Hocker is a gamer and RARELY has an off race. He was the pick going into this and showed why. A perfectly executed win, and a nice altitude mark. Great range from 1500 thru 2miles (8:05) and up to 13:07 5k (which he is ready to improve upon).
Kessler ran a very solid race in second place and advances to World Championships. No easy feat. Obviously Nuguse and Hocker are the two best milers we have, but the gap is small. Kessler will have a tough time beating these guys in a kicker's race (especially Hocker, who is a Robby Andrews type closer) but time is on his side.
Definitely. United States has three elite runners to put on the 1500m team for Paris. Nuguse, with the 3:43 talent to actually medal. Hocker, the indoor champion with an 8:05 2 Mile, and Kessler as the young gun on the rise with unlimited potential. This is a big win for Hocker, and impressive for Kessler and Wynne. Wynne has pushing hard in recent years, and is finally able to make a Top three finish. Especially kicking past Teare.
Teare was impressive, he's a lot more fit than his results show. He was really boxed in this race and used all his energy just getting free.
Getting boxed in when fit enough to win isn’t impressive, is it?
fitness alone isn’t enough. You’ve got to put it all together.
it’s like being super smart, but being lousy at time management and running out out time to finish a test you know all the answers to.
Not convinced yet of Hocker as a medalist. I want to see that kick when they hit 2:50 at 1200, not when they hit 2:56. It seems when he's against international competition he's well back of the leaders in 7th or 8th, then makes a final rush over the last 200 and picks up a couple places but is well out of the medals. He needs to Molly Seidel and stick his nose into it. You can't spot these guys 20 meters and expect to run them down.
Absolutely dominates the 1500, no one close. Great tactics
Yeah it was actually a little shocking how much he dominated this and how easily he won. I didn't feel there was any real "oh wow" moment in the race - he just ran away from those guys easily over the last 500m - it looked like he made a mid-race move in a 3000m or something which the pack thought they would eventually cover - just a weird one to watch.
Can only guess Kessler was a little fried from running 3.48 last weekend the rest of the field just laid eggs.
This race was very similar to his past wins against national level runners, although Kessler had looked very good up until this race . The difference is the 8:05 2 mile, which is quite a bit better than what he could have done previously for that distance. He has a much better chance now of being near the front when the kicking starts, when in 2021 he didn’t quite have the strength to be there
Yeah, I agree. I thought his 8:05 was far more impressive than the 1500 win and a good sign for him. But it was still 5 seconds down on Kerr and 9 seconds down on what we know Jakob can do. And Hocker only closed the last 400 in around 56 in that 2 mile. The questions Hocker still needs to answer is the same one he's had to answer since 2021: what can he muster when he's run 3:31 pace for three laps?
Yeah, I agree. I thought his 8:05 was far more impressive than the 1500 win and a good sign for him. But it was still 5 seconds down on Kerr and 9 seconds down on what we know Jakob can do. And Hocker only closed the last 400 in around 56 in that 2 mile. The questions Hocker still needs to answer is the same one he's had to answer since 2021: what can he muster when he's run 3:31 pace for three laps?
Cole was in the zone for the win here. He sniffs an Olympic berth, and an Olympic final. Look, I was a doubter in 2021--the talent and race sense were obvious, but I kept blabbing here--"it's hard for a college kid to keep his edge through the trials, let alone the Olympics." Well, in Tokyo Cole made the final and accounted well for himself.
I'm nobody, but still I issue a full apology for being that 2021 doubter. Good things ahead for Cole Hocker.
Calling it now. Hocker gold in Paris. The 8:05 strength plus his kick will get it done
I really don't think it's impossible, Hocker looks like he's on a new level of fitness this year compared to the past. If Jakob makes it a 3:27 race, then yeah no chance. But if he's not fit enough to do that this year, then it gets real interesting because then the race comes down to positioning and tactics. Easy to imagine a scenario where Jakob and Kerr fixate on each other trying to match the other's surges, and that opens the door for someone else to run a cleaner race and blow by both of them at the end. It's for sure a longshot, but I actually like Hocker's odds better than Nuguse, who's a superior time trialer, but I'm not sure if he's obsessed with running enough to win these kinds of races
Not convinced yet of Hocker as a medalist. I want to see that kick when they hit 2:50 at 1200, not when they hit 2:56. It seems when he's against international competition he's well back of the leaders in 7th or 8th, then makes a final rush over the last 200 and picks up a couple places but is well out of the medals. He needs to Molly Seidel and stick his nose into it. You can't spot these guys 20 meters and expect to run them down.
He knows his fitness. This year barring injury will be different. Recall that last year he wasn’t running until April, so very little base and going straight to the front wouldn’t amount to anything. Pre should be a fun one because the field will be good and Jakob may not have a huge gap at all unlike in 2022 where Cole was very much in the mix with the second pack.
Not convinced yet of Hocker as a medalist. I want to see that kick when they hit 2:50 at 1200, not when they hit 2:56. It seems when he's against international competition he's well back of the leaders in 7th or 8th, then makes a final rush over the last 200 and picks up a couple places but is well out of the medals. He needs to Molly Seidel and stick his nose into it. You can't spot these guys 20 meters and expect to run them down.
He knows his fitness. This year barring injury will be different. Recall that last year he wasn’t running until April, so very little base and going straight to the front wouldn’t amount to anything. Pre should be a fun one because the field will be good and Jakob may not have a huge gap at all unlike in 2022 where Cole was very much in the mix with the second pack.
He ran just like he did in Tokyo. Was never in contention but kicked well down the stretch for a respectable finish. These guys who run up front aren't plodders with no kick. They can cut loose off a hard pace. In that 2 mile, in spite of his usual late rush he didn't make up ground against Kerr and in fact Kerr ran his last 440 in 56.97 to Hocker's 57.46. And that includes the wave to the crowd.
He ran just like he did in Tokyo. Was never in contention but kicked well down the stretch for a respectable finish. These guys who run up front aren't plodders with no kick. They can cut loose off a hard pace. In that 2 mile, in spite of his usual late rush he didn't make up ground against Kerr and in fact Kerr ran his last 440 in 56.97 to Hocker's 57.46. And that includes the wave to the crowd.
You don’t think Kerr having a personal pacemaker for 2900 meters while Hocker was grinding in no-man’s land for a large portion was a part of that? In a race more than 2x shorter, Hocker will position himself more aggressively as his fitness improves.
This post was edited 29 seconds after it was posted.
He ran just like he did in Tokyo. Was never in contention but kicked well down the stretch for a respectable finish. These guys who run up front aren't plodders with no kick. They can cut loose off a hard pace. In that 2 mile, in spite of his usual late rush he didn't make up ground against Kerr and in fact Kerr ran his last 440 in 56.97 to Hocker's 57.46. And that includes the wave to the crowd.
You don’t think Kerr having a personal pacemaker for 2900 meters while Hocker was grinding in no-man’s land for a large portion was a part of that? In a race more than 2x shorter, Hocker will position himself more aggressively as his fitness improves.
First, let's get the facts straight. The second pacesetter dropped out at a mile and a quarter not 2900 meters and both Kerr and Fisher had passed him by then. So there was 3/4 of a mile left and not 316 meters.
Now, who were the pacesetters at Tokyo and Budapest? Hocker gets stuck in no mans land because he's afraid of not having the same kick if he runs up front. Until he shows he can run up front and kick with them, only then will I acknowledge. But there's no way he's going to run down these guys from 2-3 seconds behind at the bell lap.
First, let's get the facts straight. The second pacesetter dropped out at a mile and a quarter not 2900 meters and both Kerr and Fisher had passed him by then. So there was 3/4 of a mile left and not 316 meters.
Now, who were the pacesetters at Tokyo and Budapest? Hocker gets stuck in no mans land because he's afraid of not having the same kick if he runs up front. Until he shows he can run up front and kick with them, only then will I acknowledge. But there's no way he's going to run down these guys from 2-3 seconds behind at the bell lap.
You missed the point. Kerr to his credit stuck on Grant who ended up shepherding him through (de facto rabbit) as Kerr waited to unleash a kick. There was a break in front of Hocker so he had to run basically alone from a mile in to 2900 before Beamish passed him and could key off him. Hocker used far much physical and mental energy in the middle of the race. Right now Kerr is better and more confident but the gap is narrowing. If they ran the race again in a week you can bet Hocker would be on Kerr’s hip a mile in and sure Kerr would beat him but Grant? Much more uncertain.
Running PBs in championship finals is unusual but both Tokyo and Budapest he did. It’s because he ran smart races and wasn’t on the leaders’ level. If he can get to 3:29 fitness you can bet he will place himself higher in the race than if he’s in 3:30-31 shape and uncomfortable making moves at 56-second pace. You’re acting like that he’s a one-trick pony when he has consistently shown he’s happy to win from the front if he has the requisite fitness.