Meet Switzerland's Julien Wanders - The 21-year-old who just ran a 60:09 half-marathon NR last weekend

Les wrote:

Skeptical chap wrote:

Weak argument. If poverty is the motivating factor, why are there no world class athletes from Ukraine, Moldova, Albania, Macedonia and other European sh!tholes?

To you, they're shitholes. But these shithole countries (by European standards) all have higher GDP per capita than Kenya. Also, for people to see athletics as a way out, there has to be a tradition of it. There's generations of Kenyans excelling at running. Young people mired in poverty can see success stories all around them. People who've gotten out through running.

Are there generations of athletes from those countries you name excelling at professional sports? It's interesting that of the handful of foreigners who have embraced the Kenyan lifestyle there are no Americans. Could it be that Americans can't give up their creature comforts to live that lifestyle?

Ukraine -$2185

Moldova-$1900

Macedonia -$5000

Albania-$4146

Kenya- $3130

You were saying? They're poor countries whichever way you want to look at it.

Question is, if "poverty" is the main motivating factor, where are all the world class athletes from these impoverished European countries?

In Ukraine, etc, the emulation factor re distance runners, does not take place.

Look at Lebid, world class cross runner for over a decade. Did he inspire the youth there ? Hardly, in fact the vast majority of Ukrainians have no inkling about Lebid, and don't care.

Soccer is the sport which counts and they had a few stars there, incl. Shevchenko and a few others who play in Euro pro leagues.

In Kenya, few options, beyond running, besides most East Africans don't possess the genetics and physiology for sports which require power, and raw speed, like soccer, etc.

This can be seen in African Nations Cup, when Kenya and Ethiopia are at the bottom, and get knocked out early.

Ghost in France

Ghost1 wrote:

In Ukraine, etc, the emulation factor re distance runners, does not take place.

Look at Lebid, world class cross runner for over a decade. Did he inspire the youth there ? Hardly, in fact the vast majority of Ukrainians have no inkling about Lebid, and don't care.

Soccer is the sport which counts and they had a few stars there, incl. Shevchenko and a few others who play in Euro pro leagues.

In Kenya, few options, beyond running, besides most East Africans don't possess the genetics and physiology for sports which require power, and raw speed, like soccer, etc.

This can be seen in African Nations Cup, when Kenya and Ethiopia are at the bottom, and get knocked out early.

Ghost in France

You're obviously lying. Try harder.

Skeptical chap wrote:

You're obviously lying. Try harder.

Obviously Fiji is an African powerhouse.

Ghost1 wrote:

In Ukraine, etc, the emulation factor re distance runners, does not take place.

Look at Lebid, world class cross runner for over a decade. Did he inspire the youth there ? Hardly, in fact the vast majority of Ukrainians have no inkling about Lebid, and don't care.

Soccer is the sport which counts and they had a few stars there, incl. Shevchenko and a few others who play in Euro pro leagues.

In Kenya, few options, beyond running, besides most East Africans don't possess the genetics and physiology for sports which require power, and raw speed, like soccer, etc.

This can be seen in African Nations Cup, when Kenya and Ethiopia are at the bottom, and get knocked out early.

Ghost in France

Kenya recently has World medalists in the javelin and 400m hurdles. They have a history of world class 400m runners from back in the day. Also, the 800m requires a whole heck of a lot of power and raw speed.

The point is, Kenya has the type of athletes that could succeed at speed, power, and strength events. They simply do not have the same development and support system that exists for distance runners.

I guess you didn't read my post. The economic rankings I used were GDP per capita, not per capita income. They are not the same thing.

For kids growing up in poverty looking for a way out, they look for example of success around them. If a kid growing up in a poor eastern european country sees that gangsters and drug dealers are the only successful people, do you honestly think they will take up athletics as a way out? As I and others have pointed out, they need to see EXAMPLES of success around them. There's lots of examples of successful distance runners in Kenya, so kids take up distance running. People like Kipchoge are highly visible, national heroes practically. People look up to them and see them as examples of what is possible.

vivalarepublica wrote:

American marathon runner just need to shack up in some dumpy mountain town somewhere in the Southwest or Mexico that has plenty of dirt roads, tolerable weather most of the year, and doesn't get a bunch of snow. They are too concerned about being in some hip, trendy town (Boulder, Flagstaff, Portland/Eugene, etc.) rather than living a simple life and focusing on the goal. Sure, you will to deal with the usual problems of small town America (opioids, meth, good ole boys, gossip), but just stay focused on the goal and out of trouble.

If not Voulder of Flagstaff, where wopuld you recommend? Flagstaff seems ideal with the easy high/low training access.

avaeoinceoanf wrote:

Les wrote:

Hey Ghost I have a question. The French government supports athletics, they have great facilities, yet there are few great French athletes. Aside from Bosse I can't think of a single one. Oh yeah, the steepler whose name I can't recall, but it seems that they really should have more.

Renaud Lavillenie, Pascal Martino Lagarde, Dimitri Bascou, Christophe Lemaitre, Kevin Mayer, Mélina Robert-Michon,

Pole vault, hurdlers, throwers, sprinter, decathlete -- but where are the distance runners? And Bosse only runs 800m.

Way too many distractions in Flag. Get yourself a RV and drive to some random place in Wyoming or Idaho. There's even a Geneva in Idaho at 6200 feet. If that's too low just go another 20 min into the surrounding mountains. The town settlers were from the eponymous city in Switzerland so some of them might even have been Wanders' ancestors. Now you see where I'm going. Open a training camp and recruit a few of Wanders' distant cousins. You get a combination of great genes and favorable environment. Epstein would love it.

Great find ~~~ wrote:

Skeptical chap wrote:

You're obviously lying. Try harder.

Obviously Fiji is an African powerhouse.

Fiji is in the South Pacific. Yes indeed, it is a powerhouse in the sport of Rugby.

What's your bloody point mate?

Geneva wrote:

Way too many distractions in Flag. Get yourself a RV and drive to some random place in Wyoming or Idaho. There's even a Geneva in Idaho at 6200 feet. If that's too low just go another 20 min into the surrounding mountains. The town settlers were from the eponymous city in Switzerland so some of them might even have been Wanders' ancestors. Now you see where I'm going. Open a training camp and recruit a few of Wanders' distant cousins. You get a combination of great genes and favorable environment. Epstein would love it.

Perfect pitch for a reality TV show

Skeptical chap wrote:

Great find ~~~ wrote:

Obviously Fiji is an African powerhouse.

Fiji is in the South Pacific. Yes indeed, it is a powerhouse in the sport of Rugby.

What's your bloody point mate?

No they aren't. They get destroyed in the more competitive Rugby Union.

nalkscnvslkdnv wrote:

vivalarepublica wrote:

American marathon runner just need to shack up in some dumpy mountain town somewhere in the Southwest or Mexico that has plenty of dirt roads, tolerable weather most of the year, and doesn't get a bunch of snow. They are too concerned about being in some hip, trendy town (Boulder, Flagstaff, Portland/Eugene, etc.) rather than living a simple life and focusing on the goal. Sure, you will to deal with the usual problems of small town America (opioids, meth, good ole boys, gossip), but just stay focused on the goal and out of trouble.

If not Voulder of Flagstaff, where wopuld you recommend? Flagstaff seems ideal with the easy high/low training access.

Flagstaff is too big, expensive, and trendy. I'm talking dumpier, smaller, and straight up non-appealing. Like some dying old mining town that peaked 100 years ago and has not tourist appeal. It doesn't get an obscene amount of snow in the winter or get ridiculously hot in the summer. Maybe like Silver City, New Mexico, without the tourist crap and maybe another 1000 or 2000 ft of elevation.

Skeptical chap wrote:

You're obviously lying. Try harder.

Great find ~~~ wrote:

Obviously Fiji is an African powerhouse.

Skeptical chap wrote:

Fiji is in the South Pacific. Yes indeed, it is a powerhouse in the sport of Rugby.

What's your bloody point mate?

The point is that Fiji has nothing to do with the African Championships.

Geneva wrote:

Way too many distractions in Flag. Get yourself a RV and drive to some random place in Wyoming or Idaho. There's even a Geneva in Idaho at 6200 feet. If that's too low just go another 20 min into the surrounding mountains. The town settlers were from the eponymous city in Switzerland so some of them might even have been Wanders' ancestors. Now you see where I'm going. Open a training camp and recruit a few of Wanders' distant cousins. You get a combination of great genes and favorable environment. Epstein would love it.

Maybe Eddy H. could run a boarding house.

Clueless retard wrote:

Skeptical chap wrote:

You're obviously lying. Try harder.

Great find ~~~ wrote:

Obviously Fiji is an African powerhouse.

Skeptical chap wrote:

Fiji is in the South Pacific. Yes indeed, it is a powerhouse in the sport of Rugby.

What's your bloody point mate?

The point is that Fiji has nothing to do with the African Championships.

I brought that up because someone said that the Kenyans are only good at running.

Gosh, you're quite daft, aren't you?

vivalarepublica wrote:

Brace yourselves, the invasion of white runners in Iten could be coming.

I fear that would not be good for Iten as it's just a village that can't absorb such a flood. Why don't they spread themselves around? Addis Ababa, where most Ethiopian elites are based, is a city of 4 million with all the conveniences and amenities. I bet there similar stories of westerners training in Ethiopia that should be given the same publicity.

Skeptical chap wrote:

I brought that up because someone said that the Kenyans are only good at running.

Gosh, you're quite daft, aren't you?

I'm daft because you're daft?

You have an amazing method of reasoning.

El Keniano wrote:

vivalarepublica wrote:

Brace yourselves, the invasion of white runners in Iten could be coming.

I fear that would not be good for Iten as it's just a village that can't absorb such a flood. Why don't they spread themselves around? Addis Ababa, where most Ethiopian elites are based, is a city of 4 million with all the conveniences and amenities. I bet there similar stories of westerners training in Ethiopia that should be given the same publicity.

It wouldn't be good for Iten in any case. Some of these white "athletes" are quite suspicious.