Phillip Hersh Demeaning Ryan Hall

Yeah, I don't understand "he wasn't his normal self." He ran with the leaders past halfway, lost contact when the pace picked up, kept pushing and caught 1 or 2 guys to finish in the top 5. This is how it's been his last several marathons.

And isn't that the basis of Hersh's beef with Hall, in which case his line of questioning post-race seems even odder.

yes, but you missed the point ab out Hersh using the story to promote his own agenda here. His own criticism of American distance runners.

no one is going to disagree with anything you wrote.

As a sports journalist is is NOT Hersh place to tell me the reader that Hersh think he was under performing.

In an opinion piece, yeah..that's okay. In a straight news story it's never okay. he apparently thinks we are too stupid as readers to draw that conclusion.

I was a sports journalist for a number of years HS/College. There are 100s of ways to ask the same question without being a douche about it...unless you want everyone to know you are a douche. Hersh seems to want us to know he is on this issue.

I agree that you shouldn't tailor your questions to be Nice and preserve access, but on the other hand you shouldn't be a dick just to be one.

Thanks for responding but I sincerely believe that there is both truth and false in your statements. Kara said repeatedly that having the baby shouldn't affect her at all and that she was going there for the win.

Sorry Wejo, you've read this many times (I assume) and I will repeat it again:

Kara got beat by at least 6 runners in Beijing who weren't there in Osaka, hence her bronze. In addition, she pr'd in Beijing and still got beat by 9 runners as I recall her being 10th.

That would be like you winning the Peachtree Roadrace in your prime or a big 10,000 track race but very few decent runners showed up for lack of prize money or whatever, it's irrelevant. Yes, you can say you won, but with an asterisk. Kara got the bronze because that field was NOT stacked in Osaka.

I am not saying Ryan WILL medal in London, but we are both in agreement that he surely has a chance and if the stars align that day...who knows. As far as Kara medaling, I will personally take any bet you are willing to make that she won't medal in London as I have serious doubts about her placing top 3 in Houston.

stuck with match.com wrote:

They get media exposure, endoresments, and prize money. We don't. Any person in the publics eye that is a professional is expected to perform at their best when it counts. If you don't, get you get criticized. That's the way it is, and running is no exception.

I am Chas Webb

This logic is so flawed, I don't know where to begin. Running for money is one of the wrong reasons I alluded to. And criticizing simply because somebody receives it is equally as wrong. It's all about motivation, Chas. What motivates your criticism, Chas?

Ryan Hall is Ryan Hall. He is not and never will be Chas Webb's fantasy of what Ryan Hall should be. You and members of the community like you need to understand this. Celebrate who he is, not who you wish he would become. In this way, you fan the Fire, my friend. In this way you build our sport.

Tyler Cannon

I could care what YOU said.

Firstly, wasn't himself...what the hell does that mean? Did you take psych? Do you have a degree? Oh, you mean after some guy laid down a super fast mile and Ryan couldn't stay with him...is that what you mean? "Wasn't himself", now I've heard it all. If you are a serious writer and you came up with that, you stink! My 11 year old daughter taking AP English in the 7th grade could do a better job.

Running poorly was a comment from people on several threads that are going on about him as a disappointment. I would not give you credit for that, although you may have thought it.

This is one of the most difficult to comprehend threads that I've seen in a long time on LRC. Lots of misdirected bashing of a running journalist for a disappointing performance by America's best marathoner (leaving Rupp’s potential out of the conversation).

It was a disappointing performance by Hall. Why? Maybe it was Hall’s pedigree, maybe it was all the pre-race hype generated by Mr. Hall himself - American record attempt, great lead up with his training, zeroing in on his self coaching process, etc., etc.

The media and fans gleefully picked up on the prerace hysteria and hoped to witness something big. It wasn't big, rather, sort of flat to negative. Good effort by Ryan but, far, far short of expectations. Kudos to Ryan for showing up and generating buzz for the race and his sponsors. It doesn’t take a lot of intellectual capacity to see the flip side of the equation with Mosop’s prerace press; not record ready but shooting for the win. That actually happened so no let down there.

Fans, I consider myself one, had to be disappointed and fanyboys, I am not one, are now on the offensive by trying to place the blame for unmet expectations on one of the few running journalist out there by assuming there is an underlying agenda to attack US marathoners. Fair enough, as I can see where their conflicted interest lie but ultimately the blame for less than expected results lies only with Ryan. This is the way the game is played. Does this mean Ryan is not worthy of best American marathoner? No. Does it mean Ryan doesn’t have the gravitas to win it someday? Maybe, maybe not. All of it is open for conjecture as Ryan’s performance does not lend itself to an easy answer either way. That’s the story. How it plays out in the press is simply how it plays out.

Lol- I'm not Philip Hersh- I didn't write the article. On an easy course with no wind & conditions for a course record & 2 pr's for the top 4 finishers alone, Hall normally runs better. The time is 3rd best, because he's raced a lot on the tough Boston, NY, trials & Olympic courses. You're disrespecting his marathon accomplishments, by saying that was one of his better races.

LOL! Even though it wasn't directed at me, I don't think anyone cares who you are, really. You have proven that you can make moronic statement after moronic statement, implying that you are connected in some way with Greg, which you aren't, and have mirrored his statements as if they are your thoughts as well, making you right, which you aren't. Have you broken 4 hours lately?

Dumb post. Greg Meyer is extremely credible and - like I've posted - said Hall wasn't himself. I never said anything else. So quit lying.

Dumb post. Greg Meyer is extremely credible and - like I've posted - said Hall wasn't himself. I never said anything else. So quit lying.

"hardset nipples" has a tap on Ryan Hall's psyche. Nipples' "level of hunger" device is flashing red. An expert on Hall's mental condition, nipples astutely diagnoses his fatal flatlining.

Hall will be glad to know about this. Shoot him an email and tell him to start caring.

ttc wrote:

A few years ago, Hall was stride-for-stride with Geb for 20+ miles enroute to 2:06 and running 59:43.

Man, you have mentioned this at least once on every thread about this year's Chicago. Why? Is there an award for running with a star for 20 miles?

Captain Morgana wrote:

Man, you have mentioned this at least once on every thread about this year's Chicago.

And as smd pointed out, it' an incorrect statement. I'm surprised, sort of, that more people haven't noted this, not that it's the sole or even the main reason for putting ttc on de facto ignore.

Hall wasn't himself? He got dropped with a fast couple of miles. You saying it makes it less credible. Get a life loser.

Greg Meyer has more credibility than you guys put together. He said Hall wasn't himself.

ttc wrote:

Greg Meyer has more credibility than you guys put together. He said Hall wasn't himself.

If Greg noted that Ryan Hall wasn't even in the race in which you've repeatedly said that Hall ran stride-for-stride with Geb for 20 miles, would you then say "even Greg Meyer knows that I'm wrong?"

Also, please send me an e-mail or postal address so that I can bill you for the irony meter that violently shorted out when you used the word "credibility."

It doesn't matter about his credibility.

Wasn't himself? What does that mean?

As was said by many posters, he got dropped.

Was he not himself when he was dropped in Boston? Oh that doesn't count,right?

Seriously, you (ttc?) are bloody nuts and eat stupid for breakfast every morning.

Meyer can come on here himself and I'll ask him the same thing. Wasn't himself?

But you ttc are just stupid. Ever learn to think for yourself?

He did go for the win in Boston, it's just that 2-3 amazing athletes stayed with him and did something that day that has never been done before. What were you expecting him to do, run a sub 4:10 mile? I am not Correction Master as he will verify. I just know you are wrong!!!!

Hardset,

that was a much better more even and balanced response to the issue. You wrote:

Hersh may seem harsh, but the vast majority of running media (much like the vast majority of any sports media) fawn over golden children like Hall and K. Goucher to an almost nauseating extent. Flotrack is about the worst in this regard and RW's "daily chats" are usually ridiculously banal (not to mention poorly written) with softballs and bouquets regularly tossed to the interview subjects. Ultimately, Hersh is probably right that Hall lacks the level of hunger to be better than he is, even though he possesses the physical tools/talent, and rests on his (modest on the world level) laurels too much. He's not solely an athlete trying to get his best performances out of himself, he's Mr. Charity Foundation and advertising spokesperson and face of faithfulness and whatever else. The burning desire and tight focus isn't there. He's a mental flatliner, a Ricky Williams type lacking the heart to push himself to be better. Somehow in US running that's permissible even though it wouldn't fly in any other sport, guys like that would get called out (M. Vick with the Falcons, A-Rod with the Yanks, LeBron with the Cavs and the Heat, D. Howard with the Magic). In contrast, people laud A. Goucher for wanting to crush competition, even though he probably didn't control it well enough to keep it from pushing him to cross the line in training and destroy himself.