know what counts as fast, I know what sub-3:30 means. And you'd be right. But my opinion on this is also based on the fact that strong Diamond League performances by American athletes, *against international competition*, are so rare that they are also "good for the sport," proving to fans that U.S. athletes can mix it up with international ones.

And the truth of the matter is that a lot of "lay" fans are still so conditioned to believe that American runners can't throw down with the Ethiopians/Kenyans that the US Championships can basically end up looking like the professional equivalent of the JV meet--a bunch of slow people duking it out only to get trounced later on by East African competition. This is especially the case in a non-championship year when the US Championships means even less.

What the US Champs needs in a year like this is something to make it more meaningful. Would Centro running the US Championships make the meet more meaningful? Yes--but only in the absolute slightest degree.

I know I'm in the minority here, but I agree with Rojo on this. I think saying you're a US champion is A) really cool and B) more important than a fast time (unless you're in WR or AR territory, obviously). The second point I know is debatable, but as LR said in their preview, a fast time and a US championship AREN'T mutually exclusive.

I know this is the very unpopular opinion, but I wish Rupp had tried to get only his second US 5K championship IN ADDITION to trying to PR at the Paris 5K DL.

As Rojo said, though, it's their choice and I won't punish either of them for it. Just hoping hey can post times that justify it (AR for Rupp and sub-3:30 for Centro).

the stands had a lots of empty seats at usa's

off year who cares

centro looking for a harder race isn't a bad thing

rojo wrote:

If Tiger Woods wins the Memorial no one cares, if he wins a major, it's significant.

Except for the fact that golfers do went Centro did all the time. They skip the less competitive, smaller tournament the week before the major. To use your analogy, this is like Ricky Fowler skipping the John Deere Classic or the Greater Milwaukee Open to go prepare for the British Open the following weekend.

carl marks wrote:Indeed. Their "do it for the good of the sport" rhetoric sure smacks of socialism for a couple of guys with their conservative bona fides.

How in the fuk do Americans find a way to turn literally everything in Conservatives vs Liberals?

tip wrote:

Learn The Rules wrote:

Somebody have a link to a free stream of the meet today?

I would suck your left nut for 3:34.

webfoot wrote:

GO QUACK wrote:

Centro always seems to get 7th or thereabouts. Same deal here, with a 3:34. Yawn

I'd give my left nut for 3:34.

Sunshiner wrote:

carl marks wrote:Indeed. Their "do it for the good of the sport" rhetoric sure smacks of socialism for a couple of guys with their conservative bona fides.

How in the fuk do Americans find a way to turn literally everything in Conservatives vs Liberals?

+1

HERE WE GO!

HA........

Centro sucks.

I agree that what is needed is something to make the U.S. championships significant enough that more of the best show up--I think a lot of prize money would help. Also scheduling the meet in an east coast big city. Playing it up so that shoe companies like Nike see the big advantages for the U.S. market, etc. etc.

On the other hand, like a lot of admittedly non-expert fans, I identify with my country, and root for competitors from the USA, or those people who thought enough of this country to become citizens. The national championships mean a lot to me as a patriotic fan.

By skipping the U.S.A's in order to finish 7th and run a good but not great time, Centrowitz made a completely defensible decision. On the other hand, he's not earned the loyalty of American fans like myself either. From now on, when Centrowitz is in a race with Kiplagat, I'm going to root for Kiplagat, because he is a lot more exciting runner. But I'll always root for Manzano against other countries' runners, because he runs for the U.S.

An obvious response is that Centrowitz should not care about what I and other pro-U.S. fans think--he has to do what's best for his career. I understand that perspective. But I don't think that's necessarily the best for U.S. fans' support of track. I also think that being a U.S. champion would, in the long run mean more for his career than a 7th place finish in the Diamond League, regardless of the level of competition.

Again, I know that the main problem is not with Centrowitz and other athletes who skipped out on the national championships, but instead the failure of the USATF to make the championships more meaningful.

runrun123 wrote:

[quote]carl marks wrote:

Don't see any bashing of Centro. I think "How low can he go" is in reference to how low his time can go down, because he is preparing for a PR type race. I think it was just a tricky title to get people to click the topic. If it was a bash on not doing USA's that is just dumb.

+1

You have akl been had by the brojos.

This title was their best prank ever.