THOUGHTSLEADER wrote:
underdog. wrote:
Back to the original topic…Colby’s time is the 7th fastest time EVER RUN on US soil. Only 6 tenths from the fastest. Only 5 Americans ahead of him, and only by tenths,. They are Jager, Ryun, Centro, and Engels (by 1/100). Lagat ran 3:32.94 but may have been running for Kenya then.
Whether Colby is this or that or the other remains your opinion…what is fact is, he just nailed a great race.
He did, and the way he held on is impressive. Even with a pacer, going out slightly faster than goal pace for the first 600+ isn't easy to just hold onto without any major slippage (like a 29-30 second 200 in there).
Alexander, Colby Empire Elite 3:33.65
42.141 (42.141) 1:38.786 (56.645) 2:36.361 (57.576) 3:33.650 (57.289)
I just watched the Ed Murphy mile. Many US elites were in it, hoping for a very fast time. Wynn, Prakel, Avila, Ciattei, Thompson, and more. But as THOUGHTSLEADER wrote about Alexander’s 3:33, “it’s not easy to hang on without any slippage” in the pace. Alexander hit 42 at the 300, then hit a 56. That’s not easy to do. Then hit back to back 57’s. And he ran the last 700 all alone…THAT, was a great race.
There have been oodles of “time trial” races over the decades in America. Only 6 or 7 times, in history, has a runner gone as fast as Colby Alexander on our soil…..Sh*t, Roger MF Bannister ran a “time trial” race to break the barrier. He had not one, but two rabbits, and he ran the rail the whole time. No one mentions “time trial” when talking about that race. Ever.
Webb time trialed his AR mile. Centro time trialed his 3:49 a few weeks ago. It’s part of our sport and always has been. Kipchoge’s sub 2 was time trialed. The runner still has to propel his body over the distance on his own two legs, over the entire distance. Just because a time trial result doesn’t come in a tactical championship race does not lessen it’s impact. In championships, the goal is to win. In time trials, the goal is to run fast. Two different things. Both difficult.