Gwen Jorgensen Prickly Pear 3k - Um What

"To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift." Gwen had a golden ticket after Rio. She was a golden goddess in Tri. Her 10k and marathon times suggest she could have been a Kona contender for a long time. I don't want to say she would have become Jan Frodeno but she had a chance to do that but she was SCARED of going for it and becoming a LEGEND. She threw it away to be come a C-List runner on a team.

tj wrote:

A bit of respect for one of the most successful American athletes of recent times wouldn't go amiss.

Right, with tri Gold from Rio, why wouldn't she look to IMWC as the next logical step in a competitive career rather than jumping to another sport entirely?

Okay Boomer wrote:

Right, with tri Gold from Rio, why wouldn't she look to IMWC as the next logical step in a competitive career rather than jumping to another sport entirely?

It's not really "another sport entirely," but the logic seems pretty simple to me:

1. She likes running more than triathlon.

2. Running was by far her best discipline.

3. She was, at the time she made the switch, already one of the fastest runners in the country. ANY runner who can run 53-low on this course is good enough to make the team:

.

Not necessarily a lock or a favorite, but definitely in the mix.

Now, here's the thing about untapped potential: You can know that you have it, but you never know how much you have until you try to tap it. A lot of people have been making the (valid) point that triathlon training probably gets you a lot closer to your full potential as a runner than some people realize, especially if you're injury prone. Yet I think everyone has to acknowledge that triathlon training will always leave at least SOME untapped potential in each discipline. So we're talking about a runner who was already solidly in the mix with the best road runners in the country, who clearly had some room for improvement.

Or look at it this way: As between Gwen and people who had been competing on the roads for years, who would you have put your money on to have the biggest PR jumps in the following 18 months. And this is all before she rips an awesome 5k just a hair behind a WC medalist.

LOL trot out all the excessive verbiage and logic contortions, it'll never not look like she was avoiding the challenge and pressure that was right in front of her after Rio to become champion in the same sport on a different level: Kona.

I think she was 31 when she ran that and she will be 35 this summer. Your logic is akin to saying that anyone woman who can run 3:59 in the 1500 can make the team. I guess Regina Jacobs has a solid chance this year. Gwen ran the 19th best time in the 10k by an American last year and she is more than 1 minute behind the best women. I would bet any amount of money that she gets lapped by the the three qualifiers this summer.

I doubt she likes running more. Did Michael Jordan like baseball more than basketball? He got bored with being the best in one sport and was arrogant enough to think that he could dominate in another sport. That is Gwen

run faster at the Locker wrote:

I doubt she likes running more. Did Michael Jordan like baseball more than basketball? He got bored with being the best in one sport and was arrogant enough to think that he could dominate in another sport. That is Gwen

You mean he got suspended from the NBA for gambling and "retired" to save face while Jerry Reinsdorf let him play for the minor league baseball team he also owned

flying Finn wrote:

He signed up for it and volunteered it knowing the consequences, and overall he seems quite happy. It's called love and supporting someone else, realizing the whole universe doesn't rotate around you hobby jogger - give it a try.

Yeah, I'm very sure he realizes the whole world revolved around Gwen, not him. In a marriage, wouldn't she need to show him equal love and support? What's your argument again?

He started serving her 24/7 in 2013.... how many professional athletes need a man servant 24/7? Apparently it's a huge advantage, and, if Gwen is to be believed, we all wish we had a Pat to serve us.

he's the help wrote:

flying Finn wrote:

He signed up for it and volunteered it knowing the consequences, and overall he seems quite happy. It's called love and supporting someone else, realizing the whole universe doesn't rotate around you hobby jogger - give it a try.

Yeah, I'm very sure he realizes the whole world revolved around Gwen, not him. In a marriage, wouldn't she need to show him equal love and support? What's your argument again?

He started serving her 24/7 in 2013.... how many professional athletes need a man servant 24/7? Apparently it's a huge advantage, and, if Gwen is to be believed, we all wish we had a Pat to serve us.

https://sportsworld.nbcsports.com/gwen-jorgensen-triathlon-husband-patrick/

That makes total sense to me when she was a triathlete. He also wanted to do it, which makes even more sense. Now that she's in one location with at team though, it does look a little weird that all of the other runners manage to do everything without a person waiting on them 24/7. She does have a child though, and I'm sure it helps immensely for him to be taking care of Stanley. I also read in past interviews that if she accomplishes a goal she needs a new challenge (in this case running). They might say it publicly, but I can't imagine either one of them think a gold in a running event at the olympics is anywhere near possible right now.

GWENNYTRI wrote:

"To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift."

Gwen had a golden ticket after Rio. She was a golden goddess in Tri. Her 10k and marathon times suggest she could have been a Kona contender for a long time. I don't want to say she would have become Jan Frodeno but she had a chance to do that but she was SCARED of going for it and becoming a LEGEND. She threw it away to be come a C-List runner on a team.

tj wrote:

A bit of respect for one of the most successful American athletes of recent times wouldn't go amiss.

Kona is where old athletes who can't hang in ITU go to die off.

I like how all these people are telling her what to do with her life. I don't understand why people care so much about what people they have never met and don't know should have done with their lives. If you've actually accomplished anything in life, you know it's better to go after something you really want to pursue, perhaps not knowing what you can accomplish, and reaching your limit in that realm rather than doing nothing or sticking with what's comfortable. I imagine they have enough money to be comfortable and take risks.

Also, she clearly didn't like triathlon training, so why the heck would be step up to the half or full Ironman? The triathlon already takes a huge amount of time and that would take even more. Especially if you want to raise a kid or two. There is more to life than run/bike/swim.

Agree we are not seeing a lot of improvement in her times.

I wonder what Jerry an d the rest of the BBabes really think of her. She does seem to be taking up space, time and energy on the team. But maybe the girls believe beating her when you have a bad day provide something positive.

It might have been an interesting marketing idea at first to put a tri gold medalist on the top us womens team and see what she can do. she has tried and it just is not working out. time to move on.

does it really benefit Nike and the rest of the team to have her on there? Most of her media followers would pay attention even if she was not on the team. If the team wants social media documentation pay Pat to do it better (maybe Nike already is doing this).

does it really require the human interest story of someone trying to find success in a new sport as as mom (with a stay at home house husband) to get people to pay attention to a top shoe brand and womens running?

Gwen is running the 10k on Feb 20th at Sound Running's The TEN along with a few other BTC Babes.

Fully expect her to break 32 and set a new pr (under 31:55.68)

She admitted last year that she does not run well immediately after coming down from altitude, so she's leaving Flagstaff in a couple days for Portland to get properly adapted for the race.

That is not close to making a team.

Bower Man wrote:

Gwen is running the 10k on Feb 20th at Sound Running's The TEN along with a few other BTC Babes.

Fully expect her to break 32 and set a new pr (under 31:55.68)

She admitted last year that she does not run well immediately after coming down from altitude, so she's leaving Flagstaff in a couple days for Portland to get properly adapted for the race.

I think you're probably right - she does better the second race after coming down from altitude. I don't think her PR will be good enough though to make her a top contender for the olympic team. I also don't think it will make her a contender to win the race. If she can't win races or make the olympic team then it's kind of just like having a full time pacer or something on the team. I could be wrong though, maybe she'll make us eat our words and she'll end up making the team this summer.

Also add Weini Kelati and Elise Cranny.

keyboardcowboy wrote:

runner152 wrote:

the favorites for 10k are basically molly huddle/emily sisson/steph bruce/kellyn taylor/marielle hall/ emily infeld/ and rachel schneider. you could say shelby houlihan but she still has quite a few years before she moves up to the 10k

Add Sara Hall in there

D'amato

The hang-up that creates the outcry from the Letsrun community is the claims that were made upon her transition to running and the hype that surrounded it all. She indulged in it and seriously thought she'd become a world-beater in no time. That clearly hasn't happened and LRC is not going to forget.

This post ^^ is spot on. It's the arrogance that comes with thinking you'll get a gold medal in the marathon, and then a gold medal at either the 5k or 10k without every having actually been a professional runner. The lack of humility rubs people wrong.