Cruz Culpepper (& Paige Stoner) to HOKA NAZ Elite

nazelite.com

Cruz Culpepper and Paige Stoner Join HOKA NAZ Elite!

NAZ Elite

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http://www.letsrun.com/

Who (and who?)?

Good for him

Cruz Culpepper????????

I guess it pays to have your Dad as the Coach. I bet he never makes a US Team and likely will never hit the OT standard.

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U.S. Marathon Champion Paige Stoner Joins HOKA NAZ Elite, How She Self-Coached Herself To A 2:26 Marathon

CITIUS MAG

00:38:17 - "I want to consistently compete for podium finishes in the U.S. road racing scene. I'll probably still dabble with the track a little bit as well. I…

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Citius Mag Podcast (January 2023)

"I want to consistently compete for podium finishes in the U.S. road racing scene. I'll probably still dabble with the track a little bit as well. I have unfinished business there. My big goals for this year are to be more consistently competitive for titles and also gain confidence going into 2024."2022 USATF marathon champion Paige Stoner has signed a pro contract and joined HOKA NAZ Elite and is training under coach Alan Culpepper in Flagstaff, Arizona. She is coming off a victory at the California International Marathon where she took 51 seconds off the course record with a personal best of 2:26:02. The time puts her at No. 21 on the U.S. all-time list and she is just 26 years old. In this episode, we discuss why she is joining the team, what she’s most excited about and how she took a bet on herself by self-coaching herself for much of last year.

I hope Cruz finds happier as and success, but from The Lap Count’s interview, my main takeaway is this quote from him:

“Then there is the schooling element. At Washington there was no way I was going to graduate – it wasn’t going to happen. And at Ole Miss I was getting a general studies degree. For whatever reason, I just didn’t have it in me to do that.”

Ouch.

I don't like your negativity as it's too much directed at his talent. I have a sightly different take. I think he's a big talent and worthy of a pro contract, but does anyone feel like he missed out? Anyone who was on a college xc team that was tight knows there is nothing like it.

Especially in the modern world where our self-obsession and narcissism continues to grow year by year, there is something special about caring about something bigger than yourself - there is no I in team.

I guess the parents kind of did their own thing themselves as pros and Cruz wasn't into the team thing even in HS but if I was his parents I would have said, "Go be on a college team."

That's why I think Alan was a weird choice for HOKA coach, other than having been a) a great runner and b) knowing the guy in charge of sponsorship for a long time. Are you going for a real team experience? Or just coaching a ton of individuals in the same city?

Yea this is honestly bs… how many guys have run better than him. What exactly did he do to deserve this, nothing. Guys fighting for national titles just to hope to earn a contract

yeah curious to get people's thoughts on this...

Cruz's PR's are:
1:48.50, 3:39.73, 3:57.66, 7:56.93

By comparisons TAS' PR's are:
1:49.12, 3:39.94, 3:59.97, 7:58.08*

I'm obviously not trying to argue that TAS should get a contract, but if Spencer struggled to get interest from a pro team, how much do people feel Cruz's dad factored into this? He's barely a better prospect than Spencer was.

*ran post collegiately

big age difference and potential upside for Cruz. no comparison

One is like 20 while the other is like 25... But yeah dad factored in and I expect this was closer to a here are some shoes deal versus something you can live on.

Called it in September. Daddy got him a golden parachute.

If you want to compare to TAS:

TAS has 70k Youtube subscribers, Cruz has 0.

That is the comparison you need to make for TAS case.

Nepo babies of running have arrived!

i used to think that nepo babies can’t affect athletics because with sports you still have to show true ability unlike with acting where you can fake it.

bob kennedy and dathans daughters are true talents in their own right for example.

but…come on. This? Is tough to get behind.

To be on a college team, you have to maintain academic eligibility. Can't invent aptitude and interest where there is none due to entitlement.

Look college isn't for everyone. Sure.

But if you don't have the dedication/drive to put your head down and get a general studies degree that doesn't bode well for being a pro runner.

Getting a general studies degree isn't a skill issue, it is purely about putting in the work and showing up. And like only 20 hours a week. That is pretty important for being a pro runner.....

I don’t think this will pan out well. At best he’ll knock his times down by a few seconds, at worst he’ll become another Ben Bruce type and pacer for the women. Transferring and practically flunking out of two universities twice is not a good look and doesn’t bode well for long term prospects if the whole pro running gig doesn’t work out.

College isn't for everyone. We shouldn't act like it is. Whether lack of interest or lack of ability, some people just don't see the relevance in a college degree.

A person can be very successful without some BS degree, and college will always be there. You can get a degree later in life, probably a degree in something you actually are good at or care about, or leads to actual employment.