Love CJ but man, it would be nice to see an American runner come through who can get it done on a fast day. It feels like for years we've had these guys who tough it out for gritty 2:09-2:10 runs in New York and Boston, but put them on Chicago or Berlin and they'll run the same time. Great run for him but just really frustrating we can't seem to compete unless you add a significant mental component.
Boston is net downhill and they had a slight tailwind. If run correctly and on a favorable weather year like this year where you don't have a headwind you can run fast, which is why a lot of Americans have PRs at Boston, CJ is yet another top American with a PR from Boston. Emma Bates also has a Boston PR. Nearly half of top Americans have Boston PRs.
Agree with everything but the word slight. They had a 15-20 mph tailwind out there.
Bill Rodgers ran 2:09:55 in 1975 in what basically were slippers [49 years ago]; with 5 stops; 4 for drinks & one to tie his nykie flats. No garmin, No Strava; No Gels/Goo; probably No GaterAid...
Love CJ but man, it would be nice to see an American runner come through who can get it done on a fast day. It feels like for years we've had these guys who tough it out for gritty 2:09-2:10 runs in New York and Boston, but put them on Chicago or Berlin and they'll run the same time. Great run for him but just really frustrating we can't seem to compete unless you add a significant mental component.
I hear this but I feel like those guys run Boston/NYC every year & then the 1 year they do Chicago they get a warm weather day. It's not like top Americans, in their prime, run Berlin/London half a dozen years in a row. We would see some faster times for sure if our majors were better set up for fast running. Boston/NYC tough courses with late starts. Chicago is fast but doesn't have predictable weather. Not a lot of money in distance running. A top domestic pro can piece together a living by going to the domestic majors. If they went to Amsterdam/Rotterdam in a year they wouldn't get the same appearance fees & wouldn't have the same value to their sponsors.
Despite the 2:09-2:10 runs, we've still done well at the Olympics. Mantz & Young can clearly run 2:07 or faster (Mantz already has), after their 2:09s in the heat. Mantz is the rare example where he has done Chicago is consecutive years & was rewarded with a 2:08 & a 2:07. Then there's a 2:10 Boston sandwiched in between. Same sort of effort but different time. Fauble is an example that fits. Multiple 2:09s & a 2:08-high @ Boston. He runs faster if you pull him from one of those races & put him on a faster course. He was a DNF @ Berlin this past fall. That was his first fast marathon attempt since maybe his debut in Frankfurt, where he was just warming up to the distance. He's starting to get towards the end of his career & might never take full fitness to a fast course on a fast day. Obviously he could've run faster than his Boston PBs.
Boston is net downhill and they had a slight tailwind. If run correctly and on a favorable weather year like this year where you don't have a headwind you can run fast, which is why a lot of Americans have PRs at Boston, CJ is yet another top American with a PR from Boston. Emma Bates also has a Boston PR. Nearly half of top Americans have Boston PRs.
Agree with everything but the word slight. They had a 15-20 mph tailwind out there.
Bill Rodgers ran 2:09:55 in 1975 in what basically were slippers [49 years ago]; with 5 stops; 4 for drinks & one to tie his nykie flats. No garmin, No Strava; No Gels/Goo; probably No GaterAid...
And his diet consisted of hot dogs and mayonnaise by the spoonful.
Bill Rodgers ran 2:09:55 in 1975 in what basically were slippers [49 years ago]; with 5 stops; 4 for drinks & one to tie his nykie flats. No garmin, No Strava; No Gels/Goo; probably No GaterAid...
This... it is dumb for people to be in awe of how fast the Japanese are running these days. They've simply progressed along with everyone else and the US has stayed behind barely running the same fast times as 50 years ago.
Let me put this out there... the US has strong and deep marathon talent, but they are busy fkn around on the track chasing talented middle distance runners. Our distance runners don't realize early enough that most of them won't be world class on the track, and don't move on to the roads fast enough. By your early 20s you know what you are made of and if you haven't produced fast enough results in 1500/5000 you gotta move up.
Let me put this out there... the US has strong and deep marathon talent, but they are busy fkn around on the track chasing talented middle distance runners. Our distance runners don't realize early enough that most of them won't be world class on the track, and don't move on to the roads fast enough. By your early 20s you know what you are made of and if you haven't produced fast enough results in 1500/5000 you gotta move up.
Joe Klecker should move up next year. And maybe even Nico by 2028. More and more Africans have gone to the marathon early and showed they can do it very well. Kiptum was like 22 setting the world record. Too many of our top runners wait until they're 28-30 and declining on the track and go to the marathon almost as their soft retirement. Same with the women's side, Molly Huddle never crushed the marathon because she moved up when she was already starting to decline on the track. At 24 years isn't too young to go to marathon. Mantz is showing why it's a good move. He could linger on the track and be the 5th best 10,000m runner, but instead he's our best marathoner at the moment. But someone like Klecker or Nico could probably be a little faster and run 2:06, maybe even 2:05. Not many countries have a 2:05 guy.
Bill Rodgers ran 2:09:55 in 1975 in what basically were slippers [49 years ago]; with 5 stops; 4 for drinks & one to tie his nykie flats. No garmin, No Strava; No Gels/Goo; probably No GaterAid...
This... it is dumb for people to be in awe of how fast the Japanese are running these days. They've simply progressed along with everyone else and the US has stayed behind barely running the same fast times as 50 years ago.
Correct.
We haven't progressed with today's women 2:11:53 WR. How can you be a 2:10-2:11 USA guy knowing there is a Kenyan/Ethiopian women 400m behind ya and closing on a flat Berlin\Chicago type course.
At Boston Obiri closing last 4 miles were 4:55 ave.Basically a training run for her.
By the time Grant moves up to the thon there will be a ton of guys running 2:02 to 2:03 flat. He'll be a 2:04 guy still looking in from the outside.
Yes, I suck. Knew a long time a go to get a real job and enjoy winning my local turkey trot under 16....gobble....gobble. Plus I make $300k and have a semi-super model wife ;)
Let me put this out there... the US has strong and deep marathon talent, but they are busy fkn around on the track chasing talented middle distance runners. Our distance runners don't realize early enough that most of them won't be world class on the track, and don't move on to the roads fast enough. By your early 20s you know what you are made of and if you haven't produced fast enough results in 1500/5000 you gotta move up.
I agree with this. We have too many runners who are going nowhere in the 5000 and 10,000 who rarely race and pass up cross-country because they're pointing for the trials, and they're losing their chance to be great at the marathon.
We also need more high schoolers running more miles and then in college- or no running NCAA in college but training for marathons while they go to school.
This... it is dumb for people to be in awe of how fast the Japanese are running these days. They've simply progressed along with everyone else and the US has stayed behind barely running the same fast times as 50 years ago.
Correct.
We haven't progressed with today's women 2:11:53 WR. How can you be a 2:10-2:11 USA guy knowing there is a Kenyan/Ethiopian women 400m behind ya and closing on a flat Berlin\Chicago type course.
At Boston Obiri closing last 4 miles were 4:55 ave.Basically a training run for her.
By the time Grant moves up to the thon there will be a ton of guys running 2:02 to 2:03 flat. He'll be a 2:04 guy still looking in from the outside.
Yes, I suck. Knew a long time a go to get a real job and enjoy winning my local turkey trot under 16....gobble....gobble. Plus I make $300k and have a semi-super model wife ;)
Downvoted for those last few sentences, you made good points in everything else
I hear this but I feel like those guys run Boston/NYC every year & then the 1 year they do Chicago they get a warm weather day. It's not like top Americans, in their prime, run Berlin/London half a dozen years in a row. We would see some faster times for sure if our majors were better set up for fast running. Boston/NYC tough courses with late starts. Chicago is fast but doesn't have predictable weather. Not a lot of money in distance running. A top domestic pro can piece together a living by going to the domestic majors. If they went to Amsterdam/Rotterdam in a year they wouldn't get the same appearance fees & wouldn't have the same value to their sponsors.
. . .
Fauble is an example that fits. Multiple 2:09s & a 2:08-high @ Boston. He runs faster if you pull him from one of those races & put him on a faster course. He was a DNF @ Berlin this past fall. That was his first fast marathon attempt since maybe his debut in Frankfurt, where he was just warming up to the distance. He's starting to get towards the end of his career & might never take full fitness to a fast course on a fast day. Obviously he could've run faster than his Boston PBs.
Fauble's "exception that proves the rule" is that his "official" PR is 2:09:42 from the December 2020 Marathon Project run in Hoka's early attempt at a super shoe. I think that is his only finish on an official, fast course since his debut at Frankfurt nearly seven years ago in 2017.
Fauble's "exception that proves the rule" is that his "official" PR is 2:09:42 from the December 2020 Marathon Project run in Hoka's early attempt at a super shoe. I think that is his only finish on an official, fast course since his debut at Frankfurt nearly seven years ago in 2017.
Yeah, I mean realistically right now the top 3 guys at Trials all have 2:08-flat or better PBs. Not at their limit likely, but respectable. It seems coincidental that the second tier guys outside of Chelanga have misleadingly slow PBs (Kibet, CJ, Nathan Martin, Zach Panning) with better performances on slower courses. But all hopefully drop big chunks of time if they run a fast fall/winter marathon.