Colby Alexander 3:33!!!!

Thoughts HATER wrote:

I agree, good for Colby. Basically the fastest time in the US this year. Lots of races run on US soil this year, of all different kinds. Time trials, rabbited small meets, championships, etc. Only two guys threw down a faster time thank Colby. That says something at least...

Of course letsrun thinks you're trash regardless of what you throw down. The verdict on here is that Cento is just lucky and the field handed him the 2016 gold medal by mistake. Letsrun is the only place in the world you can win a gold medal and be trashed for it.

Yes…Colby ran the 7th fastest 1500 EVER on American soil. The 5th fastest EVER for an American. That’s faster than almost everybody in U.S. history ran on U.S. soul. That’s a lot of quality 1500’s run by a lot of quality milers.

Top 4 American’s on US soil…….. Colby missed Jager’s soil record by 6 tenths. He was only 5 tenths behind Ryun’s former WR (really less as Ryun’s time was hand timed), he was even closer to Centro and Engels (1/1000 off). Lagat ran a 3:32.94, but I think he ran it representing Kenya.

Time trial or not, track is first and foremost all about who gets from “here to there” the fastest. “What was your time?” has been uttered millions of times more than “Did you ever make an Olympic team?”.

Thoughts HATER wrote:

I agree, good for Colby. Basically the fastest time in the US this year. Lots of races run on US soil this year, of all different kinds. Time trials, rabbited small meets, championships, etc. Only two guys threw down a faster time thank Colby. That says something at least...

Hoping he gets a lane at Pre Classic. That one could be loaded and very fast.

Most relaxed looking runner out there. I’ve never seen a 1:52 first half look like a Sunday jog before.

Mmmmmmm.......soil

shea it aint so wrote:

Here is the thing- you cannot say “Hocker is a 3:32 guy” because he technically hasn’t run it.

However, you shouldn’t get an argument from any knowledgeable fan if you said “Hocker is probably in 3:32 shape based on back to back massive negative split 3:35s in championship races.”

If people fight you on that, know that they probably have an Android and keep it moving.

I’ve given up dealing with these people and am just excited to see another young American stud.

This is precisely the place where everyone needs to be. He's a 3:35 guy who looks like he can probably go faster but hasn't yet managed it. I tend to think he'll get there, though it is a concern that he could never pull out the OQT to remove all doubt about his place on the team and the need to fall back on rankings (remember, he needed the final to go sub-3:40 to gain enough ranking points to qualify and that isn't a given). Nuguse just went out and soloed it.

But people posting on here and stating as a fact Hocker's a 3:30-3:32 guy is just fanboy fantasising

Is Colby now the favorite for the Guardian Mile in two weeks? What is the US soil record?

Fantasizing would be 3:25. But any coach can watch an athlete and know how fast they can race even if they haven't done it yet. Hocker can race 3:30. HE probably won't hit that until next June in a paced race though.

What does Hocker's coach say he is capable of running?

High hopes wrote:

This is precisely the place where everyone needs to be. He's a 3:35 guy who looks like he can probably go faster but hasn't yet managed it. I tend to think he'll get there, though it is a concern that he could never pull out the OQT to remove all doubt about his place on the team and the need to fall back on rankings (remember, he needed the final to go sub-3:40 to gain enough ranking points to qualify and that isn't a given). Nuguse just went out and soloed it.

But people posting on here and stating as a fact Hocker's a 3:30-3:32 guy is just fanboy fantasising

Well said. Thank you.

Tastes Like Chicken wrote:

High hopes wrote:

This is precisely the place where everyone needs to be. He's a 3:35 guy who looks like he can probably go faster but hasn't yet managed it. I tend to think he'll get there, though it is a concern that he could never pull out the OQT to remove all doubt about his place on the team and the need to fall back on rankings (remember, he needed the final to go sub-3:40 to gain enough ranking points to qualify and that isn't a given). Nuguse just went out and soloed it.

But people posting on here and stating as a fact Hocker's a 3:30-3:32 guy is just fanboy fantasising

Well said. Thank you.

Hasn't managed it? Kind of implies he tried and failed. He hasn't done it, but really hasn't tried either. Hasn't been in a race that fast.

Run the Land wrote:

Is Colby now the favorite for the Guardian Mile in two weeks? What is the US soil record?

Just looked at their Instagram post regarding the elite fields and I’d say he’s one of them. Gregorek, Prakel, Ciattei, . One of those will more than likely win. Three Olympic Trials 1500 finalists and the other guy a 3:49 miler who ranked #1 in the US a couple years ago. Not sure what the US soil record is, but the Ohio soil record is. 3:56 and change from Spain’s Jose Abascal from the 80’s (indoors).

FastTuohy wrote:

Tastes Like Chicken wrote:

Well said. Thank you.

Hasn't managed it? Kind of implies he tried and failed. He hasn't done it, but really hasn't tried either. Hasn't been in a race that fast.

I may be wrong, but I will place good money that he has tried to run sub-3:35 several times. It may not have been his primary goal in those races, but I'm sure it was a secondary aim. Also, if he's capable of significantly faster than 3:35, he should be able to make the race that fast himself. As I said, Nuguse wasn't in a sub-3:35 race, he just went out and made it one himself

underdog. wrote:

Run the Land wrote:

Is Colby now the favorite for the Guardian Mile in two weeks? What is the US soil record?

Just looked at their Instagram post regarding the elite fields and I’d say he’s one of them. Gregorek, Prakel, Ciattei, . One of those will more than likely win. Three Olympic Trials 1500 finalists and the other guy a 3:49 miler who ranked #1 in the US a couple years ago. Not sure what the US soil record is, but the Ohio soil record is. 3:56 and change from Spain’s Jose Abascal from the 80’s (indoors).

Colby got beat by Vince Ciaetti last week at the Liberty Mile in Pittsburgh, but it was a slow paced, sit and kick. Both runners beat Engels. They all appeared to cross the line within tenths of each other. If it’s a fast pace at Guardian, Colby should win. If it’s a slow pace, it’s anybody’s game.

THOUGHTSLEADER wrote:

underdog. wrote:

Back to the original topic…Colby’s time is the 7th fastest time EVER RUN on US soil. Only 6 tenths from the fastest. Only 5 Americans ahead of him, and only by tenths,. They are Jager, Ryun, Centro, and Engels (by 1/100). Lagat ran 3:32.94 but may have been running for Kenya then.

Whether Colby is this or that or the other remains your opinion…what is fact is, he just nailed a great race.

He did, and the way he held on is impressive. Even with a pacer, going out slightly faster than goal pace for the first 600+ isn't easy to just hold onto without any major slippage (like a 29-30 second 200 in there).

Alexander, Colby Empire Elite 3:33.65

42.141 (42.141) 1:38.786 (56.645) 2:36.361 (57.576) 3:33.650 (57.289)

I just watched the Ed Murphy mile. Many US elites were in it, hoping for a very fast time. Wynn, Prakel, Avila, Ciattei, Thompson, and more. But as THOUGHTSLEADER wrote about Alexander’s 3:33, “it’s not easy to hang on without any slippage” in the pace. Alexander hit 42 at the 300, then hit a 56. That’s not easy to do. Then hit back to back 57’s. And he ran the last 700 all alone…THAT, was a great race.

There have been oodles of “time trial” races over the decades in America. Only 6 or 7 times, in history, has a runner gone as fast as Colby Alexander on our soil…..Sh*t, Roger MF Bannister ran a “time trial” race to break the barrier. He had not one, but two rabbits, and he ran the rail the whole time. No one mentions “time trial” when talking about that race. Ever.

Webb time trialed his AR mile. Centro time trialed his 3:49 a few weeks ago. It’s part of our sport and always has been. Kipchoge’s sub 2 was time trialed. The runner still has to propel his body over the distance on his own two legs, over the entire distance. Just because a time trial result doesn’t come in a tactical championship race does not lessen it’s impact. In championships, the goal is to win. In time trials, the goal is to run fast. Two different things. Both difficult.

Murphey Mile was a little disappointing. I don’t think the rabbit did his job, as opposed to the guy in the 333. Craig Nowak is really good at pacing and even though he only went 800 in that 333, he nailed it. I think he went dead even, hitting 800 around 153. You just never see that kind of 800 split on this side of the pond. In DL races, yes. But not in the U.S. And in the rare occurrence you do, no one has the balls to go with it.