sorry, it's not rags to riches when a multiple time NCAA qualifier and All-American runs well. Doesn't matter that she chose to take some time off from competitive running, the talent was always there.
It is far more inspiring when a unheralded, unimpressive runner improves and becomes competitive at the highest levels.
ATHING MU - double olympic champion.
One of 7 children of South Sudanese immigrant family with very limited income.
That's pretty much the coolest thing that has ever happen in USAs Track & Field.
MeHereYouWhere?! wrote:
Rags to riches, Wejo??
She grew up in Fairfax County, VA. Went to Oakton High School.
This is hardly "rags".
Fairfax County is the 2nd highest per capita and family income in Virginia. Their school system is one of the nation's best and Oakton high school is at top of the high schools in Fairfax County.
Agree she did not grow up as a "rag" when you consider where she grew up. nor was she a 'rag' runner as she was a high school track star and all american in xc and track star in college.
Her income from her successful non-running career is also far from 'rag' level.
That type of background and talent ...doesn't go away. Instead of a rag she is more like a fine tapestry that was in storage for a decade or so.
It is still a cool story
Poon Shooter. wrote:
wejo wrote: Meb winning Boston was pretty cool but it was Meb.
Wtf does THAT mean?
That it didn’t come out of nowhere. Pretty obvious what it meant…
Clearly, Mary Cain is the best story. Spoiled rich kid has amazing success as a teenager. As happens to many teenage girls, she does not keep progressing. Unlike most non-progressors, blames her coach and after getting the media and woke corporate America to buy into her fable, gets her coach banned for life for telling her that her weight was effecting her performance. Then, despite having no elite results for half a decade, not only gets woke corporate America to bankroll her running career, but also gets them to start a pro team around her and to give her the title of CEO.
Mary is true rags-to-riches. Keira D'Amato is just some poor schlub that works hard and doesn't make excuses.
Master Of Lolly wrote:
ATHING MU - double olympic champion.
One of 7 children of South Sudanese immigrant family with very limited income.
That's pretty much the coolest thing that has ever happen in USAs Track & Field.
no sorry a white lady who kind of had a bad time in college is better
aztec the moronic wrote:
sorry, it's not rags to riches when a multiple time NCAA qualifier and All-American runs well. Doesn't matter that she chose to take some time off from competitive running, the talent was always there.
It is far more inspiring when a unheralded, unimpressive runner improves and becomes competitive at the highest levels.
Agreed and it didn’t even really come out of nowhere. Her results weren’t covered as much as the bigger names but she did run 2:22 in 2020 and 2:28 last year. Still a big PR and a surprise but maybe the surprise is mostly because nobody paid attention to her. She’s probably making more as a realtor than should would have on a running contract and being a realtor doesn’t take any time away from training so making it out like some nobody, working a 9-5 ran the AR is misleading
This' is an amazing story. Female runner training in Richmond Virginia and sets the US record...maybe I bias as Im from RVA.
Interesting before this record no stint in altitude just good hard running which she allows everyone to see through STRAVA. Yes she put in some pretty big weeks and when she ran hard it was always impressive.
It's a big deal because she came back to running at an age most pros pack their bags. It's very impressive but from AR standpoint, Deena ran in bare min. Asics flats vs. Keira in super bounce shoes. She has to take another 2 minutes for the times to be comparable.
Just looked up the results. Frank Lara ran 2:11:32 for 6th place. That is not bad at all.
wejo wrote:
I just called Jon Gault with the statement above and he said maybe this decade.To prove me wrong, you must post a better rags to riches story.Dreams do become reality.Meb winning Boston was pretty cool but he was already was an Olympic silver medalist.
truly bonkers posting here wejo.
how about the Eritrea team that won world cross country? shoeless penniless orphan Joseph ebuya rises to world class? gidey takes down multiple world records while her region descends into war? kirani James emerges from extremely tiny island to win Olympics, suffers from horrid illness, comes back years later for another olympic medal? Luvo in the long jump? Yego in the javelin?
this is just...a good runner running a fast time on a fast time. Ffs
Poon Shooter. wrote:
wejo wrote: Meb winning Boston was pretty cool but it was Meb.
Wtf does THAT mean?
White pride
Different sport and just around the turn of the century:
Kurt Warner getting an NFL contract and Super Bowl MVP after years of no contracts and trying out Arena Football. They even made a movie about him.
Moo G wrote:
Just looked up the results. Frank Lara ran 2:11:32 for 6th place. That is not bad at all.
Droody and his partner are waltzing around the room upon seeing this.
I agree we need to look closely at this. What testing is she in? She has the pedigree from 2005/6 but that's a long time away from the top level of the sport to now be American record holder. And I'm sincere I want to believe hut unfortunately this is the world we live in.
wejo wrote:
I just called Jon Gault with the statement above and he said maybe this decade.To prove me wrong, you must post a better rags to riches story.Dreams do become reality.Meb winning Boston was pretty cool but he was already was an Olympic silver medalist.
How incredibly US centric.
and consider this:
Joan Benoit ran 2:21:21 for the marathon MORE THAN THIRTY FIVE YEARS AGO! Is it that hard to believe the American record could improve by merely 2 minutes in that time? Most of you weren't born then. Maybe it's a crime that the American record isn't 2:15 and times of 2:17-2:19 common by now.
its a neat story, but in a roy hobbs kind of way, definitely not rags to riches.
as journalists, lets not get caught up in specific meanings of words though.
if by rags to riches you actually mean something like "us runner coming a long way to beat the odds", recently i like mollys story better because anyone who listened to her eating disorder podcast was probably wondering if we'd hear much from her ever again.
but overall this century (for us runners beating the odds) ill take billy mills.
Would be cool if in 3 years she can break the masters record by Johannes - 2:19.52 If not the AR is certainly in reach. 2:27:47
Idiots - for once I agree with Wejo. "Rags to riches" here means not literally, but going from zero running, complete amateur mother to working her way back into the sport because she loves running, and just took down a strong record. She has always had strength/endurance, but Radzco believed that she never fully realized her speed, and that's what they set out to do and delivered. It doesn't hurt that she runs smartly, holds pace, and never does something stupid ina marathon.
The peds slanders are ridiculous: she gets tested every race. She's an elite and at the top her game. She knows she's there and doesn't need peds, that's one reason her performance is great.