Additionally, UNC coach Chris Miltenberg corresponded with Jonathan Gault today.
Wolfe has a foot injury. Milt said it was not have a stress fracture but they did not feel it was worth risking running on it at regionals/NCAAs.
From Milt:
"Some inflammation popped up in his foot middle of last week and we did not want to force it or risk making it worse. He has way too bright of a future to take any unnecsssary risks. This is heartbreaking that one of the best careers in collegiate history will end this way but it is also just the beginning of the exciting future he has ahead."
This is the right move, but it's also highly concerning. How many serious, season-altering injuries has Parker had over the last two years? At least four it seems. He's good enough to bounce back and still be one of the best runners in the NCAA every time, but this can't be sustainable. What's going on at UNC?
That’s tough news to hear. Parker Wolfe had an incredible collegiate run, and it’s unfortunate it has to end like this. Props to the coaching staff for prioritizing his long-term health. He’s got a bright future ahead—this is just a pause, not the end. Wishing him a full and speedy recovery.
This is the right move, but it's also highly concerning. How many serious, season-altering injuries has Parker had over the last two years? At least four it seems. He's good enough to bounce back and still be one of the best runners in the NCAA every time, but this can't be sustainable. What's going on at UNC?
I mean look at the results - incredible. So my guess would be elite level schedules and training. And when you have highly talented, highly competitive and highly motivated kids getting together, they aren't taking the foot off the gas ever. They can handle insane workloads, class, social lives etc but at some point the human body is just that, only human and it has its breaking point.
It depends if you want to be a great collegiate athlete or a great pro. That might seem like an easy question to answer but take Wolfe in this instance - he's not going to win NCAA's this year and who knows if he will be in shape for trials, but Nike are probably going to sign him for at least 200-250k a year through LA based on his collegiate career alone. Hypothetically he might never run a great race again (this is totally worst case scenario) but he will live the dream as a pro for at least 4 years and make great money. So it's a fine line between holding back in college or not. You have to be good enough to get a deal, but not so good you've blown the chassis to bits getting there.
But simply to answer your question? Those guys at UNC aren't messing around training wise and this is what can happen.
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Realistically his injury is much worse than minor inflammation. There is a ton of incentive to down play injuries when someone is about to be shopping for a pro contract. I wouldn’t take this report at face value. No one skips NCAAs their senior year unless the injury is significant to the point that running on it is unmanageable or going to cause long term damage.
If it "popped up middle of last week," that gives them 3 full weeks to get ready for NCAAs. If it really was minor inflammation, Wolfe could reduce his mileage and cross-train to hold fitness before running one final race at NCAAs. Wouldn't be ideal, obviously, but it would allow him to run with fairly low risk.
It's telling they're not trying to do that. Track isn't the NFL, where teams have to report injuries accurately for gambling purposes. There's good reason to be pessimistic whenever someone self-reports a "minor injury."
Volunteer mods, If you see a thread on the homepage, think three times before deleting it as that likley means we think the topic is worthy of discussion.
in which we all see, out in the open, just how amateur this whole operation really is
Lots of online forums have volunteer mods. Ever been on reddit, or a car forum for your favorite car. For example
Did John Hayes calculate this all along? Perhaps Rockey performed some voodoo majick and we all missed is on the live broadcast
"Rocky, go out hard and drop out after 3200......Wolfe will go with you, pick up the pace when you drop out, and then his foot will hurt 4 days later".......General Hayes
Shutting down now for several weeks means Parker may still race USAs in a couple months.
So, these questions remain: with whom does he sign, to where does he move to live & train, and is Ethan Strand part of a package deal?
I honestly think there’s a great chance that they both continue to train under Milt post college. If he has a bone injury unfortunately he will not be back for USAs. It’s just not possible to allow the rest the bone needs and then to stack on the needed base to build up for the trials. I guarantee they will be extra careful this time around and take no chances return too soon.
I think there's a good chance he trains with Ethan under Mike Smith. They already have a nike nil deal.
I agree that they will stay with Nike but just not sure who will coach them. I think Milt wants to get into pro coaching and this would be a great opportunity. I know ON Boulder wanted Wolfe but not sure if that would be a good fit.
If it’s a bone stress injury, depending on the grade and location it MAY heal faster. The thing is he obviously had something in his foot previously. If not dealt with properly you’re at risk for developing another problem, and this problem is usually at a different bone than the first one. I think considering this is his second foot issue now, they will be much more conservative, because it clearly wasn’t dealt with correctly the first go around. The other issue is sometimes the fracture isn’t visible at first, and it’s tough to say it’s for sure just a stress reaction. But the biggest issue is that this is now a reoccurring problem, so his diet is lacking, genetically he’s predisposed to issues, he’s amping up his training too much too quickly, and something is off bio mechanically (maybe all of the above). Not good indicators of a long healthy career. The biggest mistake they could make is trying to get him ready for worlds, if he’s smart and getting good advice he won’t even think about it as a possibility. I think the fact he didn’t push through it to run at ncaas is great, sure it’s a shame but bone is something that definitely gets way worse if you try to do that.
Sure, I don't disagree. But plenty of other top athletes in the NCAA are handling similar workloads without the consistency of injury that Parker's experiencing. At some point, it's up to Milt to realize that Parker's biting off more than he can chew and adjust accordingly. Once is a fluke, twice you can be unlucky -- this here is a pattern.
Wolfe has a foot injury. Milt said it was not have a stress fracture but they did not feel it was worth risking running on it at regionals/NCAAs.
If this were Malmo he'd still be racing. Malmo races on a broken foot.
True, but not necessarily.
All injuries are different, and context matters a lot. Back then there was no such thing as going "pro". In my case, it was my senior year, which was the end of the line. There was no tomorrow. I was on the trainers table every day getting taped, ice/heat ... pain killers, anything, just to keep my career from ending. It was the summation of every cold, dark winter morning. Yes, it was literally epic poetry. I carried myself across the goal line.
I don't think Wolfe has that weight on his shoulders. His future is pretty much set. "You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow This opportunity comes once in a lifetime."
This is just blatantly not true. Bones take 6 weeks to heal, often times more. Something like the hand may be on the shorter side, if it’s his foot 6 weeks minimum.
No, you're wrong. Your six week guesstimate is pretty good. That's not the issue here. The issue is whether or not training, or even racing impedes recovery. The healing process starts on day one. Resident LRC podiatrist Brian Fullen agrees with me, so do many other podiatrists, including my college teammate Walt Majak, DPM. They, and I, know a little bit more about this than you.
If looking out for his long term pro prospects, why would one have Wolfe run a meaningless 10/5 double at ACC's. Considering his propensity for foot injuries it may not have been the wisest of choices.
Humans are weird. We have to have someone to blame for everything.
Rojo often takes the wrong side of things, but not here. But, please, don't include me in "we".
Whether training or racing impedes recovery? Of a BONE injury????? Hopefully his doctor, and not a podiatrist an actual doctor, is more educated than you. Average return to sport unrestricted is like 13 weeks. It will be several weeks before he can even walk for 30 min. Maybe time for you to do some research, hopefully before giving anyone any kind of medical advice.