Fisher will not be missed. Young, Wolfe, & Blanks will handle things just fine. The big bummer will be if Kiplimo, Cheptegei and Aregawi don't show.
Kiplimo and Cheptegei will not be there.
Do you have a source for that? I assume if they are both there, Uganda is the favorite for the team title with a potential 1-2 finish, although I don’t know about their depth.
I actually broke into hysterical laughter reading your inane post. It seems like people like you just keep raising the bar for Hocker. Nothing he accomplishes is ever good enough for you. The conditions were the same bad conditions for everyone. Which means the field would have finished in the 12:40s in good conditions. So therefore, Hocker still would have won in 12:45. Your dislike for Hocker has blinded you from the reality that he is one of the best runners period on the planet. Your bias won’t let you believe it.
You completely missed my point which is the conditions couldn’t have have been that bad given that some runners approached their PRs.
Rather than raising the bar, I’m reacting to the belief that he’s now the best 5000m and 10000m runner in the U.S. There have probably been a thousand posts saying that Ingebrigtsen wouldn’t have won medals in the 5000m if the East Africans cared to set a hot pace. You should be able to find many of these posts and bring more hilarity into your life. I actually am a fan of Hocker and was thrilled with his win in Paris.
I didn’t miss your point. I disagree with you. The conditions in Tokyo were that bad. The fact that several ran close to their PRs only means they would have all set new PRs in good conditions.
They know where the money is plus they enhance their positions with the potential sponsors by saying 'never'. Hocker and Fisher are lifelong runners they should race until they are 75. Hopefully the can make a decent pick up training for 8k - 12k.
You completely missed my point which is the conditions couldn’t have have been that bad given that some runners approached their PRs.
Rather than raising the bar, I’m reacting to the belief that he’s now the best 5000m and 10000m runner in the U.S. There have probably been a thousand posts saying that Ingebrigtsen wouldn’t have won medals in the 5000m if the East Africans cared to set a hot pace. You should be able to find many of these posts and bring more hilarity into your life. I actually am a fan of Hocker and was thrilled with his win in Paris.
I didn’t miss your point. I disagree with you. The conditions in Tokyo were that bad. The fact that several ran close to their PRs only means they would have all set new PRs in good conditions.
If you think 75 and moderate humidity is worth 13 seconds in the 5000, I wonder what you think 85 and sunny does to a 3000
Scannell on Grant Fisher - "The other priority for the early season might be that you see him in other events that you haven’t seen him in the past.”
Is he talking about half-marathon here? I cant imagine what other event we haven't seen him in unless he is talking about going down in distance and running some 800s
honestly, what event could be going on at this time that would be more exciting or important than a home world cross? This is incredibly lame of fisher and Hocker.
Scannell on Grant Fisher - "The other priority for the early season might be that you see him in other events that you haven’t seen him in the past.”
Is he talking about half-marathon here? I cant imagine what other event we haven't seen him in unless he is talking about going down in distance and running some 800s
Believe everyone -- now over 100 posts in -- is misunderstanding Scannell's comment.
He stated events, not distances. Have a pretty shrewd hunch he's referring to the former, not the latter.
Note: Mike mentioned Millrose Games but not a BU meet. WA did not ratify Grant's 12:44 from BU this past winter -- and there are rumors WA has decided not to ratify the BU track for WA qualifying marks -- so have to believe Grant won't be going back to BU.
So, what could that "other priority for the early season" be?
Not likely a half marathon.
Grant stated after indoors this year he had decided he couldn't go all-in on a half-marathon as well as an indoor season, so chose the latter. Since Millrose in still on his radar for next February, highly doubt you will see Grant at the Houston Half or any road race next winter.
Thus, by process of elimination as well as intuition,
Believe everyone -- now over 100 posts in -- is misunderstanding Scannell's comment.
He stated events, not distances. Have a pretty shrewd hunch he's referring to the former, not the latter.
Note: Mike mentioned Millrose Games but not a BU meet. WA did not ratify Grant's 12:44 from BU this past winter -- and there are rumors WA has decided not to ratify the BU track for WA qualifying marks -- so have to believe Grant won't be going back to BU.
So, what could that "other priority for the early season" be?
Not likely a half marathon.
Grant stated after indoors this year he had decided he couldn't go all-in on a half-marathon as well as an indoor season, so chose the latter. Since Millrose in still on his radar for next February, highly doubt you will see Grant at the Houston Half or any road race next winter.
Thus, by process of elimination as well as intuition,
. . . USA Indoor Champs then World Indoor Champs would be the logical answer.
Certainly the 3000. Maybe even a 1500/3000 double.
Since Grant felt he couldn't do justice this year racing both the Houston Half then indoors, certainly appears he has decided he couldn't do justice next year racing both World XC then World Indoors. So -- presumably -- he has chosen the latter.
One thing we all now know about Grants running: it is precisely periodized: fall base training, transition work in January, indoor racing in February & March, down time in March & April, base training again in April & May, transition work again in May & June, summer racing June into September, down time in October.
Grant tried to wedge GST into the April thru June time frame this year -- and he paid for it in September.
Strongly believe Grant will race USA XC -- then World XC -- sometime before his career is over. However, that might have to wait several more years until he moves to the roads and changes his periodization training to accommodate a different racing schedule.
Do you think it is selfish and stupid for fans wanting to see the USA put forth our best team especially considering the event is on home soil?
Yes. It doesn't involve you. Take care of your own matters. You don't have any skin in the game.
I am a Philadelphia Eagles fan; I try to catch every game on tv no matter where I am or what I am doing. I go to at least one game a year, own a ton of memorabilia, etc. I guess you can say I "don't have any skin in the game", but the team matter to me.
Yes. It doesn't involve you. Take care of your own matters. You don't have any skin in the game.
I am a Philadelphia Eagles fan; I try to catch every game on tv no matter where I am or what I am doing. I go to at least one game a year, own a ton of memorabilia, etc. I guess you can say I "don't have any skin in the game", but the team matter to me.
I think it's fair to say fans who spend time and money following a sport have skin in the game. Professional sports are a business, and without fans, there would be no professional sports.
It's not good for the business of sport to have top athletes skipping out on a championship competition where fans want to see them compete and represent their country on home soil. Can you imagine if Scottie Scheffler skipped the Ryder Cup tournament in New York this year, and his coach said it was because he has other priorities? There would have been outrage.
People can argue the Ryder Cup is a much bigger deal than World XC, and that's true, but one of the reasons it's true is the golfers make a big deal out of it. Top runners can make World XC more important if they choose to prioritize it. I still remember the 2007 US XC championships in Boulder, when the CU alumni all-star men battled each other and there was a showdown between Deena Kastor and Shalane Flanagan. It was fantastic!
Even though Fisher's decision to skip World XC may be the best choice for him personally, it's not good for the business of the sport. Personally, I've been waiting to see which top runners commit to running in Tallahassee before making my decision on whether to attend. Fisher's decision makes it less likely that I will buy a ticket.
Needed to incentivize this. Clearly, Grant follows the money based on his foray into the mess that was GST. No judgement, just precedent. Big check for running the race. Big bonus for individual result. Big bonus for team result. Incentivize the individual into bringing in other top tier teammates. USATF is good for the money. Probably. No forward thinking here though.
Not sure if anyone else noticed, but Grant Fisher recently switched agents. As far as I know, he was with Alistair Cragg, but is now with Nick Pearson/Forte Talent Group. I wonder if it had anything to do with what happened with GST.
There is likely little money or incentive for the very top US runners to compete.
XC past college has always been a great opportunity for other Americans to make a USA team.
I usually enjoy watching the Junior races the most to see some of our younger talent stack up against the worlds best. Our seniors already know their place.
They're pros and deserve to be paid for racing. Somehow, USATF has to make it happen with money at nationals and worlds.
Believe everyone -- now over 100 posts in -- is misunderstanding Scannell's comment.
He stated events, not distances. Have a pretty shrewd hunch he's referring to the former, not the latter.
Note: Mike mentioned Millrose Games but not a BU meet. WA did not ratify Grant's 12:44 from BU this past winter -- and there are rumors WA has decided not to ratify the BU track for WA qualifying marks -- so have to believe Grant won't be going back to BU.
So, what could that "other priority for the early season" be?
Not likely a half marathon.
Grant stated after indoors this year he had decided he couldn't go all-in on a half-marathon as well as an indoor season, so chose the latter. Since Millrose in still on his radar for next February, highly doubt you will see Grant at the Houston Half or any road race next winter.
Thus, by process of elimination as well as intuition,
. . . USA Indoor Champs then World Indoor Champs would be the logical answer.
Certainly the 3000. Maybe even a 1500/3000 double.
Since Grant felt he couldn't do justice this year racing both the Houston Half then indoors, certainly appears he has decided he couldn't do justice next year racing both World XC then World Indoors. So -- presumably -- he has chosen the latter.
One thing we all now know about Grants running: it is precisely periodized: fall base training, transition work in January, indoor racing in February & March, down time in March & April, base training again in April & May, transition work again in May & June, summer racing June into September, down time in October.
Grant tried to wedge GST into the April thru June time frame this year -- and he paid for it in September.
Strongly believe Grant will race USA XC -- then World XC -- sometime before his career is over. However, that might have to wait several more years until he moves to the roads and changes his periodization training to accommodate a different racing schedule.
You're overthinking this. I asked Mike Scannell whether Fisher would do World Indoors in 2026 and he said it wasn't on the schedule.
I suspect he will race a couple of times on the track and end with a half marathon. Perhaps Barcelona (February 15) if he wants to run fast or NYC (March 15) if he's looking to get paid. I don't think he'll do Houston because it's too early in the year for him.