Ryan Hall Disappointing

tim21bert, I think you're spot on in your comments, except for one point. I think Hall does need to be in 59:43 shape every time he goes out, and probably also in 27:15 10K shape. He simply has to be able to cover the surges that get put down at the front of the field in these 2:04-2:06 races. If the world suddenly makes the leap to consistent 2:03 marathons, I'm afraid it's game over, though.

The alternative is to sit back and run even pace and wait for a once-in-a-blue-moon day like Meb had in NYC.

Hall has run around a 3:40+ 1500 so his speed is not that much of an issue.

I just hope during the trials we find other sub 2:10 US runners. It would be nice to have a half dozen runners like Hall.

tim21bert wrote:the Kenyans are head and shoulders above Ryan Hall right now.

Are you sure? Have you even bothered to look at the results of the races that Hall has run?

Ryan Hall is one of the best marathon runners in the world. He has proven it over and over in every single marathon he has competed in.

malmo wrote:

tim21bert wrote:the Kenyans are head and shoulders above Ryan Hall right now.

Are you sure? Have you even bothered to look at the results of the races that Hall has run?

Ryan Hall is one of the best marathon runners in the world. He has proven it over and over in every single marathon he has competed in.

Please take off your Hall goggles. Ryan Hall hangs with the pack until the real racing begins. Once people actually begin the push the pace a little he gets dropped. Then he picks off a couple of late drop outs or guys who are taking it because they can't win and they are saving it for another race. The fan boys want to celebrate him as the top American. But the top american doesn't mean squat when the East Africans are dominating the races. Bottom line is Hall is percieved to be much better than he really is.

Bill Huntington wrote:

Read the following under "Drug Allegations".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldemar_Cierpinski

would be naive to believe east africans aint using either...easy to find out...

To me Hall seems to be a very impressive long distance runner..one of the world's best..didn't he pretty much rabbit Mosop and Mutai the first half or so in Boston to their 2:03's? Many folk seem to clamor about a course being "wind-aided", and give an arbitrary figure as to what the outcome would be, but in that light, how about giving a correction factor for running in warm conditions? I don't see to many corrective figures given to Hall for running in Chicago in 70 degree temps. Perhaps he could have run 2:04 in Chicago in 45 degree conditions no? Some people handle heat than others..I know from personal experience I can run a 5k in about 17 minutes in 50 degrees and feel great, but give me 70 and its an epic struggle to finish in 18 1/2 minutes.

somewhat amuzed wrote:

I don't see to many corrective figures given to Hall for running in Chicago in 70 degree temps.

That's becasue it was never 70º during the marathon. It was 58º-67º, very dry, and the Sun was at a very low altitude during the entire race. Great conditions for running.

52.43 wrote:

That is 70th best performance of all time, second best non-african performance behind Takaoka (2:06:16)

Ronaldo da Costa of Brazil ran 2:06:05.

Ryan Hall did get down to a 2:04:58 for fourth place in Boston 2011. This was also definitely a legitimate course, and Boston is always a big deal.

I understand that Boston is point-to-point and net downhill, but Hall still ran 2:04. That means he's a 2:04 marathoner. I'm still struggling with why people generally refuse to mention this as part of Hall's achievements. He wasn't flying on a magic carpet that day.

Boston is known as an historically difficult course. It's a bit funny to flip-flop and say it was an incredibly easy day when the conditions happened to be good.

A bit of a hijack, I know, but still relevant to Hall's overall prowess.

Nate A. wrote:

Boston is known as an historically difficult course. It's a bit funny to flip-flop and say it was an incredibly easy day when the conditions happened to be good.

No it's not funny to say that. It is common sense. Ryan Halls 2:04:58 is no more valid than Obadele Thompson'S 9.69 100M.

I agree Ryan Hall is one of the best marathoners in the world right now, and if there were one, I would totally be part of Ryan Hall nation. But, I can also recognize he isn't competitive right now--- not because he isn't fast, but because the bar has been raised in the marathon. His performances against the all time American list show how fast he is compared to predecessors, but how many of the top 20 marathon times in history have been recorded in the past 4 years? He's got to keep improving if he wants to be more than the fastest American marathoner. He doesn't owe that to anyone but himself, and so I'll continue to cheer him whether he is rewriting American or world record books.

Instead of harping on Hall, why don't we concentrate on the other US marathon runners? The upcoming marathon trials should be very interesting. How many sub 2:12 performances will we see. Is there anyone else that can break 2:10? Hall has done his job, lets see what the other talented US runners can do. We now need depth, and I don't mean picking from 50 sub 2:20 guys either.

Yes, and then only a few in the world are ahead of him. Saving it for another race, that is complete BS. There is money in most all of those places. They aren't saving anything, they are toast at that point. If Ryan was one of the ones slowing down, you wouldn't say that.

Nate A. wrote:

... I'm still struggling with why people generally refuse to mention this as part of Hall's achievements. He wasn't flying on a magic carpet that day.

...

Well, actually, now that you mention it...

If Solinsky and Rupp consistently finished in the top 5 at every Diamond League 5k, LetsRun.com would burst with elation about the return of American distance running. However, when Hall drops a 2:04, places in the top 5 in a major marathon, or does anything else that should have everyone ecstatic, people find a way to criticize his performance.

I don't think I'm harping on him. As I said before, he doesn't owe it to me, you, or anyone on these boards to pick a coach, explain his religion, or improve his running. But that doesn't mean people aren't going to be interested in his choices. And I am interested in the 2:10 group too; I hope they're inspired by Ryan, Mutai, Mosop, and Makau into making the next step in their progression.

I was watching the marathon coverage live on the local NBC affiliate. When the lead pack of men were near mile 13, I got on my bike to watch in person at mile 25. When I left, Ryan had just dropped off the front group and I had this hunch it is going to be like previous marathons and I'll see him at mile 25 closing in on 4th or 3rd. There was no surprise when I saw him down Michigan Ave. in 5th. I almost expected it. And, I expected he would close the gap on 4th in the final mile. Sure enough, when I watched the recorded race on TV, he had pulled within 5 seconds of Daba.

This is a long way of saying, he is amazingly consistent and very strong - mentally and physically. He holds his pace, he doesn't lose his cool and fights to the end. Maybe I, like others, hope for more - for that big win that has eluded him - but I can hardly say I am disappointed. It was my first time seeing him in person, after having seen many top U.S. runners on the same course, and I was very impressed.