The new guys have arrived, our next Olympic Marathon team is probably going to be whole new guys. A 13:40 guy just did this, what happens when the 13:05-13:30 guys who know they have no shot to make a 5k-10 world team and decide to move up too. The top 10 depth in the Marathon and 10k by 2028 might have our heads exploding.
Would be nice to have another US running boom as a result. And more guys around 1:01-1:04 for the 13.1 as well...
Yeah, I would expect anyone, and certainly someone who is a top-caliber US marathoner to hit a fair amount of miles (let alone just one) at faster than MP during their build, even at elevation. Mantz and Young train only a few hundred feet lower than Bozeman and hit lots of work at or below MP.
The new guys have arrived, our next Olympic Marathon team is probably going to be whole new guys. A 13:40 guy just did this, what happens when the 13:05-13:30 guys who know they have no shot to make a 5k-10 world team and decide to move up too. The top 10 depth in the Marathon and 10k by 2028 might have our heads exploding.
Would be nice to have another US running boom as a result. And more guys around 1:01-1:04 for the 13.1 as well...
Yeah but the dude who says people might have their heads exploding might need his to be examined, because I for the life of me don’t know what he is talking about. Bill Rodgers was a better marathoner than Mark Nenow or than many who would beat him on the track. Kiptum was arguably the best of them all and we have no evidence that he was able to break 27. Ben True in his prime would destroy Richtman on the track but True could not hang with Richtman in the marathon. So Richtman has found his event. He may be better at it than Grant Fisher would be. We just don’t know.
Would be nice to have another US running boom as a result. And more guys around 1:01-1:04 for the 13.1 as well...
Yeah but the dude who says people might have their heads exploding might need his to be examined, because I for the life of me don’t know what he is talking about. Bill Rodgers was a better marathoner than Mark Nenow or than many who would beat him on the track. Kiptum was arguably the best of them all and we have no evidence that he was able to break 27. Ben True in his prime would destroy Richtman on the track but True could not hang with Richtman in the marathon. So Richtman has found his event. He may be better at it than Grant Fisher would be. We just don’t know.
EXTREMELY UNLIKELY that Rictman would be better than Grant Fisher in a Marathon, Grant Fisher has 2:01-2:03 Marathon Potential, That sounds Crazy fast because Americans have not run Fast in the Marathon for a very long time, If an Ethiopiak or Kenyan with THE EXACT same Times as Grant Fisher was running lets say The London, Or Berlin, Or Valencia or Dubai etc 2:01-2:03 would be EXPECTED and 2:05 would be a very Disappointing time 2:07 would be a Disaster.
Yeah but the dude who says people might have their heads exploding might need his to be examined, because I for the life of me don’t know what he is talking about. Bill Rodgers was a better marathoner than Mark Nenow or than many who would beat him on the track. Kiptum was arguably the best of them all and we have no evidence that he was able to break 27. Ben True in his prime would destroy Richtman on the track but True could not hang with Richtman in the marathon. So Richtman has found his event. He may be better at it than Grant Fisher would be. We just don’t know.
EXTREMELY UNLIKELY that Rictman would be better than Grant Fisher in a Marathon, Grant Fisher has 2:01-2:03 Marathon Potential, That sounds Crazy fast because Americans have not run Fast in the Marathon for a very long time, If an Ethiopiak or Kenyan with THE EXACT same Times as Grant Fisher was running lets say The London, Or Berlin, Or Valencia or Dubai etc 2:01-2:03 would be EXPECTED and 2:05 would be a very Disappointing time 2:07 would be a Disaster.
IF Fisher has 2:01-2:03 marathon potential, then I guess Galen Rupp was an epic failure or underachiever at the marathon.
There are some folks that are much better than Grant on the track (Mo Farah, Joshua Cheptegei - granted 2nd marathon) that haven't broken 2:05 yet and weren't naturals at that distance.
No kidding. Just took a look and if you showed me his training log with no context and made me guess a time I’m not even sure what I’d say…maybe like 2:25??
This country for whatever reason has a complete lack of anyone you’d call a “natural” at the marathon distance. Feels like this guy might be the first in a while. Even our best guys rarely knock it out of the park, like Conner Mantz. I wonder if Alex Maier drops a 2:05-6 in Germany this spring (second marathon to be clear). Things like that happen for runners of other countries not just East African ones.
"A natural marathon runner" reminds me of England's Ian Thompson.
He was an unknown, just a good club runner - ranked 90th in England at 5000m - and had never beyond 10 miles raced before agreeing to make up numbers for his club team in English Marathon Championships in 1973. He won in 2:12:40 the fastest ever debut up to that time.
He then won the Commonwealth Games in 2:09:12 a world best (Clayton had run faster but on a course ruled by some authorities as short) and the European Championship.
His best 10,000m was only 29:33, so very much the natural marathon runner.
It is a fairly weak conference overall it just happens to have a multiple incredible distance runners to come out of it. Kaboom. In general, the depth is not there if you just look at it. Arguable 7/10 maybe 8/10 of the big sky schools don’t really have any significant distance running talent. Kaboom.
Funny enough the last American winner Paul Pilkington who ran at college of southern Idaho and, you guessed it, Big Sky Conference school Weber State University
I wonder if the course is really that slow though. Markos Geneti ran 2:06:35 in the LA Marathon and then like 10 months later he ran his lifetime best at Dubai, a 2:04:54 effort. So how slow is it really?
Don't call it criticism, just some observations: somebody needs to reign this kid in. He needs to take his 10k PR down before trying another marathon. If he can go 27 low a few times, he should be able to run at least 2:05, maybe 2:04 or faster. Also, he looks a little 'flat' while running... Fix his form, there's another minute off the marathon.
great, now we have the "experts" weighing in. why don't you contact him on strava or something and offer your coaching services that will, naturally, lead him to worldwide acclaim.
I wonder if the course is really that slow though. Markos Geneti ran 2:06:35 in the LA Marathon and then like 10 months later he ran his lifetime best at Dubai, a 2:04:54 effort. So how slow is it really?
That was the old stadium to the sea course. It was faster and a lot like CIM. But since COVID, it turns around at the City limits and has a last three miles that is mostly uphill. The new course is slow.
This is wild. Richtman was at Montana State last year and ran 28:21 for 10k. He was 14th at the NCAA west regional and didn’t qualify for NCAA outdoors.
Debuted with a 2:10:47 at Twin Cities in October. Now he’s a 2:07 guy!
i recall bill rogers was similar in college, he had a gradual progression and post college guys can improve with a different training regime, and change in distance, per wojo,
which can be differentiated from the very predictable Mo Katir type of "progression" or the Flo Jo progression, of PED
Yeah but the dude who says people might have their heads exploding might need his to be examined, because I for the life of me don’t know what he is talking about. Bill Rodgers was a better marathoner than Mark Nenow or than many who would beat him on the track. Kiptum was arguably the best of them all and we have no evidence that he was able to break 27. Ben True in his prime would destroy Richtman on the track but True could not hang with Richtman in the marathon. So Richtman has found his event. He may be better at it than Grant Fisher would be. We just don’t know.
EXTREMELY UNLIKELY that Rictman would be better than Grant Fisher in a Marathon, Grant Fisher has 2:01-2:03 Marathon Potential, That sounds Crazy fast because Americans have not run Fast in the Marathon for a very long time, If an Ethiopiak or Kenyan with THE EXACT same Times as Grant Fisher was running lets say The London, Or Berlin, Or Valencia or Dubai etc 2:01-2:03 would be EXPECTED and 2:05 would be a very Disappointing time 2:07 would be a Disaster.
Technically right now he is better than Fisher in the marathon because Fisher hasn't run a marathon. Maybe if less top US runners felt they had to focus on 1500m-10000m on the track before moving up to the marathon, we'd see faster times. For now, don't rain on his parade.
Lots of doubters here...could it be that it's a short course? Also, Frank Meza cheated at the LA marathon...is it possible this guy also cut the course? Marathon Investigations should look into this.
It is very good but you do understand that a woman has run 2 minutes slower than this time. Now maybe the woman would have only run 2:11:56 or something on this course in this fashion, but it places this in perspective. 2:07:56 in super shoes is very good but it is not competitive on the world stage. However it is a wonderful performance for him and he may improve.
Or maybe the differences between the genders are very small in distance running? I remember when a sub 2h10 time would basically be Olympic calibre for many nations including the US and many African countries. I am not sure whether marathons today should just have a single open category for the prize money. This would sort out the trans athlete problem as well.
This is wild. Richtman was at Montana State last year and ran 28:21 for 10k. He was 14th at the NCAA west regional and didn’t qualify for NCAA outdoors.
Debuted with a 2:10:47 at Twin Cities in October. Now he’s a 2:07 guy!
i recall bill rogers was similar in college, he had a gradual progression and post college guys can improve with a different training regime, and change in distance, per wojo,
which can be differentiated from the very predictable Mo Katir type of "progression" or the Flo Jo progression, of PED
Bill Rodgers was nowhere near as fast as Richtman in college. Bill quit running after he hit his lifetime goal of breaking 9:00 in the two mile.
Just to play devils advocate, maybe he’s doing something that works. And instead of following the above conventional American wisdom, he should keep doing what is working.
I would like to know how this compares to the Japanese style of training? They have 59 guys running around 2:07-2:08, so whatever they are doing works really well for them.
Maybe they know something we don't?
Some stats:
This makes him 8th fastest USA runner (including 3 African imports). Great performance!
Japan has had 61 athletes who ran 2:07:56 or faster (3 guys tied for 59th).
Worldwide, 697 athletes have run 2:07:56 or faster.
Uganda has had 8.
Morocco has had 18.
Eritrea has had 22.
Europe has had 71 (including many African imports).
I wonder if the course is really that slow though. Markos Geneti ran 2:06:35 in the LA Marathon and then like 10 months later he ran his lifetime best at Dubai, a 2:04:54 effort. So how slow is it really?
I often use the Strava “grade adjusted pace” feature to compare paces to what they’re estimated to be on a flat course. Looks like it was 2-4 seconds per mile in this case - so not the hardest course ever but certainly not a CIM/Chicago/Houston type course
He’s on Strava. I’ve never seen a more unimpressive training log from a 2:07 guy. It almost seems fake lol. He runs solid mileage. Doesn’t look like many workouts and the workouts that he does do aren’t even anything crazy. Love to see it.
Training logs aren't supposed to be impressive. Preparation is the aggregation of the whole.
Yeah he really ran only 1019 miles in 2021, 486 miles in 2022, and 969 miles in 2023. He definitely posts everything to Strava.
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