I wouldn't write her off so quickly. This is a question that only Parker herself can answer. It is a matter if she really wants to. I think she has the talent to do so.
My first thought was she didn't look sickly thin, you know, sorta healthy looking. Unfortunately, that means she won't win world class distance races. I wish her good health and a good career, whether it be running or something else.
My first thought was she spent a lot of time with Coburn and now her frame is more like Coburn. They would have eaten many meals together, and likely talked about food, nutrition and core training.
I wouldn't write her off so quickly. This is a question that only Parker herself can answer. It is a matter if she really wants to. I think she has the talent to do so.
She can’t run, but is a professional runner. That’s a problem and a bad move for New Balance. Her current coach has a history with EPO and no distance runners can train in Florida and be successful. It’s a complete losing situation.
Some really bizarre takes on this one. Have any of you had to take 5+ months without proper training (including cross training) due to an injury, after being incredibly fit? You end up really out of shape. Your body changes. You don’t look the same. She’s what, 4 months back into training? Check back again with her in another 4+ months before making any sweeping statements. Or better yet about a year from now. The comments on here are insane and clearly from those who haven’t had a significant injury. I’d argue she is showing exactly how talented she is being able to compete well after not training nearly half the year.
The Valby hate is crazy. She did a great interview with Gault. She was upfront about her injury. I guarantee that she is fragile mentally--as almost all elite athletes are. She went back to things that worked in the past.
Without being too much of a creeper, I saw she has developed some legit abdominal muscles and is a bit thicker. I would wager that she is putting on some muscle to prevent injury again, be able to deal with a long build up and complete well in 2027 for the Olympics in 2028.
I would like to see her do light work this indoor season. Maybe do something like a 3k to have some fun and feel fast again. Skip outdoor this year and crush the 6k outdoor record in Canton, OH in July to feel like a winner on an easy course. She can win some cash be visible for the sponsors. Then get back to a build/prep for trials in 2027.
So "almost all elite athletes are mentally fragile"? How do any of them succeed then? Especially as they are all so physically fragile too, and require every kind of medical drug under the sun.
If you don’t know that the elite athlete has to be 100% in the head as well as body to win then you’ve never challenged yourself. Being on the razors edge is exactly that.
I wouldn't write her off so quickly. This is a question that only Parker herself can answer. It is a matter if she really wants to. I think she has the talent to do so.
Why wouldn’t want to run as well as she possibly can?
I just don't see her being competitive in the last lap of any USATF race unless she's way out in front alone.
I really only see it happening if she gets into 30:15 shape or better, fast enough that she can break well away at 7k and nobody can go with. If three people are within striking distance of her with 800m to go, she has almost no shot at the team.
30:15? Only three US women have EVER run that fast; one is retired, one is trying to come back from a serious injury, and the third is moving to the 1500m.
List of Americans sub-31:00 1) Monson 30:03.82 (2023) - coming back from injury 2) Huddle 30:13.17 (20160 - retired 3) Cranny 30:14.66 (2022) - moving to 1500m 4) Schweizer 30:18.05 (2022) 5) Flanagan 30:22.22 (2008) - retired 6) Kelati 30:33.82 (2024) - possible move to marathon? 7) Henes 30:48.26 (2023) - coming back from lung surgery 8) Rogers 30:48.69 (2023) - moved to marathon 9) Sisson 30:49.57 (2019) - moved to marathon 10) Kastor 30:50.32 (2002) - retired 11) Valby 30:50.43 (2024) 12) O'Keefe 30:52.77 (2023) - moved to marathon 13) Goucher 30:55.16 (2008) - retired 14) Roe 30:58.66 (2025) 15) Infed 30:59.38 (2025) - will turn 36 soon 16) McClain 30:59.71 (2025)
Also, you should rewatch the finish of the Olympic Trials when Valby kicked down Schweizer in the final 100m to take second and earn her trip to Paris.
I just don't see her being competitive in the last lap of any USATF race unless she's way out in front alone.
I really only see it happening if she gets into 30:15 shape or better, fast enough that she can break well away at 7k and nobody can go with. If three people are within striking distance of her with 800m to go, she has almost no shot at the team.
30:15? Only three US women have EVER run that fast; one is retired, one is trying to come back from a serious injury, and the third is moving to the 1500m.
List of Americans sub-31:00 1) Monson 30:03.82 (2023) - coming back from injury 2) Huddle 30:13.17 (20160 - retired 3) Cranny 30:14.66 (2022) - moving to 1500m 4) Schweizer 30:18.05 (2022) 5) Flanagan 30:22.22 (2008) - retired 6) Kelati 30:33.82 (2024) - possible move to marathon? 7) Henes 30:48.26 (2023) - coming back from lung surgery 8) Rogers 30:48.69 (2023) - moved to marathon 9) Sisson 30:49.57 (2019) - moved to marathon 10) Kastor 30:50.32 (2002) - retired 11) Valby 30:50.43 (2024) 12) O'Keefe 30:52.77 (2023) - moved to marathon 13) Goucher 30:55.16 (2008) - retired 14) Roe 30:58.66 (2025) 15) Infed 30:59.38 (2025) - will turn 36 soon 16) McClain 30:59.71 (2025)
Also, you should rewatch the finish of the Olympic Trials when Valby kicked down Schweizer in the final 100m to take second and earn her trip to Paris.
It's a fair point about that trials race, and it definitely stands as something of an outlier compared to her other key races, but nonetheless it proves she has the baseline ability. I can't help but feel like she's a born road runner though - she's rarely shown much top speed which I think she'll need to really compete on the global 10k stage these days. Don't need that type of close for a full.
I stand by the 30:15 comment though, again because of the lack of closing speed. As it stands with what we've seen, I think her best (and maybe only, if the competition's good) route to winning a track 10k title is to force it from the front. She'd have to be at least 15s faster by PR than the competition to break away, hence somewhere around 30:15. That's assuming the field is strong of course. To your point, the women's 10k is pretty shallow atm, but with the next USAs still 19 months out, I'm betting there'll be some big deal runs and the team won't be quite so clear cut as it has been.
So "almost all elite athletes are mentally fragile"? How do any of them succeed then? Especially as they are all so physically fragile too, and require every kind of medical drug under the sun.
If you don’t know that the elite athlete has to be 100% in the head as well as body to win then you’ve never challenged yourself. Being on the razors edge is exactly that.
Don’t be a troll.
Needing to be focused isn't being mentally fragile. It is the opposite. The mentally fragile never make it to the top of anything.
I think the bigger issue that everyone is ignoring is that valby seems to “almost” quit the sport every time she’s not winning. Lol.
I’ll say it, the bigger issue is that she looks bigger. Female bodies change, it is biology. It will be harder to go against that. The power to weight ratio has altered for her.
This has happened before. She ran 10:10 as a junior, went through injury problems, showed promise at NCAAs before fading to 22nd (but already with the will to win, putting it out there until she couldn't hack it anymore), improved, got injured, dominated until Tuohy ran her down at NCAA xc, got injured, came back limping to qualify at regionals in the 5k, then won NCAA 5000m in the heat and hammered everyone in xc and made the Olympic team before injuries early this year again. When she's fit again, the results will be there again. It's just a question of how long the training goes, because that 10000m team will be makeable every year for a sub-31 talent, and I bet she breaks 30 before her career is over. In the 5, it's going to take a 14:30s talent at least to make the team in the coming years with all the possible quick runners from Monson, Schweizer, Houlihan, Hedengren, and her pro teammate to Andrews and more, so she'll need major improvement there.