Statements like that when people go pro are statements that I don't understand How do we know he or Cain would have been any better if they went to college? They at least got paid.
Dude got a minimum of $2.5 million. 10 years 250k per year.
Guarantee he’d trade $2M of it to have been the 12:53 guy tonight.
You are correct. He most likely would have had more injuries which would have made his progress worse than it has been. He seems happy and he is run some good times. Not everyone runs 12:53.
Honestly it would be a good read if J. Gault did an article on this. EVERYONE was on the hunter fan train after their high school duals, and for good reason. Hunter looked superior it about every way. Hunter got what was probably the largest ever pro contract ever at the time and Fischer went NCAA. For a time no big surprises were seen. Hunter continued to be great making worlds while Fischer had what was a rather bland NCAA time. Didn’t do terrible by any means but didn’t have any super star moments and if memory serves right never won a championship…(although I might be wrong as I’m not looking it up). However once he turned pro it’s been quite the turn. Hunter has struggled to stay healthy and grant is now an Olympian who has made an Olympic final and now the American record holder in the indoor 5k. Hunter has recently showed some evidence of his former self but at this point it would take incredible comeback for Hunter to end up with a superior career by the time they retire. Anyway I hope Hunter makes it competitive cause I love a good rivalry.
btw: to disclose biases I too was the Hunter train back in the day but also enjoy any American doing well.
It isn't a tradeoff. You don't seem to understand that the money didn't make him slower. Some of you can't seem to get over the fact that he made a very wise decision.
It isn't a tradeoff. You don't seem to understand that the money didn't make him slower. Some of you can't seem to get over the fact that he made a very wise decision.
LOL- ok.
The point, of course, is that if Drew is a true competitor- which I believe he is- he wouldn’t even want you defending his decision. Because it doesn’t matter. He’s doing it to be the 12:53 guy right now. If “well, at least I was rewarded for how I ran in high school” even slips into his mind for a second… well… the fire is gone.
Honestly it would be a good read if J. Gault did an article on this. EVERYONE was on the hunter fan train after their high school duals, and for good reason. Hunter looked superior it about every way. Hunter got what was probably the largest ever pro contract ever at the time and Fischer went NCAA. For a time no big surprises were seen. Hunter continued to be great making worlds while Fischer had what was a rather bland NCAA time. Didn’t do terrible by any means but didn’t have any super star moments and if memory serves right never won a championship…(although I might be wrong as I’m not looking it up). However once he turned pro it’s been quite the turn. Hunter has struggled to stay healthy and grant is now an Olympian who has made an Olympic final and now the American record holder in the indoor 5k. Hunter has recently showed some evidence of his former self but at this point it would take incredible comeback for Hunter to end up with a superior career by the time they retire. Anyway I hope Hunter makes it competitive cause I love a good rivalry.
btw: to disclose biases I too was the Hunter train back in the day but also enjoy any American doing well.
Here's why I was always on the Fisher train vs Hunter:
Many high school phenoms just develop early, or are actually older than their competition. Grant in high school never looked that developed, he looked like an average high schooler, yet he still dominated. Hunter on the other hand always looked very mature for his age, and in fact, he is only ~4 months younger than Fisher. If Hunter were born a couple weeks earlier, he would have graduated in the same class as Fisher. He wouldn't have won footlocker, he wouldn't have broken 4 in the mile, etc.
Then I knew that Fisher made a good choice going to the NCAA, because he got to actually compete for championships, and wasn't forced to noodle around for 3-4 years as a mediocre pro like Hunter. Racing against guys like Morgan McDonald regularly definitely made him a better racer. What's worse, Hunter's training group was so unstructured and weak. Yeah the Tinman guys have gotten a bit faster over the years, but when they started they certainly could not push Drew at all. Hunter basically seemed to regress to the average of the Tinman group. That's not what you want.
I actually blame Adidas for basically giving Drew no other option (who can turn down that much money?) than to go pro and for not giving him some sort of structured training/coaching environment. They basically gave a high schooler a bag of cash and said "here you guy, now go be a professional runner!". Crazy
Ah thanks. I wasn’t sure. So a bit of a better NCAA than was in my head. Idk which is better NCAA champion or worlds team? I feel worlds team is tougher but I’m sure some would disagree.
Yea I think that all makes sense and logical points. Especially the pet of him have no one to push him and little to no structure that Fischer probably got.
Ah thanks. I wasn’t sure. So a bit of a better NCAA than was in my head. Idk which is better NCAA champion or worlds team? I feel worlds team is tougher but I’m sure some would disagree.
He made that team finishing 5th at nats in a very weak year. Only made the team because two of the guys ahead of him didn’t have the standard.
Yea I think that all makes sense and logical points. Especially the pet of him have no one to push him and little to no structure that Fischer probably got.
Yep. People forget, McGorty was at Stanford for most of Grant's time there. He had good training partners for his transition period. That's what the NCAA is for: an intermediate environment when you're not quite ready to be a pro. Now at BTC he has freaking Moh Ahmed, Marc Scott, freakin Centro, McGorty, Jager, etc, etc, to push him.
Ah thanks. I wasn’t sure. So a bit of a better NCAA than was in my head. Idk which is better NCAA champion or worlds team? I feel worlds team is tougher but I’m sure some would disagree.
He made that team finishing 5th at nats in a very weak year. Only made the team because two of the guys ahead of him didn’t have the standard.
Yes this exactly. That was a very strange set up. Hunter was completely out of the race, two guys didn't have standard for some reason, and there were a bunch of guys missing.
Also people kept crowing about how he won that indoor 2 mile at USAs from the B heat (which was pretty ridiculous that that was allowed, since he had a teammate pace him). So he's technically a National champion....
Many of Hunter's accolades were quite flimsy upon closer inspection. But that's been the narrative around Hunter that I've never quite understood since high school. People seem to inflate his accomplishments.
Ah thanks. I wasn’t sure. So a bit of a better NCAA than was in my head. Idk which is better NCAA champion or worlds team? I feel worlds team is tougher but I’m sure some would disagree.
He made that team finishing 5th at nats in a very weak year. Only made the team because two of the guys ahead of him didn’t have the standard.
I did remember this and actually got watch it live. Tbf he knew ahead of time who he had to beat and who he didn’t as most didn’t have the A standard. So in my mind he only ran as hard as he had to make the team and took no risks he didn’t have to.
He made that team finishing 5th at nats in a very weak year. Only made the team because two of the guys ahead of him didn’t have the standard.
I did remember this and actually got watch it live. Tbf he knew ahead of time who he had to beat and who he didn’t as most didn’t have the A standard. So in my mind he only ran as hard as he had to make the team and took no risks he didn’t have to.
If that was true, it's shameful. It was the US championship final not some meaningless prelim. I personally think Hunter always races all out except when injured and sometimes even then.
Yeah the Tinman guys have gotten a bit faster over the years, but when they started they certainly could not push Drew at all. Hunter basically seemed to regress to the average of the Tinman group. That's not what you want.
I actually blame Adidas for basically giving Drew no other option (who can turn down that much money?) than to go pro and for not giving him some sort of structured training/coaching environment. They basically gave a high schooler a bag of cash and said "here you guy, now go be a professional runner!". Crazy
Hit the nail on the head. Undeniable all these things hold true but I never saw it that way until you posted.
Honestly it would be a good read if J. Gault did an article on this. EVERYONE was on the hunter fan train after their high school duals, and for good reason. Hunter looked superior it about every way. Hunter got what was probably the largest ever pro contract ever at the time and Fischer went NCAA. For a time no big surprises were seen. Hunter continued to be great making worlds while Fischer had what was a rather bland NCAA time. Didn’t do terrible by any means but didn’t have any super star moments and if memory serves right never won a championship…(although I might be wrong as I’m not looking it up). However once he turned pro it’s been quite the turn. Hunter has struggled to stay healthy and grant is now an Olympian who has made an Olympic final and now the American record holder in the indoor 5k. Hunter has recently showed some evidence of his former self but at this point it would take incredible comeback for Hunter to end up with a superior career by the time they retire. Anyway I hope Hunter makes it competitive cause I love a good rivalry.
btw: to disclose biases I too was the Hunter train back in the day but also enjoy any American doing well.
Are you nuts?
Fisher beat Hunter in the dream mile, demolished him at Footlocker. Fisher extended his HS season when he was done having never lost a race indoors, outdoors or XC for two years. Hunter beat him in one race when Fisher was tired after a long season.
Honestly it would be a good read if J. Gault did an article on this. EVERYONE was on the hunter fan train after their high school duals, and for good reason. Hunter looked superior it about every way. Hunter got what was probably the largest ever pro contract ever at the time and Fischer went NCAA. For a time no big surprises were seen. Hunter continued to be great making worlds while Fischer had what was a rather bland NCAA time. Didn’t do terrible by any means but didn’t have any super star moments and if memory serves right never won a championship…(although I might be wrong as I’m not looking it up). However once he turned pro it’s been quite the turn. Hunter has struggled to stay healthy and grant is now an Olympian who has made an Olympic final and now the American record holder in the indoor 5k. Hunter has recently showed some evidence of his former self but at this point it would take incredible comeback for Hunter to end up with a superior career by the time they retire. Anyway I hope Hunter makes it competitive cause I love a good rivalry.
btw: to disclose biases I too was the Hunter train back in the day but also enjoy any American doing well.
Fisher won the NCAA 5k outdoor in 2017
Fisher won multiple PAC 12 titles from 1500m through XC, he won NCAA 5 k, his senior year he won Millrose 3k breaking Galen Rupp’s indoor record, think he was runner up in the NCAA XC, indoor 3k, outdoor 5k to Morgan Macdonald of Australia.