HOBBS MF KESSLER breaks NCAA record!! Wait, he's in HS. 3:34.36!!!!

I can't say enough good about Kessler's fantastic performance.

But I am reminded that Herb Eliiott at age 22 ran 3:35 on a slow clay track (clearly slow by today's standards) over sixty years ago (!!!) with what would be considered low grade shoes today.

This isn't a knock on Kessler or frankly any of the great young runners out there today. But it does put in his excellent performance in perspective, although again, in no way a negative one.

By the way, Kessler's smooth form reminds me of Michel Jazy, a 3:53 miler on an old time cinder type track surface, but I think Kessler is far stronger than athletes of that era. So just a rare talent.

I am of two minds about going pro, with Alan Webb being from my neighborhood and having seen him go pro. The money makes sense from a financial perspective, but Kessler is from, like Alan Webb, an excellent suburban high school where going to college is ingrained from young age. This of course doesn't mean that college is always the right choice, but being in a supportive peer group (and the NCCA system has its downsides) and simply having college fun does keep pressures in check. If track and field had the same financial incentives as soccer (at the same rarified talent level), the the decision would be far easier. In any event, I hope Kessler does well no matter what direction he goes.

alien wrote:

cramister wrote:

Either way this might be the most impressive high school record in the books

Mondo Duplantis 19'10 pole vault

____________

Nope. Michael Carter's shot put mark of 81' 3 1/4" from 1979. Period. 42 year-old record and no one even close to touching it.

Remember when America's Gold Medalist ran 3:35 in superspikes and LRC pronounced him dominant, silencer of all critics, and the world's foremost timer of peaks?

The alpha Special wrote:

^ wrote:

This Hobbs is imho very very good ...!

The kid just ran on a great track and superspikes the equivalent of ~ 3:51.5 mile... being towed around the track, using other athletes as targets and pacing; finished 5th, (as did A. Webb)

Now on the other hand; Ryun racing on ash or dirt; with the adidas of 1966 ... ; Ryun ran in front and ran alone and obviously finishing first.; running an actual 3:51.3 mile @ 19yo.

Ryun set the WR twice 3:51:3 (1966) & 3:51.1 (1967) on ash/dirt & 19/20yo.

Here’s another great fact and challenge , Ryun ran solo gun to tape at his Kanas State Meet 3:58.3, the only HS boy to accomplish this in 1965 ... again on dirt.

Hobbs and Webb great; Ryun otherworldly.

And now Jim Ryun is COVID denying conspiracy radical right wing theorist! Yayyyy!

Better than the alternative. Quit the shoe bs and even more importantly, the hate on other humans.

fatttty wrote:

bjergsoe1 wrote:

everyone that claims this is only because of the shoes are also saying that every collegiate runner including cole and teare sucks then.

oh well......

It isn't ONLY because of the shoes. But let's be real.

In the first full track season since they have come out

We have had:

Indoor ncaa 1500m record

Outdoor ncaa 1500 record

Indoor ncaa mile record

Indoor hs mile record

Outdoor hs mile record

And I feel like we can almost bet on another record at the ncaa championships

You would think if the shoes are so effective that they would produce records in all the other events as well, not just the mile/1500. Maybe, and hear me out, there are just a lot of great milers this year.

The guys who ran the indoor 1500 and mile records ran 3:58 and 4:00 in high school, respectively (before the cheater spikes were released), so it's not exactly a stretch that they would be running really well in college. Nuguse has been on the upswing well before the spikes. Hobbs came out of nowhere, but is a likely just a super-talent as nobody is even close to his level in hs. So it's not the spikes, they just all happen to be running really well at the same time.

Chef Gordon Ramzi wrote:

It's the shoes it's the shoes it's the shoes.

He bounced his way to 3:34.

and also the other naysayer 'Itstheshoes'

I generally don't like to encourage trolls, but in this case I will make and exception.

Let's get something straight here, Chef. It was not the shoes. It was Hobbs Kessler. A very very talented hardworking young man who happens to have some the best coaching and training partners in the country.

And about his shoes? He was wearing Dragonflys (Mango edition). BTW yes, I am OAF but still have a pair and used them last week in a 3K. So I know from where I speak.

There is NO carbon in the plate. And almost all other MD spikes have plates. There is a thin layer of Zoom foam. I think the real advantage here is that the are super light.

But so what? Maybe, just maybe the Zoom foam was worth .5 - 1.0 seconds over the course of a 1500. The rest? All Hobbs, a young man way mature beyond his years.

This is a race to be celebrated. Don't be a Grinch or a Dumb A$$

hokey wrote:

100% guarantee you that like Webb and the Ingebrigstens and Solinski this Hobbs kid is a doper and will recede in the WC and Olympics where testing is most rigorous.

He will go to college and struggle to replicate his untested HS times and then as a pro even more so except in the diamond league where + tests are covered up.

You gotta be a clown to say this with zero evidence.

Simple Runner wrote:

alien wrote:

Mondo Duplantis 19'10 pole vault

____________

Nope. Michael Carter's shot put mark of 81' 3 1/4" from 1979. Period. 42 year-old record and no one even close to touching it.

+1

Larry Dickman wrote:

The morons who run Let's Run never cease to blow. High school kid breaks Jim Ryun's ancient U20 1500 record, and their first article is "why Kessler's time is not as impressive as all these SLOWER times."

https://www.letsrun.com/news/2021/05/hobbs-kessler-ran-amazing-but/

Just stunningly ill-conceived.

Their coverage of the first moon landing would be, "Yeah, they landed on the moon, BUT . . . ."

Completely agree. What a horrible article. Every lame azz excuse in the book.

It's worth mentioning that Griswold Stadium is a fast facility:

* On a hill in the forest = no wind, track is partially under shade

* Sea level

* Responsive track surface

* PNW Summer = never too hot or cold, no humidity

cramister wrote:

Engels ran 3:33 had run around there previously

Kid who is trained by one of the best coaches ever and trains with pros and acts like one runs this fast

If Webb got to train with Ferlic and Willis from ages 17-18 I think he would’ve ran 3:33-3:34

Webb literally could have trained with willis if he had stayed at Michigan. Webb also got to train with Nate Brannon (sub 4 HS, 3:34 pro) and Kevin Sullivan (3:39 HS and 3:31 pro).

Webb only had 1 intensity level: f*$%ing hard!

He ended up injured because his body couldn't keep up with his mind. He also had some very questionable race tactics at some big pro meets.

jonesy22 wrote:

Larry Dickman wrote:

The morons who run Let's Run never cease to blow. High school kid breaks Jim Ryun's ancient U20 1500 record, and their first article is "why Kessler's time is not as impressive as all these SLOWER times."

https://www.letsrun.com/news/2021/05/hobbs-kessler-ran-amazing-but/

Just stunningly ill-conceived.

Their coverage of the first moon landing would be, "Yeah, they landed on the moon, BUT . . . ."

Completely agree. What a horrible article. Every lame azz excuse in the book.

+1

2 things.

1) It is possible that the shoes give 1-1.5 seconds AND this is the best prep performance of all time. The inability to understand that these 2 things can exist on the same plane of existence is strange. The shoe brigade is like any other nut job group who can’t help but steer literally every topic in that direction regardless of how germane it is to the conversation.

2) I think the pro question is heavily contingent on his personality type. Webb always kind of seemed like a bit of a head case and a strange egg. This clearly has played out later in life. Kessler seems to be a bit more even keel and may be able to handle the pressure of being “middle of the road” for a few years despite all the expectations. It definitely helps that he is largely training like a pro already.

de nada wrote:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Opa5XwHJgkE

Commentators = pure embarrassment

highhoppingworm wrote:

2 things.

1) It is possible that the shoes give 1-1.5 seconds AND this is the best prep performance of all time. The inability to understand that these 2 things can exist on the same plane of existence is strange. The shoe brigade is like any other nut job group who can’t help but steer literally every topic in that direction regardless of how germane it is to the conversation.

I'm one of the ones that say boing, boing, boing and agree with rojo on the obvious effects of the new shoes and spikes on time, but I also agree with you that this could very well be still better than Webb's 3:53. So, no, not all of the shoe brigade are nut jobs.

Larry Dickman wrote:

The morons who run Let's Run never cease to blow. High school kid breaks Jim Ryun's ancient U20 1500 record, and their first article is "why Kessler's time is not as impressive as all these SLOWER times."

https://www.letsrun.com/news/2021/05/hobbs-kessler-ran-amazing-but/

Just stunningly ill-conceived.

Their coverage of the first moon landing would be, "Yeah, they landed on the moon, BUT . . . ."

LOL

But really, this place is super disappointing sometimes. Kid breaks an amazing record and they find a bunch of reasons we should be less impressed. They always talk about how this sport is failing. Maybe they're a part of the problem when they can't even appropriately hype up its greatest moments. &, yeah, they released another article but it's full of the shoe stuff after ya'll already hammered that.

NERunner353 wrote:

Larry Dickman wrote:

The morons who run Let's Run never cease to blow. High school kid breaks Jim Ryun's ancient U20 1500 record, and their first article is "why Kessler's time is not as impressive as all these SLOWER times."

https://www.letsrun.com/news/2021/05/hobbs-kessler-ran-amazing-but/

Just stunningly ill-conceived.

Their coverage of the first moon landing would be, "Yeah, they landed on the moon, BUT . . . ."

LOL

But really, this place is super disappointing sometimes. Kid breaks an amazing record and they find a bunch of reasons we should be less impressed. They always talk about how this sport is failing. Maybe they're a part of the problem when they can't even appropriately hype up its greatest moments. &, yeah, they released another article but it's full of the shoe stuff after ya'll already hammered that.

And anytime Rojo gets criticized: “My goodness this is what’s wrong with America today! Cancel culture is out of control!”

Don't forget also his favorite 'why should I be expected to police disinformation? Can't google or Facebook do it? If they can't do it, I surely can't do it'

solomonn wrote:

Don't forget also his favorite 'why should I be expected to police disinformation? Can't google or Facebook do it? If they can't do it, I surely can't do it'

I know right. Except that’s all he does is spend time on these. That would be his job description