What is the best race strategy for Valby in 5000 final?

Don't forget a period. Waiting on you to finish your sentence.

Valby is a natural front runner, ala Filbert Bayi, Almaz Ayana, Ismael Kirui, those types of runners. She is incredibly strong, so a fast pace would benefit her more than a very slow sit and kick!

The only problem with this is it would require patience and confidence from Valby going up against a field of pros. Don't think she has either against the competition, so I think she will go hard from the gun. A race with an Olympic berth at stake is a ton of pressure and stress and I don't think a frontrunner like Valby would like or be comfortable holding back until only a quarter of the race was left.

Valby and *her.

No one will ever win a 5,000-meter by running an easy two miles. Not against me.
Steve Prefontaine

Expect Great Things!!!

Valbymania Cannot Be Suppressed, Deleted, Diminished, or Denied

She needs to try the Ayana tactic from 2015 world championships. Settle through 2000 and then push hard. Dibaba was not ready for that and wilted.

Granted, it's a different tier. Ayana was significantly faster at that stage than Valby is now. But the running style and strengths/weaknesses are similar. Ayana could never deal with an Obiri kick. But at her peak she was running against the likes of Hassan and Obiri and able to clear them to the point they wouldn't even attempt to go with her.

I'm not buying the notion that Valby has a kick but didn't utilize it on Friday. We saw what happened when Tuohy ran right past her at cross country finals a couple of years ago.

Valby is going to be a grind it out type. She needs to remain true to herself instead of settling in the pack with the inevitability of several making her look like she's standing still on the final lap.

Go hard and make everyone else hurt too. Hopefully it will take the sting out of the kick from the favored three. Slow race and she will get out kicked. If she is gonna go, she has to go at least 5 laps out minimum.

Here is another example from 2 weeks later in 2022. No response when 4 passed her late in 3000.

This is so absurd it's funny. Gotta love it.

My race strategy for Valby: just go out and have fun. Make faces and wave to the camera and whatever.

After that, I'm guessing there's some Diamond League races she can do? If so, do those. Then maybe target Worlds in Tokyo next year? And from there just try and get good enough to make LA in 28.

If she can make the team for LA, then that's just money, money, money -- for her and NBC, and Nike or whoever she signs with.

Two years ago, when she was battling injuries and didn’t have the same dedication to training she does now? Did you find any examples from high school?

Yeah, we know closing speed isn’t her strength. Hilda has better closing speed, but can’t beat her anymore.

I’m confused by this thread. Which of ESP/Cranny/Schweizer do you think she is capable of beating? I’m assuming Schweizer because she definitely can’t beat the other two. I mean she won’t beat Karissa either, even coming back from injury.

You must be confused, because you didn’t answer the OP’s question.

You must be confused if you think every poster is obligated to try to give an answer to OP's question.

She will beat Cranny and Schweizer.

There are many headwinds to PV qualifying. Most are listed already. Also this field of pro's knows EXACTLY what PV will do (she has no choice) so they can plan accordingly. That said, wacky things do happen (falls/sudden injuries.etc) so ya never know, but barring things like that, Parker is 5th or 6th. She has no wheels ( see also Jordan H), so won't win anything major on the world stage without, ahem, help.

um that followed the 2022 XC season which she dominated until finishing a close 2nd in NCAA championship.

and my point is not that she can't run a fast 5000 in fact I agreed with a poster who suggested mid 14:40s. But shifting gears at the end of a race is not her strength.

Don’t you get it? There must be some way to give Touhy props in a Valby thread.

Remember Natty’s Indoors 2023, when with three laps to go, Katelyn Tuohy laid down a devastatingly ‘blistering kick’ to absolutely bury Taylor Roe:

Are you suggesting she should get on the Nick Bare gear so she can look like a linebacker prancing around the track?