Don't get me wrong, Maclean had a fantastic race, and Yared had a great one too. 3:47 is still like top 5 all time. But Maclean didn't get wavelights out specifically to target a fast time, and she wasn't specifically targeting the WR. Yared did and was.
Not saying he'd have broken the WR if the schedule went as planned, just that I (and seemingly a lot of people) had higher expectations for BU based on how expertly they've run their prior meets.
MacLean did use the pace lights. They did botch the pace lights for Yared's race somehow and not MacLean's. Ultimately yes I'd put these things aside. Poor job by meet management on the schedule and the wavelights, and even not putting Yared outside with the pacers. But these are minute things. The fact that Yared "only" ran 1:54.0 from 609 to 1409 off a solid first three laps is why he didn't get it.
I'd be in shambles if I flew across the country specifically to break a WR, and the one meet of the season that has a different organizer ends up an hour behind schedule, and they won't shuffle events around or anything.
Yeah there are two sides to this for me. One I like, one I don't like.
I liked that Yared put himself out there, said he was going for a WR, they bought in the LED's to help him etc etc - good for the sport here and generated some interest around what would have been just another meet.
But from a full season perspective/long term view I didn't like or quite understand this. This did seem like a complete reaction to Jakob running that time in Lievin and so let's go to BU with the bouncy plywood, get Wavelight and do what Keljecha did 5 years ago. But does the indoor mile really matter? Not as much as the outdoor one which Jakob doesn't seem to have that much interest in and on a perfect day you might be capable of getting close.
But Millrose was what, 3 weeks ago? Can't imagine there was too much regular base/buildup work going on in this time (because you simply can't run under 3.45 when you don't have some kind of taper/time off to prepare or else why bother?).
I don't want to call it "downside" but the upside in this situation was really tough, and turns out even harder because it isn't a pro meet and so wasn't run like one (hence the 35min delay, number debacle etc etc). He runs a great time but what does that really mean after 3.46.6 in NYC? Now we have 4 weeks until the start of your 8 race "pre season" block, I just feel like those 3 weeks post Millrose that were interrupted by this weekend (3/4 days away from home?). I don't personally get the logic. But that's just me.
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It was when pro track make its first appearance. From the NY Times in 1973:
"A new professional track and field tour began officially last Saturday night in Los Angeles, but some of the old predicaments of the amateur circuit still prevailed. Kip Keino beat Jim Ryun again In the mile, Bob Seagren won the pole vault, Martin McGrady failed to appear, faulty lap‐counting fouled up two races, the program ran 45 minutes late, and Bob Hayes proved that he probably is still the world's fastest human. The most encouraging note to the entire show was the announced crowd of 12,280, which may convince many skeptics that “go‐for‐dough,” or “dash‐for‐cash,” as the pro tour has been dubbed, can draw equally as well as the “run‐for‐fun” circuit. As with amateur meets, the mile was billed as the feature event, and promoters had installed pacing lights around the track to entice a world indoor record pace for Keino and Ryun. Unfortunately, Keino's winning time, 4 minutes 6 seconds, was nothing for officials of the International Track Association to shout about, and only a 57.7‐second final quarter‐mile kept the enigmatic Ryun from being wiped out by more than 12 yards. He ran 4:07.1. Keino, the 33‐year‐old, two‐time Olympic champion from Kenya, took the lead on the second lap of the 11‐lap race and extended his margin over Ryun to 30 yards. A lap‐counter machine had been set up on the track to inform the spectators the number of laps the runners had completed. But in apparent confusion over whether the runners had passed the sensory device that trips the counter, the gun to mark the final lap was fired with two laps to go."
I never knew this! Thanks.
contrast that with Bayi front running odd pace 332 low 1500. in 1974
on tartan to be sure
straight up that is 330 in Monaco today just based on the surface, or maybe better ... and that time would be with front running the whole way, odd pace, no shoes, no bicarb, EPO did not exist, nothin.
Bayi however, had malaria and was limited to human performances moving forward.
Walker got a bit of a free ride in 74, and moving forward, never did a perfect build up, could not handle it, and had calf issues and operation that limited him as well.
Ryan himself at 20, was in the same category as Bayi, and in fact his 333 on cinders with lousy pacing and very lop sided pacing was the best of all.