I did. It just struck me that someone else might have used that screen name as well. If I'd known Johnston had done 3:39 I probably would have thought it was the same person.
I know that both Walker and Johnston had Arch Jelley as a coach so it makes sense that they'd have trained together. I'd just always thought of Johnston as 5,000/10,000 guy so that 3:39 threw me off. I also know that he posts as RJ1 at runnz.com and somehow that figured into the whole business.
Shoot, I thought this was about the Red, Black, Gold or Blue labels of scotch.
Great runner. Great shoes. Brooks RT-1!!
That was my all time favorite shoe. I once overdid it with scotch very badly and have completely lost my ability to drink it.
I would not be surprised if nz1 was not lurking here just to see what everyone is writing.
I checked the other thread and see that anything I wanted to say about JW I said on there.
As we Kiwi's say JW was a real "Hard man".
The "hard" refering to both his Mental as well as Physical toughness.
malmo wrote:
When Walker got to the age of Coe, Ovett, Scott and Cram, he was running against athletes who were running faster than he ever did on many occasions, and Walker was 10 years older than they.
I do believe he was only 3-4 years older, malmo. having said that, I very much disagree with Nobby's comments regarding "bad tactically".
Skuj, yes 10 years is a bit much. Here are the age differences of the main antagonists.
Ovett 3.7 years
Scott 4.3 years
Maree 4.6 years
Coe 4.7 years
Flynn 5.0 years
Aouita 7.1 years
Cram 8.8 years
I think that whatever criticism existed of Walker's tactical abilities hinges on his lack of top gear acceleration. When the "speedsters" such as Coe, Ovett, Aouita, et al open the throttle suddenly and late in the going, it is difficult for the "long kicker" to respond in time. As a result, you see runners like Walker (and Scott, Cram, later El G) consistently beginning a long drive at 300-500m out which, unfortunately for them, is quite predictable.
Success for the "drivers" more completely depends on their having superior fitness, rather than being able to get a jump on their adversary at an unpredictable moment, which gives the "speedsters" an extra tactical weapon, practically and psychologically. I say "extra", because when fit, Coe, Ovett and Aouita could get in the "driver seat" as well as anyone- that is how the records are set.
What an absolute joke to question Walker's career.
Walker always epitomized running to me. He raced anywhere, against anybody, any time. He's on the very short list of guys to both hold the mile WR and win Oly gold. He had a tremendous attitude and approach to the sport. He worked as hard as anyone, but wasn't obsessive/compulsive to the point he freaked out if he needed a down day. He was not some hot-house flower that could only thrive in a narrow set of conditions.
A great, consistent runner, and by all accounts of anyone I've known that knew him or ran with/against him, a great guy and great friend. Didn't suffer fools lightly, either, another quality I greatly admire.
This sport could really use a LOT more John Walkers.
I don't think any body is knocking Walker at all. Quite the contrary, the dude wonders if injuries prevented him from being any better.
I think he hit his peak at the exact right time and accomplished everything anyone could dream of. Plus the first sub-3:50 will always be his alone.
HRE.....when i lived in NZ (and trained with the infamous RJ1) he wrote a very articulate, entertaining and enlightening article on the difference between walker and e guerroujj's training ideas.....his generla thesis was that they weren't all that different, and nothing has really changed that much over the last 20-30 yrs, but more that el gueroujj's access to medical, pro athlete, etc...was the main difference bwteeen them.....
..and i think that bundy ran 3:37/8??????
[quote]XCTC wrote:
I think that whatever criticism existed of Walker's tactical abilities hinges on his lack of top gear acceleration. When the "speedsters" such as Coe, Ovett, Aouita, et al open the throttle suddenly and late in the going, it is difficult for the "long kicker" to respond in time. As a result, you see runners like Walker (and Scott, Cram, later El G) consistently beginning a long drive at 300-500m out which, unfortunately for them, is quite predictable.
are you kidding? Look at the video of the Montreal 1500m final and how he outkicked a very fast field.
You always have to wonder what Coghlan was doing in the lead that early in Montreal.
R. Johnston recalls he and Walker doing some impressive training around 1990. Walker would have been what, 39?
Exactly. From 350m out. I didn't say he had no kick.
old miler guy..... wrote:
are you kidding? Look at the video of the Montreal 1500m final and how he outkicked a very fast field.
JW was the reason I started running myself and really inspired a whole generation of nz middle distance runners
I have no doubt that if he hadn't have blown out his achilles in late '91 that he would've easily run well under sub4 when he turned 40 in Feb 92, as I had been training with him right uptil the very day he blew his achilles out (last rep of 10x 400 when he put the hammer down the last 200!. I was struggling to hang with him in sessions a lot of the time and I ran 3m39 and 13m25 that down under summer
To say that JW is an icon in NZ is not putting it too mildly
In many respects Buster Mottram actually reminds me of JW!
denton wrote:
..and i think that bundy ran 3:37/8??????
Bunce
1500 3:37.50
mile 3:59.10
3000 7:50.03
5000 13:32.65
10000 28:26.80
Malmo, where the hell to get all these stats for moderately unknown athletes? I know you are contemporaries, but christ ..... I know you've described yourself as an uber-fan, but you are (uber-fan)squared.
robbie...'get back to work'......
......and Bundy, much like his canadian counterpart Al Klassen, might be the best known 3:37 guy to ever run (Klassen would be the most well known 3:39 guy).....
denton wrote:
robbie...'get back to work'......
......and Bundy, much like his canadian counterpart Al Klassen, might be the best known 3:37 guy to ever run (Klassen would be the most well known 3:39 guy).....
Who's the most well known 3:43 guy?
http://www.tilastopaja.net/Some Coach wrote:
Malmo, where the hell to get all these stats for moderately unknown athletes? I know you are contemporaries, but christ ..... I know you've described yourself as an uber-fan, but you are (uber-fan)squared.
Now you're in the priesthood. You're now a double-plus good uber-fan cubed, as Eric Blair might have said.