Man, the 5000m has really gone downhill.

bleu wrote:

Of course we didn't watch the meet. Who is going to pay to watch NOP when we just watched 4 days of great NCAA competition free! No one pays to watch sports anymore.

The meet was on NBC Sports Network which is included in most basic cable subscriptions or just about any streaming package. So, basically “free”.

Hffdg wrote:

Track is garbage nowadays because most runners go straight to the marathon due to its popularity- more money on the road. This is why a mediocre runner like Farah rose.

This. Although I wouldn't call Farah a mediocre runner. But it is why he could get away with coasting to easy championship wins on just his kick 99% of the time.

Les wrote:

Uh, yes is too much to ask. Pros get paid for their PLACE of finish not for running a particular time. If you want to put up $5,000 bonuses for every runner to break 12:50 I'm sure you'll get some takers. The Paris race was fast because the Ethiopians had to run fast times to impress their Olympic selection committee .

That's not true. Often times athlete's contracts will require them to run a standard every so often to renew their contract. Mo Farah in his autobiography even talked about a time where Adidas put him in a situation where he had to break 13 mins or suffer a pay cut.

optional wrote:

I was just thinking about this after seeing the Portland Track Festival marks.

1:47 for the 800 meters.

3:40 for the 1500 meters.

13:21 for the 5000 meters.

8:35 for the steeplechase.

It's just not the same game it was in the late 90s / early 2000s. .

You are correct by being 180 degrees off.

Those times would be considered exceptional - particularly the 13:21 the late 1990s in the US.

Someone on our staff had a debate with David Monti about this on twitter.

I do think drugs were likely a part of fast times in the 5000. But then again, now people are rocking the marathon. So you can't argue to me that "Improved drug testing is the reason why people don't run the 5k fast anymore" unless you can explain to me why the "marathon times are so much better now than they were 15 years ago."

https://twitter.com/nickwillis/status/1005830491046662144

https://twitter.com/d9monti/status/1005832471156584448

https://twitter.com/letsrundotcom/status/1005833843612573696

GBohannon wrote:

bleu wrote:

Of course we didn't watch the meet. Who is going to pay to watch NOP when we just watched 4 days of great NCAA competition free! No one pays to watch sports anymore.

The meet was on NBC Sports Network which is included in most basic cable subscriptions or just about any streaming package. So, basically “free”.

Please don't let facts get in the way of my uninformed complaining!

Rockstar Games wrote:

I remember a crazy (unpaced) 3000m race in which Bekele, Lagat and company closed in 51 for a slow 8:01. I like those as well but it was established from the beginning there weren't pacers (voluntarily at least).

There was also a notable 5000m @ Crystal Palace in 2006 where Lagat dropped a 51.9 final lap to run 12:59.... They were on the good sh1t....

Watch on YouTube Komen running 3000m in 7:20. DOPED to the gills...

Not in my area. NBCSN had the NCAA meet on Saturday.

longjack wrote:

great talent goes into soccer, other pro sports which have greatly expanded, even MMA.

There you go - first time I have heard the current state of distance running blamed on losing talent to the octagon! How many 5-foot-3 120lb distance runners would it take to bring down McGregor I wonder?

rojo wrote:

Someone on our staff had a debate with David Monti about this on twitter.

I do think drugs were likely a part of fast times in the 5000. But then again, now people are rocking the marathon. So you can't argue to me that "Improved drug testing is the reason why people don't run the 5k fast anymore" unless you can explain to me why the "marathon times are so much better now than they were 15 years ago."

https://twitter.com/nickwillis/status/1005830491046662144https://twitter.com/d9monti/status/1005832471156584448https://twitter.com/letsrundotcom/status/1005833843612573696

The marathon runners are tested less often than the track competitors is one reason. Some have posited it is the money behind the scenes that is also behind this. I would tend to believe this also has added to the depth in the marathon. As drug testing improves we will probably see things level off at this distance too.

SteeeeV wrote:

longjack wrote:

great talent goes into soccer, other pro sports which have greatly expanded, even MMA.

There you go - first time I have heard the current state of distance running blamed on losing talent to the octagon! How many 5-foot-3 120lb distance runners would it take to bring down McGregor I wonder?

100 duck sized horses