I think we've watched enough seasons of running to realize, you only have so many good races in your body. Load management in running is extremely important. And I would argue even high schoolers and collegians only have so many good races before the bodies give up.
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.
We really are in one of the easiest sports to invest in, not that there will be a great ROI. But how much money do you even need to incentivize somebody like Fisher? $25k-$50k to show up not bad.
It matters in the sense that people believe Hocker has become world class for 10000m.
I’m getting a little annoyed at how you keep lying about what I’m saying.
I did not say “Hocker has become world class at 10000m”. I said I would pick Hocker to win the US (not world) title in the 10k XC.
Your opinions aren’t bulletproof and I don’t see why you should be offended if someone doesn’t agree with you.
I didn’t say Hocker would win World XC. If Hocker can beat guys like Fisher and Young in 10K XC, he can beat them in the 10000m on the track. That would indeed make Hocker world class at that distance.
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.
The East-Africans take world XC very seriously and a 10th place for Fisher in that race won’t be a career changer.
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.
We really are in one of the easiest sports to invest in, not that there will be a great ROI. But how much money do you even need to incentivize somebody like Fisher? $25k-$50k to show up not bad.
I’m getting a little annoyed at how you keep lying about what I’m saying.
I did not say “Hocker has become world class at 10000m”. I said I would pick Hocker to win the US (not world) title in the 10k XC.
Your opinions aren’t bulletproof and I don’t see why you should be offended if someone doesn’t agree with you.
I didn’t say Hocker would win World XC. If Hocker can beat guys like Fisher and Young in 10K XC, he can beat them in the 10000m on the track. That would indeed make Hocker world class at that distance.
Winning USA’s does not make one world class. But Hocker would have likely won the 29 flat race at USA’s this year too.
Work on your reading comprehension. Not a 5-10k guy means he is not a guy who races the 5 and 10. Hocker's a 1500/5000m guy now, who occasionally races 800m and has run xc. Grant Fisher is a 5-10k guy: he races the 5000 and 10000m. I'd like to see Hocker there as well but it's very much suited to Fisher. And as for the timing, pretty much all of the contenders from elsewhere will also have had a long outdoor season and will be looking to run fast times outdoor again in 2026. They are all in the same boat, ending a long season in September (unless they are roadrunners) and using xc season as a means of getting in good shape for outdoors. I would have held it later but January 10 is a great time to hold it in Florida because you might get some really tough conditions even in March.
Grant Fisher has the talent to win world xc but we are all talking about a team gold, which is why we really want the best American distance runners to take advantage of this perfect storm of the emergence of a group of world elite distance runners and a home meet to which they can easily get without disrupting their schedules significantly. Often their excuse is that the meet is too close to World Indoor or too close to Outdoors or they're not going to travel halfway around the world to get to it. Now it's too early. Form an A team and see what the U.S. can do. We still talk about U.S. men's silver in snow and mud in 2013 and that team wasn't close to as good as what we could do this year.
Your opinions aren’t bulletproof and I don’t see why you should be offended if someone doesn’t agree with you.
I didn’t say Hocker would win World XC. If Hocker can beat guys like Fisher and Young in 10K XC, he can beat them in the 10000m on the track. That would indeed make Hocker world class at that distance.
Winning USA’s does not make one world class. But Hocker would have likely won the 29 flat race at USA’s this year too.
In other words, you’re saying if an XC race is slow enough, Hocker would win. This is what I believe to be your first comment on the issue:
“ I think he(Hocker)is likely the best American runner at 10k XC.”
You left out the part about “in a 29 flat race”. If Hocker is our best XC runner, and with his leg speed, he would win in any possible scenario.
As for the USA race, it will probably be treated as a qualifying heat and will be run at a slow pace.
I thought the same thing. All good to get in career best shape in February to run indoors this year and then chase big money running meaningless GST races (that ironically he's not going to get all of), but can't run world cross when it's in his home country?
Just don't get it. And if it turns out he runs a half marathon around that time for some nominal appearance fee and about 15k in possible prize money then I think that's extremely disappointing.
What does it matter that the race is in his home country? Do these guys owe such allegiance to the United States that they have to forgo better paying race opportunities and instead participate in something they don’t want to do? Grant Fisher being an American (who was born in Canada btw) doesn’t owe the United States anything. Nationality is the result of a genetic accident and historical accident that is determined by one’s parents and that the individual has no choice in. It doesn’t matter that World XC will be in Florida any more than if it were in Zimbabwe, Pakistan, or Australia. Some of you people have extreme notions of and expectations of patriotism. Sheesh.
Not having to travel abroad and only go two time zones away if huge. Running in front of an american crowd should be enough. For the US to get this event, it would be up to USATF to showcase their best men and women distance runners. One thing would be that they have offered big money and the runners simply are not interested. I'm not approaching it from a patriotic, nationalistic angle. It is a world championship against some of the best runners in the world. Clearly the intrinsic motivation is not there, thus introduce the extrinsic- money. As for scheduling, any schedule can be adjusted accordingly, it is not rocket science. Grant and his coach rationalized it just fine last year. The problem was his output at nationals and then continuing to race the DL. World Cross can be understood as a great block of strength that can launch the rest of the season. Similar to a half marathon.
And yet, until this year, Jakob has gone and run European XC and kicked butt every damn year practically since he was a junior and it sure didn't hurt him chasing records and medals the rest of the year.
Jakob is the poster child for "show up and race the damn thing" 12K on one weekend isn't going to destroy your 2026 season. i admire his attitude more and more.
Grant should be running. Hocker should be running. USATF is a frikkin' car wreck to not understand how important this would be in the USA stage for getting press. They're all too young to remember the build-up in 82 and 83 with American runners leading into the '84 games. I remember. Nike paying for huge murals of Benoit and Salazar on buildings in LA. ABC sports coverage, leveraging the name and face of Al and Joanie (of course all of that paling in comparison to Lewis going for his 4 golds).
This could be so good for running as a sport in this country leading into '28. USATF needs to incentivize them showing up and racing, period.
Hocker I'm fine with if he is planning on going all in on world indoors. I don't see him as being great at 10k XC and I can see why the relay wouldn't be appealing.
Fisher is definitely a bummer though. Would have loved to see him compete, but I can see why they don't want to press early season after the appearant ramifications that grand slam had on the end of his outdoor season
Very hard to hold a peak for half a year or more like doped up Africans.
And yet, until this year, Jakob has gone and run European XC and kicked butt every damn year practically since he was a junior and it sure didn't hurt him chasing records and medals the rest of the year.
Jakob is the poster child for "show up and race the damn thing" 12K on one weekend isn't going to destroy your 2026 season. i admire his attitude more and more.
Grant should be running. Hocker should be running. USATF is a frikkin' car wreck to not understand how important this would be in the USA stage for getting press. They're all too young to remember the build-up in 82 and 83 with American runners leading into the '84 games. I remember. Nike paying for huge murals of Benoit and Salazar on buildings in LA. ABC sports coverage, leveraging the name and face of Al and Joanie (of course all of that paling in comparison to Lewis going for his 4 golds).
This could be so good for running as a sport in this country leading into '28. USATF needs to incentivize them showing up and racing, period.
Well this year will be the ultimate test. He can do Euro Cross, World Cross and World Indoors if he chooses. He doesn't have complications like Trial races, which make it a little more complicated for American-based athletes. He also doesn't do Millrose, which is closer in 3 weeks away from World Cross than ideal (not prohibitive, but still).
Well this year will be the ultimate test. He can do Euro Cross, World Cross and World Indoors if he chooses. He doesn't have complications like Trial races, which make it a little more complicated for American-based athletes. He also doesn't do Millrose, which is closer in 3 weeks away from World Cross than ideal (not prohibitive, but still).
All true, but I'm allowing my petty dislike of indoors and my love of XC sway my thinking here a little bit. Just my bias in the discussion.
I doubt that jakob would want to run all three after an injury filled year, but certainly can see him cherry pick which ones he wants. Grant, I wish, would run our trials and then Worlds, and train through some indoor races. Save the real guts of racing for the outdoors later in the year.
I think that its lcear that GST, while trying to fill a hole in the running calendar, was a big mistake. There is no spring NFL for a reason.
And yet, until this year, Jakob has gone and run European XC and kicked butt every damn year practically since he was a junior and it sure didn't hurt him chasing records and medals the rest of the year.
Jakob is the poster child for "show up and race the damn thing" 12K on one weekend isn't going to destroy your 2026 season. i admire his attitude more and more.
Grant should be running. Hocker should be running. USATF is a frikkin' car wreck to not understand how important this would be in the USA stage for getting press. They're all too young to remember the build-up in 82 and 83 with American runners leading into the '84 games. I remember. Nike paying for huge murals of Benoit and Salazar on buildings in LA. ABC sports coverage, leveraging the name and face of Al and Joanie (of course all of that paling in comparison to Lewis going for his 4 golds).
This could be so good for running as a sport in this country leading into '28. USATF needs to incentivize them showing up and racing, period.