Daniel Do Nascimento Idiot or Baller?

Surely ones goal as a sub 2.05 runner in the New York marathon is to win it - isn't that the best "stage" to get your name out there?

He wasn’t going to run that time. Even if he had played conservative he wouldn’t have been there to close it. He knew that he wasn’t going to win and he adjusted goals accordingly. He probably thought he was going to get caught at mile 16.

Yeah, sponsors love it when your plan is to lay face down on the asphalt.

Really depends on how much of the logo the camera guy can get on screen...wait nvm.

Anyone willing to respond and actually craft their response in support of “idiot” and then have the audacity to actually think it’s an appropriate term, just emphasizes how unaware we are at times.

The question should have said, questionable or baller? I wonder how many of you that say “idiot” can even comprehend the level of which these athletes train and race. He’s a trained young professional athlete. if he would of ran away and set a new course record, our subject lines would have been much different and due to what happened “we” are now debating and ok with using a term like “idiot” makes me laugh at all of you sub-intelligent so called runners.

how about stand up for this runner, HE’S a STRAIGHT UP BALLER! Greatness comes from taking risk and simple put, he accepted the risks. I expect he will come back stronger and faster

What I witnessed at the NYC marathon and the Olympics was the opposite of baller. It was embarrassing. I’ve seen junior high runners handle bonking better than this guy. At the Olympics he lays down, after a bit he literally slaps himself in the face like a bad movie, gets up and runs a bit more then drops out. In NYC he walks, swings his arms like a cartoon, runs some more, then slowly crawls under a ribbon and lays down. First slow motion sideways, then face down on the pavement. Like a dramatic preteen.

You will never see Bekele act like this in any of his marathon dnfs. That is what baller looks like.

Glad someone brought this up. The dramatics we’re too much. People act like this in the finish shoot because the finish is literally in site, and they are overwriting their body to get there. This guy blew up 6mi away and acts like he’s fighting for his life. Your legs are seized up and you’re out of juice dude, sit down and hand over your race number. You didn’t do anything heroic, you ruined your race from the start.

Keep in mind I was primarily referring to Salazar's effort at Falmouth, in which he collasped and didn't finish. It may not have been quite 5 miles from the finish - I think the race is only 7 and change - but he didn't bite the road in the finish chute. It was out in the middle of the course somewhere. He basically did what we saw onTV in NYC except he really did go harder and paid a bigger price. I think he was unconcious and doesn't remember being taken to a medical tent. That effort and the aftermath - literally almost dying - is what he says was responsible for being able to take a step up in racing ability.

I feel you're referring to Boston, where he did make it to the finish - and won - but also ended up in the med tent. You would probably suggest that the 'Duel' was a 'baller' performance. I won't argue. He did time the effort just about right. It may have actually been a CR (not sure). However, you would say Al's Falmouth performance was 'temporary idiocy'. It's sort of hard to argue against that viewpoint too, but having gone through it must have opened his eyes to what going hard really meant.

If he is a baller, does he have..

21 inch blades on an Impala?

A shot caller?

Greatness comes from ability and preparation. Do you really believe he had a chance of running away with a course record?

Baller … he’s going to make a huge breakthrough soon.

He is young and impulsive. How many times have you gone to a state cross country meet and seen a great runner take off like it is a 400 meter race, then crash. At that point, they should know better but boys will be boys. (Girls rarely do this, ok start the hate mail!) It can be a great idea to make a break. Meb Keflezighi did this and beat a stellar field at Boston. Daniel's problem was that he overdid it with a 4:20 and a 4:17 mile in the mix. This, combined with a hot humid course and a tough racing schedule, sank his hopes. He will learn from this and probably has a bright future in the sport.

I think you inadvertently debunked your own narrative here. Yeah this isn't uncommon to see at a state cross country meet - but you're deal with children and not a professional runner. 14 year olds and not a 24 year old. World's apart my dude.

Also, there is this weird narrative running that he's just "inexperienced" which led to him not recognizing the climatic conditions of the day etc which are to be quite honest, nonsense.

1) He's run 2.04.51 before so he knows what he's doing. That's faster than any American has ever run the distance.

2) He's actually had this experience before in Eugene so it's not as if he hasn't ever tested his boundaries before and then figured out first hand what they are and the warning signs of when you approach them. Running isn't like cycling where the catastrophic "bonk" creeps up on you and you go from feeling 100% to 20% in a matter of seconds - the benefit of running is you know it's coming and can adjust according.

3) On the topic of weather and tactics - let's even assume that he didn't himself recognize it was insanely hot and humid for a marathon (hard to believe but let's give him the benefit of the doubt) - he had ZERO council from anyone leading up to the race? Like no coach, agent, support person etc talked with him about tactics in general and was like "so you know it's going to be hot out there, that means you got to back off a little and see how things shake out this time..."? I mean apparently every other pro on the mens and womens side did - hence the conservative opening 10 kms etc by todays standards. I can't believe this.

So now we get back to the question. In the event that despite all of the above, this guy was like "nah I can overcome all of this and still run sub 2.04 out here" then on this particular day that's simply idiotic. Now I do agree it's a bit harsh to simply say the guy in general as a person is an idiot because of one data point (this race), but I think if I witnessed this again I think I would probably land at the conclusion that despite a lot of physical talent, he's not cut out temperament wise to be a truly successful marathon runner at the world level. But hey - should he care? He's run sub 2.05 and is making money to run - something not a lot of us get to do right? I do though agree the theatrics were ridiculous - he wasn't shot in the leg was he? Just sit/lie down and wait for your help.

In regard to your question, my answer is almost never. It’s typically a Frosh/Soph that goes kamikaze at the start.

I agree on some level here. Big difference between being an idiot and doing something questionable where the answer is unfortunately "that was sort of idiotic".

Maybe I can understand the level these athletes train and race - part of the equation as an athlete is knowing the time and place to do things like really push yourself out of a comfort zone and test your boundaries. I understand your open ended logic of positive intent but if you are an elite marathon runner and think that on a 70 degree day with 65% humidity at NYC that this is the time and place then there is a problem. Especially when you know what the conditions are like in (for example) Berlin when guys are busting really quick times.

This "if he would have" logic is also tough to comprehend. We can apply that to anything. Grant Fisher can run the first mile of the world champs 5000m next year in 3.54 and we can sit here and say "well if he would have kept it up and broken the WR what would we be saying" - but surely you know that, that's why you used it. You can be the "positive optimist" and sh-t all over people under this "you're just negative" narrative. Lame.

One other thing that isn't mentioned is that this guy, had he not run idiotically, could legitimately have won this race. There is no reason he couldn't have. Then, he would have been your "straight up baller". Shame.

There was some talk about Do Nascimento being on world record pace, but then collapsing at mile 21.

Don't think that is correct: Cannot find his splits, but I think by mile 21 he was way behind Kipchoge's record - else he would have been much more than 1 minute in the lead (remember, the eventual winner finished in 2:08.x, or 6 minutes behind the WR).

Tough crowd.

go big or go home 💣

14.31 @ 5000m - avg 2.54.2/km

28.42 @ 10000m - avg 2.52.2/km

43.16 @ 15000m - avg 2.53.1/km

WR pace is avg 2.52.3/km

So he was technically on pace to set a WR for 10km and change. Definitely not at mile 21 when he stopped, but that counts as a substantial portion of the race. The fact he was even close to it at any point is what is kind of silly and I guess the crux of this thread.

All of your logic makes complete sense to me except for the assumption that he just disregarded all reason in his tactics. The simplest and most plausible explanation to what we saw is that he realized that he wasn't going to be in contention for some reason or another (maybe it was his preparation, maybe it was the conditions, maybe it was the field) and decided to use it as an opportunity to get his airtime on camera, build a fanbase and get some recognition. The reason it played out as dramatically as it did is that he never expected to stay off the front that long.

Here we are talking about it afterall...