Jim Walmsey is better than you and so is ultra running

8:30 mile pace isn't running.

comedyrelief wrote:

First, most D1 athletes don't dedicate their lives to running. Most (if they are smart) are dedicating themselves to getting a career as a doctor, dentist, engineer, etc. as running careers are short and rare. Most prefer having a spouse, kids, house, etc. to becoming a running hermit. In terms of running, the talent level decreases the longer you get in distance. There are plenty of talented 1500 meter runners, 5000 meter runners, 10000 meter runners coming out of college each year that go pro in something other than running (not to mention scores of east African runners) that could easily be doing what Walmsley and Jornet are doing (they are nothing special in terms of talent, they are just competing in an obscure sport full of lonely white men) . Most people just choose to lead different lives, that doesn't make them better than us.

I read this, and then read it again, and then I read your name, and that about sums it all up.

U.S.D.A.1 wrote:

doesn't need EPO when limiting factors aren't related to oxygen carrying capacity. more like peptides/testosterone to endure downhill pounding from training 30,000 and 150mpw to make legs extra strong. then all one has to do is not mess up hydration and nutrition and bonk. overcoming muscle fatigue is the only obstacle.

its not like Walms is the only 14-min 5km runner to jump into these ultras.

lkjkj wrote:

Well, at least we know Walmsley's not on EPO, because racing in 100+ degrees on that drug for 14 hours would have thickened the blood to the point of death.

Makes you realize how doped Paula Radcliffe must have been to score positive in 86-degree heat.

Yeah, but I don't see many other 14 min 5k runners doing what he just did..we all know and love Max King, listen to his take on the 100 mile distance. He was in 1st in 2014 until after Forest Hill (62 mile mark) and ultimately finished 4th.

Bekele should crush this race and run sub 12 hours.

Banana Bread wrote:

Bekele should crush this race and run sub 12 hours.

I'll be generous and give Bekele til mile 8 until he DNFs.

llort_vbo wrote:

Definitely:. wrote:

Yeah I think about this all the time.

A place to talk about running. No drug talk, no sexism, no perverts, no gender bias coddling.

Running, training, results, schedules, private messaging, watch lists, friends lists and so on, no advertisements, would be great.

Sounds like you and your special friend would have a good time at LetsJog.com. Why don't you get that set up so you can have your safe space and no one can hurt your feelings or disagree with you.

Yes, that will be good, and you won't have to put up with people who actually talk about running.

Ultras are where marathons were back in the 50’s.

When you look at the marathon, where the top Kenyans are running 4:40 mile pace / 14:40 5k pace, that is impressive, as most grown men can't run those times. Running 8:40 miles is not that impressive. My 7 year old daughter on no training went out and ran a 7:30 mile with mom on a whim. As far as the level of competition is concerned it isn't even close. Western States has 400 competitors on average versus a major marathon where there are anywhere from 30,000 to 50,000 competitors. A competition with 1% the number of competitors at twice the pace just isn't that interesting.

What the hell is papaya bread. It sounds nasty. I'm not a fan of papaya's. Weird tasting fruit. Bekele is the best runner. He would be laughing so much if he was running here. The only way he would drop out is at the start when he takes of and realises everyone is jogging behind him. He will laugh and say "fukk this, why bother with this crap. I'm going to run a 2:02 thon instead".

comedyrelief wrote:

As far as the level of competition is concerned it isn't even close. Western States has 400 competitors on average versus a major marathon where there are anywhere from 30,000 to 50,000 competitors. A competition with 1% the number of competitors at twice the pace just isn't that interesting.

Western States, like most major marathons, has maybe 3-5 guys that have a shot at winning. In both cases, they are the world's best athletes at their chosen sport. The total number of people in the race is irrelevant. The 2016 Men's Olympic Marathon had only 140 finishers. Was it not competitive?

Have any ultra-marathoners ever been on an Olympic marathon team? Not even talking about medals here. I'll wait.

fatbody wrote:

Western States, like most major marathons, has maybe 3-5 guys that have a shot at winning. In both cases, they are the world's best athletes at their chosen sport. The total number of people in the race is irrelevant. The 2016 Men's Olympic Marathon had only 140 finishers. Was it not competitive?

skinny body wrote:

Have any ultra-marathoners ever been on an Olympic marathon team? Not even talking about medals here. I'll wait.

fatbody wrote:

Western States, like most major marathons, has maybe 3-5 guys that have a shot at winning. In both cases, they are the world's best athletes at their chosen sport. The total number of people in the race is irrelevant. The 2016 Men's Olympic Marathon had only 140 finishers. Was it not competitive?

I'm not sure what your point is. He said that major marathons were more competitive because they have 30,000-40,000 entrants compared to 400 for Western States. I said the number of entrants doesn't matter because in either case only a handful of the total entrants have a chance at winning either. As a case in point, I brought up the Olympic Marathon, which is arguably the most competitive distance running event in the world, despite having even fewer entrants than Western States.

To answer your question though, I don't know of any ultra guys that have made an Olympic team, nor do I know of any Olympic guys who have placed high in a major ultra.

comedyrelief wrote:

When you look at the marathon, where the top Kenyans are running 4:40 mile pace / 14:40 5k pace, that is impressive, as most grown men can't run those times. Running 8:40 miles is not that impressive. My 7 year old daughter on no training went out and ran a 7:30 mile with mom on a whim. As far as the level of competition is concerned it isn't even close. Western States has 400 competitors on average versus a major marathon where there are anywhere from 30,000 to 50,000 competitors. A competition with 1% the number of competitors at twice the pace just isn't that interesting.

So you think if Usain Bolt ran a 5k he would keep up his 100m pace for the entire distance? He wouldn’t run it even a little slower pace? And he’d maintain that 100m pace regardless of the distance? And marathon runners run the same pace for 5k, 10k, half’s and marathons? You simply do not believe that as race distance increases the pace slows? You are a special kind of stupid.

Alberto Salazar won Comrades. Was he clean though? Jim wont do a marjor marathon or big tested event yet. Totally skipped over the road marathons and national champs besides his 1:07-1:08 half debut and floundering at USATF 12km xc. 5:50 and 5:40 at JFK50 two years in a row plus a horrible a showing at IAAF 100km world champs on the road never showed much promise for him. Other “big talents” in ultra running were immediately good and debuted well. Jim somehow found another gear 2.5 years ago. Winning an ultra like Western is very lucrative. He is a star now.

fatbody wrote:

skinny body wrote:

Have any ultra-marathoners ever been on an Olympic marathon team? Not even talking about medals here. I'll wait.

I'm not sure what your point is. He said that major marathons were more competitive because they have 30,000-40,000 entrants compared to 400 for Western States. I said the number of entrants doesn't matter because in either case only a handful of the total entrants have a chance at winning either. As a case in point, I brought up the Olympic Marathon, which is arguably the most competitive distance running event in the world, despite having even fewer entrants than Western States.

To answer your question though, I don't know of any ultra guys that have made an Olympic team, nor do I know of any Olympic guys who have placed high in a major ultra.

He also apparently thinks that running up a mountain, regardless of grade, is the same as running on a track. But, I think it's an obvious troll so don't get worked up, he's being idiotic on purpose.

Meh, no thanks wrote:

8:30 mile pace isn't running.

Neither is a 3:50 1500m for an Olympic final.

The son of the ghost of Ultras past wrote:

The ghost of Ultras past wrote:

Call me when he breaks Matt Carpenter’s course record at Pike’s Peak

Call me when he breaks Matt Carpenter’s course record at Leadville

I dont think anyone ever will. Matt Carpenter did that in dad shoes and cotton clothes

My point is that the talent pool that competes in ultras is extremely shallow. There is no way you can put a Jornet or a Walmsley on the level of a Kipchoge, a Rupp, a Farah, etc. It is not even close in terms of quality or quantity of competitors. The best Walmsley ever did as a collegian was 38th fastest steeple chase runner in the US in 2012. To claim he is better than the 37 other steeplers who ran faster than him that year, let alone all of the 1500 runners, 5000 runners, 10000 runners, etc. is foolish. I will amend my earlier statement of 50 and revise to hundreds of collegians that graduate from the NCAA each year are capable of doing what he is doing at ultras, they just choose to do something more productive with their time / life.

Magda Boulet