US distance running is not as good as you think

It isn't that the Americans are bad, it is that athletes born in East Africa are consistently beating everyone.

How many countries have better athletes than the US?

Ethiopia

Uganda

Kenya

sometimes Britain or Canada

so still top 10 in the world

What do morons on here want, only 3 countries to line up at championships?

Oh ok come on back during indoor when Kincaid and Klecker each ran that fast 3k at BU you Americans were lighting up this board how Kincaid would medal at Worlds. Even on the NBC broadcast today Goucher was going on about the great kick he has.

Yes but compare those 3 countries with the resources, money, technology, amenities and coaching experts available to US athletes year round. You simply cant compare.

Its exactly like the OP said. US distance runners are too scared to compete on the world stage in events that would make them better. When was the last time you saw a top US running in any European XC classic? How many duck the Diamond Leagues. Don't blame coaches or management, you can't get better if your only competition is local.

Hats off to Bob Kennedy, he would go out there and kick ass (win or lose) and thats how he got better.

It is even funnier that you think this is a sport and not chemistry experiment. Hard to beat the EA doping machine. Poison for peanuts while the governments turn a blind eye. The US does not even have the wink and nod that the British athletes get after Britain decided to emulate Spain from the 1990s and went down the Sky rabbit hole.

Such a lame post, how is running a European XC race at all relevant? Plenty of our athletes are running on the DL circuit (Including our 10,000 squad) and they still got beat today, they just aren't as good as the Africans.

Some of you just like to complain about everything. Running a European XC race would not have helped Joe Klecker in the slightest today

Actually US distance running is just as good as I think it is. Not as good as Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda, but better than just about every other country. In the 10,000m this weekend at these world championships, Team USA placed three women in the top 14 and three men in the top 20. Kenya is the only other country that did the same.

Japan wipe the floor with America

DON’T SLEEP ON KENNY ROOKS AND THE GOOSE!!! (Cole hocker next year after a full cycle of training under his belt).

Fisher - one of the all time greats of 5-10 and America does not have a medal threat. Dumbest thing I heard in a long time

How do you know how good I think it is?

Just yesterday, I ran a neighborhood 5k and waved enthusiastically to the cheering crowd as I finished. That's how good I think it is.

I will say regarding the women's 1500 the US did clearly underachieve. They are never going to compete with the low-rent, culture of cheating, doping to the gills with smile on their face East Africans. But the comparison that should be made is with Great Britain. Now to be clear the British athletes are doping also. Been that way since the British govt green lighted doping in the 2010s. You absolutely have to assume that every British athlete is dirty. But if the US is not going to embrace Lance Armstrong or Shelby Houlihan levels of doping like Kenya and Ethiopia, they should at least try to emulate the British and aspire to put more than one athlete in the WC finals.

But compare the US to countries with resources, money, etc., that are similar to its own. Only France and maybe the country that "BRN" is the abreviation for had someone ahead of Kincaid. I think a case can be made for the US having the best distance running on earth outside of Africa. Japan would be my other candidate.

I do agree with you that many people, especially here at LR, get way too excited about times run at BU etc. and that it would be better for US runners to run a lot more international races than they normally do. But that can be easier said than done. Most US guys make their living from running and would make very little of it by racing in Europe. It might even cost them money. A lot of them probably can't even get into DL meets, though I have to think Nike and USATF could pull some strings there.

And I love cross country and really wish our best people would run in European meets. But would that translate to really improved track placings? Garret Heath won a couple big ones in Edinburgh but I don't believe you could see what effect that had on his track results.

US distance running is as good as I think it is but it’s not as good as I’d like it to be.

We're going through a little bit of a lull right now in between the group we had in 2016 when we had men medal in the 800, 1500, 5000, Steeple, and Marathon and the group that is in high school/just graduating high school which has the potential to be the best era of American distance running in a long time, if not ever.

you made this same post multiple times

Do they duck the DL? That's a blatant falsehood

Actually Japan is a bigger mediocrity factory than the US.

Who's this Burt Coburn I'm hearing so much about?

Sounds like a good runner.