what is the greatest track club in history

Derderian wrote:

The Great GBTC of 1979 answered a temporary and unique need.

Tom

Very interesting spin. Are you saying that there is no longer that need? I would think just the opposite. It sounds to me like it was truly the group of guys and had very little to do with GBTC. Otherwise they would be able to duplicate it.

Yes, the need remains but for runners who may make an Olympic team the need is filled by agents and sponsors not track clubs. The club fills other, important, different needs for a new generation in a more complex world. Now is not 1979.

Tom

Fluffy Bunny Track Club

http://www.runfluffyrun.com/

The name says it all.

Derderian wrote:

Yes, the need remains but for runners who may make an Olympic team the need is filled by agents and sponsors not track clubs. The club fills other, important, different needs for a new generation in a more complex world. Now is not 1979.

Tom

But how many of those GBTC guys from 1979 made an Olympic Team. Those guys made a huge impact on running in the US and several other non Olympians, of today, are capable of the same thing. I think that Clubs have to think bigger. People like yourself Tom, have made an influence on our sport, and with no disrespect a 2:19 guy is not worthy of an agent, or a sponsor. Most of the clubs think that a 2:30 marathoner is good.

well right now 2:30 would put you top20 on the US 2005 list, so yeah it is pretty good. sad but true.

get fast now wrote:

well right now 2:30 would put you top20 on the US 2005 list, so yeah it is pretty good. sad but true.

By the end of the year 2:25 will only get you top 100. The fall marathons really start to space people out. It's only July. I bet you could run a marathon on January 1st in 2:30 and be ranked #1. Your point is well taken though. 2:30 today is MUCH better than 2:30 in 1980. A lot of it has to do with priorities. Few guys who run 2:30 put running as a priority compared to 1980. Back then you had guys run 2:30 thinking, "Hell, if I train hard I can get to 2:25 then 2:20.." Now a lot of guys think "Man 2:30 sucks, I'm going to get a "real" job".

Alan

And why couldn't that runner already have gotten a "real" job as soon as he/she had finished their schooling?

New Yorker

Who do you run for?

It has to be from great britain some place as in the 80's they had hunderds guys under 2.20

Mr. Hanson,

What you are doing is probably not a club. It is much greater. You are doing a better job with all level of runners than any traditional club in the United States. Current clubs will remain incredibly jealous. I lived in Boston before moving to Ohio in 1999 and the clubs are too busy fighting with each oter to accomplish anything. Boston is horrible for this. I was so turned off by the coaches in Boston that I will never be a part of a Club again.

i think people forget how the community where hansons operates is very unique. it's one of the richest in the country so you have a lot of people with free time and money to spend. that makes it much easier to start a business if you get in there early enough like the hansons did and take control. i seriously doubt if they were in boston they would achieve such an effect.

I don't even know the Hansons but that is ridiculous. Are you trying to say that Detroit has advantages over Boston? The Hansons are doing incredible things and we could all learn from them instead of thinking that they have advantages. I think that the Hansons program could be duplicated if people cared enough. I wish that a small businessman in my area cared as much as the Hansons obviously do.

No 800m, 880 or 1000m US records for LATC.

But we did win the Nat'l XC championship 2-3 times without the big guns running.

you have to qualify that question. Do you consider a 'club' by the number of guys/gals who simply 'wear the singlet' at meets? ........or is a club comprised of athletes who show up and train together with tne same coaches at the same track? big difference. Any club/sponsor with a checkbook can get guys from all over the country to wear their singlet.....not the same as a group who comes together, daily to train and race.

Derderian wrote:

Yes, the need remains but for runners who may make an Olympic team the need is filled by agents and sponsors not track clubs. The club fills other, important, different needs for a new generation in a more complex world. Now is not 1979.

Tom

you are right, Tom. Don't you hate watching a big meet now and instead of all of those colors and 'cool factor' from all of the different clubs from GBTC, AW, SMTC, Club West, Club Midwest, NYAC, Florida TC, Colorado TC, Pacific Coast Club, MATC, Maccabbi TC, etc, etc....now it's just 5 guys wearing the exact same Nike outfit, another 5 wearing the exact same Adidas outfit, a few Puma oufits and Reebok uniforms....all the same.....looks like a bunch of robots....the international races are just as bad....10 Kenyans in the exact same shoe company racing oufit....

I agree....it loses alot...but a whole generation of young guys/gals these days don't know any different.