She was the slowest q in the field. She knew what he effort felt like in the qualifier. She had no illusions that she might be racing to make the team. In that situation, if she felt like she was going to get nothing positive out of running the race and getting something between mid-pack and DFL, then I can understand DNS and moving on at this point. I agree with others, who have said she needs to focus on the roads, and maybe train for longer distances.
I really like Allie but she is too distracted by the whole social media nonsense. Take a full year off posting anything and concentrate on the work. You didn't see Brady distracted by SM and don't see Ronaldo, Messi, or LeBron spending all their time making and editing videos.
It’s her job. You want her to find another funding source for running full-time, like maybe a corporate job or something?
Running is her job just like their respective sports are the other people I mentioned's jobs. Don't let social media distract you from your job which is THE SPORT.
This BS mental health crap you get from healthy nowadays is pathetic. Bob Feller and Ted Williams went to actual war against the Nazis, did their job, and came back to be Hall of Fame athletes. Now someone isn't 100% motivated and they just don't do the thing they're paid to do.
Probably because she did The Ascent at Broken Arrow about 6-7 weeks ago. You can't do dumb stuff like that, expect it not to screw you up, and then come out and try to run fast on the track.
Not knowing Allie in person whatsoever, but having followed her content for years, something seems weird here.
Allie is not one to shy away from a competitive field or value her likely placement in a race over participating/trying her best. I genuinely do not think her DNS was a conscious decision made to avoid coming in either last place or second to last.
If I was a betting man, I’d say one of two things is going on:
1. She tweaked something in the days leading up to the race or in the semis. This is a result of weird, unfocused training with a coach whose specialty does not align with what Allie is actually most passionate about. Comparing her all-over-the-map training with the training of those who actually specialize in track highlights how all over the place this season has been for her. And if she wants to pursue a ton of things, she absolutely should, but then also needs to allocate her energy effectively, and accept that she will likely not get top results. (Also I think she’s too short for SC and, strangely, knows the hurdles and water obstacles are weak for her but didn’t practice hurdling until a few weeks before the championships??).
2. She is having some sort of psychological issue - maybe a relapse of her ED, maybe something else - and she psyched herself out in between the semi and the final. I say this because she has seemed genuinely disappointed in the races/workouts leading up to this race, and also seemed really mentally unprepared for racing at this level this season. I don’t know that the emotional intensity of David Roche is necessarily a good fit for someone who is already prone overanalysis. His endless positivity can veer into navel-gazing at times. Maybe a combination of sports psych + track-specific coach would be more helpful for Allie.
Either way, I hope she’s ok and that she takes a step back to rethink her approach.
This post was edited 1 minute after it was posted.
She said it pretty well. She experienced the setbacks: surgery, injury etc AND she had other stressors like getting engaged and moving and struggled to adjust her goals and training from where she wanted it to be to the reality she was in. You could see this pretty early on, and I do wonder if her community tried to help her and she was stubborn (it kinda sounds like it).
Additionally, no matter what, Allies schedule was giving "jack of all trades, master of none" vibes and no athletes in any of the arenas she dabbled in did what she was doing, and in the end, she was mid level. She did grow the sport by showing us all exactly what happens when you have no real focus.
I hope this puts an end to her running on the track. She had no chance to make the team. That window closed long ago. She seems like a nice person on her videos but I haven’t found them interesting for a long time. Never pegged her as a quitter though. I suspect she’ll regret this decision the dns her last race of any real significance. Hope she finds happiness in her future endeavors.
Like Phily Bowden, she should shift to being a talented super influencer. Run well, offer actual decent training advice and running lifestyle advice from the perspective of someone that played the game. Get an OTQ, run Boston, etc. without the intense pressure of being pro.
I would rather see young women runners inspired and learning from her than someone like Elizabeth Clor.
Not knowing Allie in person whatsoever, but having followed her content for years, something seems weird here.
Allie is not one to shy away from a competitive field or value her likely placement in a race over participating/trying her best. I genuinely do not think her DNS was a conscious decision made to avoid coming in either last place or second to last.
If I was a betting man, I’d say one of two things is going on:
1. She tweaked something in the days leading up to the race or in the semis. This is a result of weird, unfocused training with a coach whose specialty does not align with what Allie is actually most passionate about. Comparing her all-over-the-map training with the training of those who actually specialize in track highlights how all over the place this season has been for her. And if she wants to pursue a ton of things, she absolutely should, but then also needs to allocate her energy effectively, and accept that she will likely not get top results. (Also I think she’s too short for SC and, strangely, knows the hurdles and water obstacles are weak for her but didn’t practice hurdling until a few weeks before the championships??).
2. She is having some sort of psychological issue - maybe a relapse of her ED, maybe something else - and she psyched herself out in between the semi and the final. I say this because she has seemed genuinely disappointed in the races/workouts leading up to this race, and also seemed really mentally unprepared for racing at this level this season. I don’t know that the emotional intensity of David Roche is necessarily a good fit for someone who is already prone overanalysis. His endless positivity can veer into navel-gazing at times. Maybe a combination of sports psych + track-specific coach would be more helpful for Allie.
Either way, I hope she’s ok and that she takes a step back to rethink her approach.
As I said earlier, I think it's likely more 2 than 1. She is pretty much an open book about injuries and I think she would have said something.
I think her lack of hurdling practice is because she was coming back from a stress fracture and being cautious, which makes sense.
Let's not forget that she was running barely at all until mid-June, and even then it was a conservative ramp up.
I agree with others that she needs to pick an event/sport and focus on it. I'm not convinced that she has much of a future in the steeplechase as it seems like most of her success in it was because of its lack of depth and, in NCAA, the fact that she was a much better flat runner than most of her competitors. But, because of the lack of depth, it's probably also her best event to keep qualifying for US trials even though she may never be a contender. On the other hand, coming off injury makes it unfair to judge based on this season alone, and it's not obvious that there is an event in track, roads or trails that she would be better in. I'm guessing trails when she is healthy, but who knows.
Allie O's job is not just as a runner but as an influencer. She probably has a better sponsorship deal than any of the other women in the final and is certainly worth it to her sponsor. She was never going to be a factor in the final and will never be representing the USA on the track but that does not mean she should just quit the steeplechase if she still loves doing it. It was amazing she even qualified for the champs after being injured very recently and not being able to run. She is competitive in trail running and that is likely where she has the most potential. But there is no reason she should only do what she is best at. I think a nurturing coach like David Roche actually suits her personality.
Not knowing Allie in person whatsoever, but having followed her content for years, something seems weird here.
Allie is not one to shy away from a competitive field or value her likely placement in a race over participating/trying her best. I genuinely do not think her DNS was a conscious decision made to avoid coming in either last place or second to last.
If I was a betting man, I’d say one of two things is going on:
1. She tweaked something in the days leading up to the race or in the semis. This is a result of weird, unfocused training with a coach whose specialty does not align with what Allie is actually most passionate about. Comparing her all-over-the-map training with the training of those who actually specialize in track highlights how all over the place this season has been for her. And if she wants to pursue a ton of things, she absolutely should, but then also needs to allocate her energy effectively, and accept that she will likely not get top results. (Also I think she’s too short for SC and, strangely, knows the hurdles and water obstacles are weak for her but didn’t practice hurdling until a few weeks before the championships??).
2. She is having some sort of psychological issue - maybe a relapse of her ED, maybe something else - and she psyched herself out in between the semi and the final. I say this because she has seemed genuinely disappointed in the races/workouts leading up to this race, and also seemed really mentally unprepared for racing at this level this season. I don’t know that the emotional intensity of David Roche is necessarily a good fit for someone who is already prone overanalysis. His endless positivity can veer into navel-gazing at times. Maybe a combination of sports psych + track-specific coach would be more helpful for Allie.
Either way, I hope she’s ok and that she takes a step back to rethink her approach.
As I said earlier, I think it's likely more 2 than 1. She is pretty much an open book about injuries and I think she would have said something.
I think her lack of hurdling practice is because she was coming back from a stress fracture and being cautious, which makes sense.
Let's not forget that she was running barely at all until mid-June, and even then it was a conservative ramp up.
I agree with others that she needs to pick an event/sport and focus on it. I'm not convinced that she has much of a future in the steeplechase as it seems like most of her success in it was because of its lack of depth and, in NCAA, the fact that she was a much better flat runner than most of her competitors. But, because of the lack of depth, it's probably also her best event to keep qualifying for US trials even though she may never be a contender. On the other hand, coming off injury makes it unfair to judge based on this season alone, and it's not obvious that there is an event in track, roads or trails that she would be better in. I'm guessing trails when she is healthy, but who knows.
I completely disagree. I think she knew she would be an also ran and her pride got the best of her.
My translation = I ran all out and barely made the final, despite the relative ease of qualifying (only a few women were eliminated - unlike the 1500 heats), running slower than my recent opening solo effort in Portland. The prospect of being smoked in the final, possibly finishing a distant last place, overwhelmed me to the point of quitting/scratching.
She was the slowest q in the field. She knew what he effort felt like in the qualifier. She had no illusions that she might be racing to make the team. In that situation, if she felt like she was going to get nothing positive out of running the race and getting something between mid-pack and DFL, then I can understand DNS and moving on at this point. I agree with others, who have said she needs to focus on the roads, and maybe train for longer distances.
This! This is exactly what happened. She is used to excelling. Anytime she doesn't do as well as she expected to she posts a whiney video and there are tears. She was the NcAA steeplechase champ ×2. It's hard to accept. And she doesn't owe anyone anything. Except maybe not to be dishonest.
She was the slowest q in the field. She knew what he effort felt like in the qualifier. She had no illusions that she might be racing to make the team. In that situation, if she felt like she was going to get nothing positive out of running the race and getting something between mid-pack and DFL, then I can understand DNS and moving on at this point. I agree with others, who have said she needs to focus on the roads, and maybe train for longer distances.
This! This is exactly what happened. She is used to excelling. Anytime she doesn't do as well as she expected to she posts a whiney video and there are tears. She was the NcAA steeplechase champ ×2. It's hard to accept. And she doesn't owe anyone anything. Except maybe not to be dishonest.
'Stupid takes" applies to you. I love how so many idiots on this board are so convinced that they know exactly what some pro runner was thinking in the moment. It's laughable.
Leaving aside the stupid comments and looking at her results history, I take back my prior comment that she probably doesn't have a future in the steeplechase and should look elsewhere. I had forgotten that she ran a PR in 2024 of 9:21, and that was coming off some terrible years coming back from the ED. That also a positive sign about working with Roche given her history. I'm not saying it's going to happen, but it's totally legit that running 9:21 last year would make her think that 12-18 months of good health could get her to a sub-9:10 breakthrough, which would put her in the mix. Some of the other women have had breakthroughs and big leaps exactly like that.