Nuguse & Kessler go home DEVASTATED. Koech FTW, Strand and Hocker make the team

Am I the only one that noticed that the top 6 (including the two supposedly "devastated" ones) were under the Championship record (3:32.57). Same record that was set in the heats two days ago, mind you. So the final was Championship-record level difficult to make, runners tired and still ran yet faster. Nuguse and Kessler each ran super fast 3:31 and the top three outran them, earned the spots. Not failure on their parts, but rising to the occasion for the top three.

In the indoor season, Hobbs said he trains more like a 5000 runner. But also around that time he said he never runs longer than 7 miles. He also said he thinks he's a better 5000 runner than 800 guy. Then he laid down a ho-hum 7:35 3000 indoor (bersus 7:23 for Hocker in another race) which he openly admitted he was disappointed with and correctly said its mot world class. Then after the 1500 heat at the championships the other day he said he focused on adding anaerobic tools and may have given up some aerobic strength ovrr the ladt two months to do so. He sounds a bit all over the map with his training direction. Personally I think he needs to build more aerobic strength so he can kick off a fast pace at the end of the 1500, which like you said, he has not shown to date. If Nico Young can develop a kick, Hobbs certainly can as well.

You may be on to something here. Too many races, too many doubles, and for what?

Goes home DEVASTATED rojo? Is that really necessary? I mean you profess to be the best coach in the history of the Ivy league, but in reality you're not even in the top 500 coaches in the country. No one ever said that you went home DEVASTATED do they?

Rojo, you need to re-evaluate what you're trying to accomplish. There are only so many bridges you can burn. Just some constructive criticism to counter your destructive impulses. You can do better.

Honestly I get it though. First championship final after you've gone pro and you're leading down the home stretch? His brain must've been going absolutely haywire

It's really impressive when you look at how long Strand's season has been. Running 3:48 indoors back in January. It feels a bit like Hocker's 2021 season when he ran the full NCAA indoor/outdoor season (lighting it up indoors) and still qualifying for Tokyo. Hopefully all 3 of our guys can make the final again this year like in Paris. There's really no room for error in the US men's 1500 trials these days.

I was there on the backstretch. What it looked like to me is that the heat got to Yared. It was in the mid-90s on the track.

No doubt you're correct, but I downvoted ya anyway.

Im not sure what this all entails but it certainly sounds like an immediate escalation.

Those who led in the distance races today did not fare well other than the women’s 1500. Nuguse, Corrigan, Wayment all fell off with none of them making the team.

+1

I was there as well and it was cooking for the 1500s and the ‘chase - heat seemed to really have an affect on the leaders in the distance races.

Happy to see someone other than Nuguse make it

Ok having just watched the replay and some of the interviews I have to say I really feel for Hobbs. It seemed like he did everything right just shadowing Nuguse and letting him do all the work. Then boom, Strand gets going and Koech follows right after and they just move away. I have no idea what Strand was doing so far back at NCAAs but I guess that doesn't matter now. Koech was such an unknown but I have to give him credit for running a hell of a race. He got his stride checked a few times early on but it never seemed to interrupt his race of take anything out of his finish. That reminds me of Hocker at his best. Then for Hocker himself he seemed to just get to the kick late and the only question mark was if he realized it and then just battled for third, which it sounds like his post race comments indicate.

As others have mentioned, Nuguse ran into the Jakob problem that when you're leading, you're doing more work than everyone else. I don't really blame him because it's worked well before but he should watch back his race at the Olympics because he had an amazing close and arguably could've won that race with how well he was moving in the final 100. Again, the one I feel the most sorry for is Hobbs because I'm not really sure what he did wrong other than getting beat. His post race comments reflect that but it's gotta sting to do everything right and just come up short. Now it'll be super interesting to see how these guys move on to worlds (and also if anyone can get the wildcard spot at the DL final).

Finally, my prediction contest is screwed! I was pretty confident with my picks a few days ago but to this point I don't think I've gotten a single event totally correct.

While I agree with you, a kick in a 5,000 or 3,000 even is a bit different than a 1,500. Outside of Shelby, who are the 1500m runners whose signature became the kick later in their development?

Even for some of the late-career improvers, most aren’t conjuring unbelievable kicks as they improve in a 1500. Josette Andrews still struggles to kick in a 1500, Jessica Hull does too. George Mills similarly. The USA kickers like Hiltz, Hocker were known for it. As was Wightman. Not even getting into Katir who had a nothing last 100 even doped to the gills.

i and everybody else can ho back to basics.

which is a very short indoor season

a training block of aerobic, then strength speed peak

Not, hard indoor, grand slam racing, then outdoor.

this is the takeaway.

go back to basics

jacob can certainly get beat in his first two races back, but he may well preak in a traditional way and rule.

He did not. Jakob would never ever think he could win with a first 800 at 1:55. It might have been another ballgame if Nuguse had been consistent i.e. 1:52 - 1:53. Or may be not.

While I agree, Nuguse tried to repeat what he did last year. He ran slightly faster that second lap this year but more importantly he had a 26-flat last 200 last year. This year more like 27. It’s going to look like a terrible tactic if you botch the last 100 or 200, just like Jakob did in Paris.