Rupp Interview after 10k - LetsRun asked him about Verne Gambetta and 'innovation vs. cheating'

Rojo ... please stop posting.

newname wrote:

I know he is a smart enough guy to improve in that area, and it would make himself look better and be a better role model (and therefore make more money).

Rupp needs to finish his bachelor's degree in Business/Marketing, and then complete a Masters degree. Why, because he seems set to be a Nike employee after his running career is over. Even if Rupp opts to be a coach, knowledge of marketing would be extremely helpful to him.

Rojo ... I have no doubt that if you were his coach you could teach him many things. That would be scary!

TAA wrote:

I like Rojo because he's crazy enough to ask questions others wouldn't. Makes for more interesting interviews.

I'll agree with this, and I'll agree that it's too bad that Rojo cited masks and purifiers as examples of pushing the boundaries - obviously no one thinks those are cheating.

Would have been nore interesting to hear Rupp answer a more open ended question.

I don't see any problem with asking Rupp about doping after his race - he's a big boy, he's making a lot of money from the sport - he doesn't need to be sheltered.

The sport is in a crisis mostly because of doping - Rojo is using some tough love here - if USATF starts having to listen to reporters asking all its big stars about doping, maybe USATF will actually try hard to stop doping.

__

as an aside - I heard Gatlin received a standing ovation at Pre - really, Eugene? really?

get ugly wrote:

Who asked the question at the end about the deadspin article?

Editor's note: LetsRun.com's Robert Johnson asked the question which occurs at the 6 minute mark below. LetsRun.com's version of the interview is embedded below.

LOL.

Well I give the nebbish wiener that is Rojo credit for asking the question himself.

I guess the bone marrow patients I met Friday for a few hours who were all wearing air purifier masks were all cheating on their cancer/leukemia recovery.

There are some good strength and conditioning coaches out there that are luddites and meatheads in areas out of their expertise...

agip wrote:

as an aside - I heard Gatlin received a standing ovation at Pre - really, Eugene? really?

Next time, show up with your friends so that you can all drown out the ovation with boos.

Really ... this sport is in a crisis because of doping when running is becoming more popular with women and men HS runners than in the past two decades at least based on their times? "News Alert" Rojo to have a special on HS doping ... he once talked to a HS coach who once talked to a HS runner who claimed that all HS runners faster than him are doping. News at Eleven.

I'm not sure what crisis you are referring to other than the one that Rojo has created in his own mind. Yes, high performance athletics are always pushing the borders and learning new training methods and techniques. Maybe even some cross the line.

I'll tell you what, if I was Galen shortly after my 10k American record, I would have crossed the line with Rojo.

The question could have been ok, but it was beyond horribly asked. Since Rupp didn't know anything about it and only knew Rojo mentioned the mask, the question came across missing the point and sounded insanely stupid and made the deadspin article sound insane without proper context. The mask should never have been mentioned and he should have given some context.

Question did a disservice to Letsrun, to Rupp and to the deadspin article.

You still do not get it. The question was not appropriate in any context a few moments after a 10k American record. Sorry that you continue to be a LR apologist.

get ugly wrote:

Can anyone confirm this? I thought it sounded like rojo. That question was completely inappropriate.

One of the stupidest most inappropriate questions ever asked. An air purifier is cheating. Are you that ignorant Rojo?

They cheered, so what... wrote:

agip wrote:

as an aside - I heard Gatlin received a standing ovation at Pre - really, Eugene? really?

Next time, show up with your friends so that you can all drown out the ovation with boos.

He's saying that supposedly knowledgable fans supporting a 2x drug sanctioned runner is dumb. I agree with this (though I don't agree with agip's theory that distance runners are more clean than sprinters).

rojo wrote:

Laughing Gas wrote:

The question was not only inappropriate, it was dishonest. Listen to Rojo's question...after reading Gambetta's interview. Rojo dishonestly implied that Gambetta had said that the mask was "cheating". Now, shame on Rojo, he doubles up by making it a big deal that someone prompted Rupp's reply. Watch the interview--no delay in Rupp's response, which by the way was a great response to a stupid and more importantly "dishonest" question. What kind of person would be proud of a dishonest question? Look into the mirror, Rojo.

The question wasn't dishonest. Gambetta thinks many thinks that others call innovation is cheating. I was asking Rupp for a response to the Gambetta remarks on innovation versus cheating, Rupp understood that and answered appropriately.

Rojo, he was talking about an air purifier. It was an ignorant idiotic question. The guy just broke the US record for 10,000m and that is all you got. no point sending a guy with any track knowledge there. When I heard the question, I laughed and said out loud, "How did that idiot get in the press conference?"

DaveW wrote:

Rojo

As an outside observer, I don't really understand all this insider stuff.

Are you suggesting that NOP, Salazar and/or Rupp are individually or collectively cheating in some way that is clearly an infraction of the current rules governing track?

If so, please describe in some detail the infraction that you are suggesting. Hiding behind or quoting some third party as a reason to suggest cheating and taking no accountability is perhaps the most unprofessional and cowardly thing that any journalist could do.

Do you personally believe that NOP, Salazar and/or Rupp are cheating the system based on the current accepted laws in T&F?

If you can't give a yes/no response, I would put you in the coward category.

Rojo you are an amateur!

If Rojo would have asked a question like that to Gatlin, I'd have given him a pass. But is seems that people like Gatlin have caused amateurs like Rojo to attack others.

100% agree with Rojo. Nothing wrong with the question and well handled by both sides. It was not at all inappropriate.

The overall question about the Deadspin-Gambetta article was legit, but in the wrong context. The question didn't have anything to do with air purifiers and masks. That's not really training innovation that's just taking some precautions. The "innovations" discussed in the article are something totally different. No link there so the question should not have started with that inference.

What should have been asked, is 'have you heard about yesterday's article in Deadspin in which Vern Gambetta discussed innovation in running, and sometimes what some call innovation is actually cheating," do you have anything to say about that?

Rupp answered appropriately, and comes across as a likeable-regular guy. Whether he and his training group use innovations that are in the gray area or beyond remains an unknow, but enough of this marketing interview skills BS.

Honestly, I have no idea what is considered white, grey or black in sports today. But I do know what is considered unethical and I have seen guerrilla tactics applied to smear the Nike image several times in the last few months and I believe a lot of this venom was channeled through LR.

I am not a Nike protector in any way. If the Nike or other groups were clearly found to be cheating, I would be the first to support those who have the idea of how to change this including all of the global competition so that it will always be a fair field.

If Rojo wants to be a guerrilla journalist, I have no idea why any runner would even look his direction unless they had an agreement as a LR "certified" runner.

smarter than the average LRer wrote:

I'm an expert, let me tell you how smart I am...

An impressive posting performance. I assume you did not take anything to enhance your authoring performance prior to sitting down at your keyboard. Bravo! Bravo! A clean posting performance.

Rojo did nothing wrong, except go over that 49% line of decent journalism.