36 years old! Honestly shocked this announcement came as late as it did.
Big fan of Evan's. One of the first guys I remember idolizing in the sport, and always held out hope he'd make a comeback and crack 8 minutes after his heartbreaking 8:00.45 in 2015. Also hoped to see him on the roads making a serious attempt in a half or even a marathon.
Congrats on a great career
Don’t doubt that after a break from summer racing he started a fall build up and realized his body couldn’t do it anymore. Once you reach your late 30s you can just wake up and the wheels have fallen off as a pro athlete.
Forgot about that claim. Which "lifetime PR" in 2018? Steeple PR was in 2015 despite the fall, age 26 (5000 PR in 2013, 3000 PR in 2012, 1500 PR in 2015). I'd argue that 8:01 without falling is worse than 8:00 with falling...
Saying he would have run under 8:00 without the fall is like saying the430miler would be a normal poster without the mental issues. Irrelevant. He was over his limit, or else he wouldn't have fallen.
Anyway, I'm not a fan of Bowerman, but props to Evan for being a real ILLINOIS runner