CHRISTIN WURTH THOMAS is my HERO

Between her pace miscalculatipn (on a windy day) and her stiff-arm tactics at the finish, CWT seems to be perhaps the dullest knife in the top drawer.

I only read the first page of responses before responding myself, so perhaps someone has now covered this, but I think she ran a stupid race. Not saying she's stupid or that I haven't also done so (because I have), but clearly she didn't achieve what she wanted to, and she got nipped at the line for 4th place. Hindsight is 20/20, but in hindsight, it was a bad plan and poorly executed, and of course it was painful to watch.

It was great of her to try and push the pace and make it her race. But, she went out way too fast, and even before the 700m mark she was already tightening up and grinding her teeth. That showed she was out way too fast. She never tried to relax and try to have some left the last 200m. I thought if she would have been slightly slower on the opening lap, more relaxed, and tried to pull away with 300m to she would have won it.

This was a much better race than the men's final, but when she elbowed Jennifer it was probably an accident, until she did the same to Rowbury at the finish line. She needs to relax more and learn what pace will kill the field without killing herself.

She was never on 3:58 pace. She was on 3:53 pace and then 4:08 pace and ended running a time 7+ sec off her PR. Closing in ~70 is not the way to make many olympic teams.As far as comparing it to the 800, they are 2 different races. And Jocks pacing was much better. 50.8/53.8 is not absurd for the 800m. Compare that to the 62/~70 that CWT (or even the 62/66)No one is suggesting that she jogs for 1200ms and kick home. Her 800m speed is competitive with the rest of the field. Make it a hard last 600-1000 and she qualifies with easy.

runn wrote:

She was on 3:58 pace for a while- which is what all of these women should be running. The team ended up being who I thought it would be 800 meters in, but I have to admit that I wish the others had gone with Wurth-Thomas.

Christin Wurth-Thomas did what she and her coach thought tactically would be her best chance at making the team. A 2:08 first 800m is American Record pace for the 1500m, I was hoping Christina would let someone else take the lead and jog the first 400m like most US Championship 1500m and then she hammer home the last 1000-1100.

It wasn't a bad tactic, Paula Ivan did the exact same thing at the Olympics except her first 800m maybe been slightly faster and held on to run 3:53 to win by over 6 seconds. Christin thought she could handle the pace better then she did....she gambled and this time she came up .01 short.

VIPAM wrote:

It wasn't a bad tactic, Paula Ivan did the exact same thing at the Olympics except her first 800m maybe been slightly faster and held on to run 3:53 to win by over 6 seconds. Christin thought she could handle the pace better then she did....she gambled and this time she came up .01 short.

Yes, Paula Ivan ran 3'53, CW finished with a 4'06.21..anyone can go out at that pace, but only few can actually achieve it..CW is not one of those people..much less without getting any sleep, food poisoning, and previous qualifying rounds..her and her coach made a big mistake, because I believe with that strentgh she could have ran for 1st and maybe lost in .01 for the win not the 3rd and final spot..

CWT goes out too hard before trying to block fellow competitors in her struggle to the finish line and then she whines during her whole interview about not sleeping.

Weak tactics, weak excuses.

Bruce Lee and exactly how did you do in your USA T&F Championship Final?

VIPAM wrote:

Bruce Lee and exactly how did you do in your USA T&F Championship Final?

VIPAM what does this have to do with CWT poor sportsmanship?

VIPAM weak logic, weak post.

Wild Bill Pecos wrote:

And thats because you are a complete loser.

Says the anonymous poster.

Shoebacca wrote:

What stinks is that you have no incentive to simply set a fast pace. If you don't gap the field, then they're just drafting you. She had to gap them for that strategy to work at all.

I disagree.

From in front, all you need to do is run as fast as everyone else from then on and you'll win. You can even run a bit slower, as long as no one passes you. This makes the race easier than if you were behind, had to get around people in front, and also had to run faster than them.

I disagree with the stiff-arm comments.What is aw in slo motion was that Jenny went from running clearly in lane 2 into lane 1 and clipped CWT slightly and then CWT stumbled (in addition to being tightened up) and veered into the outside lanes. I don't think blocking was her intention but just trying to move forward.I'm glad that Rowbury made the team though. And CWT would have been DQ'd if Rowbury didn't pass her. But it looks like to me Jenny was the first fouler.CWT is gutsy but not the sharpest knife indeed.

Velocitor wrote:

Between her pace miscalculatipn (on a windy day) and her stiff-arm tactics at the finish, CWT seems to be perhaps the dullest knife in the top drawer.

VIPAM wrote:

Christin Wurth-Thomas did what she and her coach thought tactically would be her best chance at making the team. A 2:08 first 800m is American Record pace for the 1500m

VIPAM,

You either have no idea what the 15 AR is or you're really bad at math.

I agree that the super fast first 200 and then 400 were not a good choice, and her buckling at the finish proved that. She said she knew from training she could handle it, but much like marathoners forget to factor in heat to their attempted pace, she forgot to factor in food poisoning and lack of sleep.

What I think she and her coach did factor in, which it seems a few of you have forgotten and thus did not factor in, is that she was tripped up in a crowd at the Pre meet. Given that frustration, I think she decided she would rather take her chances with a fast early pace than find herself again flat on the Hayward Field track with no chance of advancing to Worlds. While I don't think the 62 opener was wise, I do understand the urge to tough it out standing up.

Alas, I think her two intrusions into the space of the other runners were caused either by her body seizing up or her mind seizing up and letting her act out like a drunkard, unable to restrain basic impulses. I once watched great runners who normally ran with smooth form stumble to the end of the famed Dipsea race as though they were severely drunk. It was difficult to watch, and so was the end of her race. Do remember that she failed only by a few 100ths (assuming Rowbury would have gotten a tad more than 1/100th if not impeded) and Rowbury had to shatter her recent Adidas meet 4:14 result to get the 3rd spot.

A 3:53 runner going out at 3:53 pace is one thing. A 3:58 runner going out at 3:53 is another. There is nothing in CWT history to suggest that she is a 3:53 runner.

VIPAM wrote:

Christin Wurth-Thomas did what she and her coach thought tactically would be her best chance at making the team. A 2:08 first 800m is American Record pace for the 1500m, I was hoping Christina would let someone else take the lead and jog the first 400m like most US Championship 1500m and then she hammer home the last 1000-1100.

It wasn't a bad tactic, Paula Ivan did the exact same thing at the Olympics except her first 800m maybe been slightly faster and held on to run 3:53 to win by over 6 seconds. Christin thought she could handle the pace better then she did....she gambled and this time she came up .01 short.

If she can't handle running in a pack she has no business going to World's. She should stick to the rabbited Euro-circuit and go after the AR.And BTW, things aren't going to get any easier for her in the pack after thugging on Rowbury like that....

kiowavt wrote:

What I think she and her coach did factor in, which it seems a few of you have forgotten and thus did not factor in, is that she was tripped up in a crowd at the Pre meet. Given that frustration, I think she decided she would rather take her chances with a fast early pace than find herself again flat on the Hayward Field track with no chance of advancing to Worlds. While I don't think the 62 opener was wise, I do understand the urge to tough it out standing up.

whoever said that she ran with heart was exactly right. The problem was that she didn't run with her head enough. A 62 was silly - a 64 would have had the same effect, and maybe not wrecked her legs so much.

But that was great entertainment. Most of those people saying she shouldn't have done it know in their hearts that she showed more courage than they have.

It was .01 from being a great move.

agip wrote:

whoever said that she ran with heart was exactly right. The problem was that she didn't run with her head enough. A 62 was silly - a 64 would have had the same effect, and maybe not wrecked her legs so much.

But that was great entertainment. Most of those people saying she shouldn't have done it know in their hearts that she showed more courage than they have.

It was .01 from being a great move.

Let's not forget that she would have made the team if she had just held her line instead of deciding to try out for the Ducks as a linebacker. That hard right turn cost her at least a tenth. If she stays in lane one, she gets to the line in third.

I can't believe how much support truly idiotic running is getting.

She wasn't 0.1 off her goal. The goal is to win. If she were running for 3rd she could have easily done that with a bold move at 6 or 800.

Again - simply because something is painful does NOT make it gutsy.

What CWT did was stupid. She ran 4:06, and shes capable of faster, so maybe if she ran smarter she would have ran 4:04 or something and won the damn thing.

For reference, 4:06 is 65.6 average, ya? I'm a 3:58 guy. That's 63.5s.

What she did would be like me going out in 59. Would you all say I had 'guts' to do that at my conference meet? No. Because again - running in a way that hurts does not qualify it as gutsy. And often times is simply dumb.