Yes it is exciting. But even running 27:20 at age 21 would be unprecedented for a U.S. runner. So talk of breaking 27 may be premature. He is a gamer for sure.
Premature? Are you joking. I'll bet even money up to $10,000 he breaks 27:00. Why wouldn't he? Now the rabbiting neesd to be spot on. If they hire Joe Klecker to rabbit it, I guarantee he does it. Oh wait. Klecker's probably racing. ;)
Seriously though, these shoe companies had better have pooled their resources and hired a top dude to take it 8k.
The two pacers are legit (as of now…they weren’t a year or two ago) for the Paris heat. I think that both could lead up 7k safely…one of them almost hit the 5k standard recently…so he could definitely lead until 8k. The pacers will get it done. Nico will be dragged by the pros who are fit enough to hit the standard…they’re only gonna have to push the last 5-7 minutes.
what place did this beast finish in the 3k or 5k? What time is he going to run in the 10k? Looks to me like the numbers are 2-1 in favor of nico right now😂
Let me throw out that if blanks ran a 10k in Nov, I expect he would have been pushing 27 mins also. But there is zero evidence that he was in better shape then than Nico is right now. Nico is clearly better than in Nov. For whatever reason he struggled at the ncaa (sick, missed time in build up, just having a bad day,…) and you would have to be delusional to think it says much about their future relative performances.
Now will Nico actually run around 27? Who knows. That was a big weekend at the NCAA and maybe he is a bit drained. Maybe the pacing or weather is a bit off. If I had to bet the over/under something like 27:10 is probably my line where I would struggle to pick a side. Something like a 27:30 will sort of be disappointing. A 26:55 would be exciting but not some huge break through.
i do love how we have gone from everyone wanting him to run a marathon in 2022/2023 cause he is slow to bunch of people thinking 10k is too long😂
Well he didn’t run indoors. My point is Graham can race. He knows how to win. They are both huge talents but man I’m taking Blanks if they are both healthy. He’s a winner. Who knows when he races again but that kid is tough as nails.
sounds like he wasn’t tough enough to make it to the starting line… was he a winner in indoors 2023 when he was 40s back of Nico? In 2022 xc when he was back 20s?
Drawing results from one race (and yes the only race that matters is championships) is stupid. Stuff happens. Who knows why Nico was off in XC this year. It doesn’t tell us much about what will happen when things click.
I have no clue if March Nico beats Nov Blanks. But I pretty confident that they will be within a a half dozen seconds if both have a good day.
I am concerned you may have a gambling problem Rojo. You ask why wouldn’t Nico break 27? Why kind of a silly question is that? Why didn’t Ritz break 27? Why didn’t Kincaid or Klecker? I suppose it is because it is not so easy.
One thing is certain, Nico himself has no doubt that he can break 27:00. A 12:57 5K guy doesn't target the 10K for the upcoming Olympics unless he's very sure of that.
Sub-27:00 is within the realm of possibility for a strength-based 12:57 guy. But I think the NCAA double is going to be in his legs and he will fall off the pace the last 2k. 27:15 is my prediction, with a narrow loss to Samuel who comes in at 27:12.
Not so sure Nico is really that strength-based. He's got a healthy amount of speed as we've seen in his miles/3Ks we are finding out. I'll be interested if the Mike Smith thing so far is a real trend (his guys are best at 3-5Ks/tactical 10Ks vs. 10K monsters) or just specific to Woody/Luis/Abdi thus far.
Nico's change in mechanics and awesome kick that has (not really, but) appeared to come from nowhere reveals that any runner can vastly improve their finishing speed by getting stronger aerobically and anaerobically as well as by working on running economy and speed.
It's ridiculous to hear excuses like "I'm slow twitch and can't run a 200 under 30." Genetics are not preventing you from running a 30-second 200, I f*cking promise.
Does Nico HAVE to break 27 to go to the Olympics? If he runs like 27:05 here and then gets top 3 in the trials, would his world ranking be high enough to go to Paris?
Does Nico HAVE to break 27 to go to the Olympics? If he runs like 27:05 here and then gets top 3 in the trials, would his world ranking be high enough to go to Paris?
He has no points in the 10000. So he needs the auto sub 27
Premature? Are you joking. I'll bet even money up to $10,000 he breaks 27:00. Why wouldn't he? Now the rabbiting neesd to be spot on. If they hire Joe Klecker to rabbit it, I guarantee he does it. Oh wait. Klecker's probably racing. ;)
Seriously though, these shoe companies had better have pooled their resources and hired a top dude to take it 8k.
The two pacers are legit (as of now…they weren’t a year or two ago) for the Paris heat. I think that both could lead up 7k safely…one of them almost hit the 5k standard recently…so he could definitely lead until 8k. The pacers will get it done. Nico will be dragged by the pros who are fit enough to hit the standard…they’re only gonna have to push the last 5-7 minutes.
I don’t know if it makes much difference, but a pacer through 8K kind of taints the results.
There’s no such thing as being “dragged” in a race. If the pace becomes too fast, a runner will drop back, no matter who he’s trying run with.
A guy that finished over 26 seconds behind the NCAA X-Country winner less than 4 months ago is going to run under 27:10? It is possible but not likely. Probably 27:20ish would be a lot to ask but much more likely.
Nico Young CRUSHED all the guys that beat him at NCAA XC. Parker Wolfe also performed considerably better than one would guess based on XC. Not likely, but completely possible given what Nico has done since then.
Can I ask why he needs a 10,000m qualifier if he's already qualified in the 5000m? Do we think he's a better 10K guy than 5K? Why not simply focus on the 5000m and not do this?
Can I ask why he needs a 10,000m qualifier if he's already qualified in the 5000m? Do we think he's a better 10K guy than 5K? Why not simply focus on the 5000m and not do this?
The two pacers are legit (as of now…they weren’t a year or two ago) for the Paris heat. I think that both could lead up 7k safely…one of them almost hit the 5k standard recently…so he could definitely lead until 8k. The pacers will get it done. Nico will be dragged by the pros who are fit enough to hit the standard…they’re only gonna have to push the last 5-7 minutes.
I don’t know if it makes much difference, but a pacer through 8K kind of taints the results.
There’s no such thing as being “dragged” in a race. If the pace becomes too fast, a runner will drop back, no matter who he’s trying run with.
Taints the results? The Olympics officials don't give ten phucs whether the race is paced or not. Hit the standard, that's all.
Can I ask why he needs a 10,000m qualifier if he's already qualified in the 5000m? Do we think he's a better 10K guy than 5K? Why not simply focus on the 5000m and not do this?
A lot of good Americans. Gives him options of running the 5 or 10 if he can get the 10K standard
Can I ask why he needs a 10,000m qualifier if he's already qualified in the 5000m? Do we think he's a better 10K guy than 5K? Why not simply focus on the 5000m and not do this?
A lot of good Americans. Gives him options of running the 5 or 10 if he can get the 10K standard
If he gets the 10000m qualifier, he’ll run both at the trials. He’s got nothing to lose by doing do, as there are enough rest days after the 10 to recover.
Can I ask why he needs a 10,000m qualifier if he's already qualified in the 5000m? Do we think he's a better 10K guy than 5K? Why not simply focus on the 5000m and not do this?
More Olympic options. Qualifying at the trials is tough and sometimes up to luck, tactics, bad day etc. You could have the best time in the world and still get 4th if you mess up just a tiny bit. Or maybe one day your kick isn't there but it is on another.
So having the 10K qualification as a backup is always good. With them being almost a week apart at the trials, you could have a bad day at the 10K and have a great day at 5K or vice versa (and same for your competitors).
For someone trying to get to their first global championship as well, more chances is always better.
I was looking at the world rankings in the 10,000 and noticed that The Ten is in competition category "B" - the same as USATF and NCAA champs. Can anyone explain this? I thought these random time trial events weren't supposed to be worth much for placement points?
Anyway, as long as he gets in the low 27s at the Ten and has a decent placing, and runs mid-27 or so at NCAA's and wins (100 placement points), that should probably get him in on world ranking. So even if tired legs prevent him from breaking 27 it still makes sense to run this meet.