Touhy will probably win both races. She shut down her effort to get to the final. Well played. I love her but find her fanboy following to be disturbing. Would love a dark horse to clip her as it’s good for the sport. But she’s beyond the petty disrespect. If she runs the table - good for her.
And as I'm typing this she's telling the ESPN guy she ran a bad race tactically off the line.
What? She was fine at the start. This is a prelim.
But O'Sullivan looked better than her. That's what I was going to say. I was convinced Tuohy would get the double but I think the 1500 is going to be the hard part for her.
After the 10000, I could see Tuohy not winning either event. Kemboi will be a factor. O'Sullivan looks to be able to run over everyone...literally.
And as I'm typing this she's telling the ESPN guy she ran a bad race tactically off the line.
What? She was fine at the start. This is a prelim.
But O'Sullivan looked better than her. That's what I was going to say. I was convinced Tuohy would get the double but I think the 1500 is going to be the hard part for her.
After the 10000, I could see Tuohy not winning either event. Kemboi will be a factor. O'Sullivan looks to be able to run over everyone...literally.
1st break for Tuohy she starts final in position 10 so should not get swallowed up at the start.
I had liked Kemboi for 5000 as well, and still do but now Plourde will be more rested as she did not make 1500 final.
The thing about a 1500 is that it gets crowded and there is contact. Best bet is to run for the front early in the final and avoid the scrum.
It’s also best to run at the very back for most of the race, conserving energy and then making a nice to close to grab your spot as you can see everyone.
Point is, there is no best tactic. Being better than everyone always helps.
But letting it come down to the final 200m is not the best tactic for her. Not every runner is better than their competitors at every thing. They will be better at some things and worse at others. For example she is substantially faster in the 5000m than her teammate Bush, but were she to run a very slow 5000m and let Bush hang around to the last lap, Bush could potentially win in a kick. Here, assuming she is healthy, Tuohy is better than the field at running a fast, steady race and ratcheting down the pace into the 4:05-4:07 range. It is a toss up if she runs in the 4:09 range and lets it come down to the last lap.
10
0
whispers of Valbymania slowly increasing in intensity
I would have thought the semi would go in 4:14 or so. Instead it was a fast heat with a lot of runners going all out. This didn't go according to plan. She had a lot of catching up to do in the middle of the race. Seven of the 12 qualifiers came from her heat and all of the time qualifiers. She should still win against this lot, but she won't get a cheap victory. The 5K is quite problematic if Valby is in good shape and pushes the pace early. Has Valby recovered from her various injuries?
And as I'm typing this she's telling the ESPN guy she ran a bad race tactically off the line.
What? She was fine at the start. This is a prelim.
But O'Sullivan looked better than her. That's what I was going to say. I was convinced Tuohy would get the double but I think the 1500 is going to be the hard part for her.
After the 10000, I could see Tuohy not winning either event. Kemboi will be a factor. O'Sullivan looks to be able to run over everyone...literally.
Yeah she doesn't feel like the favorite anymore after the prelims in my opinion.
Why are the NCAA finals in Austin where it's 85-103 F and not Oregon? Maybe the heat is bothering her? It looked like it killed Nico Young in the 5K. There were too many women in that 1500 m prelim.!! Maybe she got shaken up when the girl next to her tripped? I hope she doesn't go pro. She's just not ready, and hope she runs XC in the fall again.