Not travelled to US to wrap up season without distractions. And he does not think he was the underdog as he was well prepared to peak at the Olympics. He is determined to prove that he is neither JK or JW one race wonders. He is here to stay and he is not ready to lose a 1500M this season. Do you believe it?
The general elevation of Lausanne is about 1400 ft higher than Paris. Not that 1700 fr is a high elevation, but Paris resembles Indiana in elevation more than it resembles Lausanne. That difference could come into play.
Not directly, CH plans to focus on the complete season. By refusing to lose unlike JK and JW, he will prove that he is not a one race wonder. As implied by Jacob.
Not travelled to US to wrap up season without distractions. And he does not think he was the underdog as he was well prepared to peak at the Olympics. He is determined to prove that he is neither JK or JW one race wonders. He is here to stay and he is not ready to lose a 1500M this season. Do you believe it?
It doesn’t matter what Hocker says. He’ll go as far as his fitness and talent takes him. If he had said he sucks and doest’t have a chance of winning, he’ll still run just as fast.
It doesn’t matter what Hocker says. He’ll go as far as his fitness and talent takes him. If he had said he sucks and doest’t have a chance of winning, he’ll still run just as fast.
Applies to everyone of them. But when you are in the limelight what you say may just comes back to haunt. One race wonders are a dime a dozen. To be the best 1500M runner in this year? That is for the one. Is he the one?
Not travelled to US to wrap up season without distractions. And he does not think he was the underdog as he was well prepared to peak at the Olympics. He is determined to prove that he is neither JK or JW one race wonders. He is here to stay and he is not ready to lose a 1500M this season. Do you believe it?
Definitely not cocky, but confident. You have to realize the Hocker and Kerr are very different guys. Not to say either way is right or wrong, but Hocker is much closer to Jakob in mindset. Hocker enjoys racing, and sees it as a beneficial thing (at all stakes/levels). He also wants to capitalize on fitness as much as possible, which is why after the race of his life at USAs he was out there going for a 5,000 berth. Meanwhile for Kerr of course, he races the 800 at UK Champs despite no interest/stakes as opposed to the 5,000 where he could theoretically double. Despite being in great shape, Kerr is waiting until September 6 to race again whereas Jakob and Hocker are getting right back at it. This is not to say either guy doesn't see the benefit of putting their head down. That's why Hocker didn't race after the 5000m at USAs and why Jakob gave himself a long training runway this spring.
H/T Chris Chavez for transcriptions below:
“Two weeks ago I was a 3:30 guy, and that’s a long way from 3:26, and you have to run 3:25 to get the world record, so I’m trying to figure that out. I’ve run 3:27 one time and I want to get comfortable running that. I am a racer, and all my best races come from racing them tactically, so that might just be something I have to learn. I’ve been in races that are set up fast and have done well, but my bread and butter right now is racing. Now that the world record is a conversation, I’m obviously so excited. I hope to take a stab at that whether it’s this season or next year, but now I have another goal to set my mind to. It was always Olympic gold, and now I’ve checked that box. I’m really concerned with establishing myself as one of the greatest runners in history, so logically that would be the next step.”
On how he's viewing the race in Lausanne: "The Olympics is the peak. Everyone knows that in the sport. That's what this season was centered around. I'm the fittest I've ever been and I don't want to leave anything on the table. I hate losing. Every time I race, I want to win. Every race feels very important to me even it's some very small meet in the U.S. in Virginia like I did leading up this year. I put a lot of pressure on each meet and I know how important each one is." On how his relationship with Jakob Ingebrigtsen compares to the Ingebrigtsen's rivalry with Josh Kerr: "I don't think it's the same as those two. I can't get in the ring with those two." On people considering his Olympic victory a shocker: "On paper, it was a 'big upset' 'underdog' and all this stuff. I knew where I was at this season. I knew I was in the shape of my life coming from the U.S. Trials with how that race felt and how it went. It took the right day for me to win (in Paris) and I know I was a medal contender for sure in my head. I knew a gold medal was a possibility. I said that after the U.S. Trials. It's just words until it actually happens but I actually executed on it." "I think of myself as a racer. It's championship racing. It's a lot different than it looked 8 years ago or in the past where it was a sit and kick more style of race. Now, you have to be strong – just extremely strong. I've built that the past two years as best as I could because my strong suit is speed and the shorter end stuff. When I came to my coach, I was an 800/1500m kind of runner. Now I train like a 1500m/5000m runner. I knew I had to be world-class at the 5K to compete with the top guys in the 1500m. Once I was there, I could incorporate my usual race strategies. Now I'm in the mix and I think it was evident that I like racing for the win and not just for the time."
Not travelled to US to wrap up season without distractions. And he does not think he was the underdog as he was well prepared to peak at the Olympics. He is determined to prove that he is neither JK or JW one race wonders. He is here to stay and he is not ready to lose a 1500M this season. Do you believe it?
The general elevation of Lausanne is about 1400 ft higher than Paris. Not that 1700 fr is a high elevation, but Paris resembles Indiana in elevation more than it resembles Lausanne. That difference could come into play.
I may be misremembering, but I believe the Stadium (been there, done that) is about 2100' elevation.
This post was edited 1 minute after it was posted.
The general elevation of Lausanne is about 1400 ft higher than Paris. Not that 1700 fr is a high elevation, but Paris resembles Indiana in elevation more than it resembles Lausanne. That difference could come into play.
I may be misremembering, but I believe the Stadium (been there, done that) is about 2100' elevation.
Not travelled to US to wrap up season without distractions. And he does not think he was the underdog as he was well prepared to peak at the Olympics. He is determined to prove that he is neither JK or JW one race wonders. He is here to stay and he is not ready to lose a 1500M this season. Do you believe it?
Definitely not cocky, but confident. You have to realize the Hocker and Kerr are very different guys. Not to say either way is right or wrong, but Hocker is much closer to Jakob in mindset. Hocker enjoys racing, and sees it as a beneficial thing (at all stakes/levels). He also wants to capitalize on fitness as much as possible, which is why after the race of his life at USAs he was out there going for a 5,000 berth. Meanwhile for Kerr of course, he races the 800 at UK Champs despite no interest/stakes as opposed to the 5,000 where he could theoretically double. Despite being in great shape, Kerr is waiting until September 6 to race again whereas Jakob and Hocker are getting right back at it. This is not to say either guy doesn't see the benefit of putting their head down. That's why Hocker didn't race after the 5000m at USAs and why Jakob gave himself a long training runway this spring.
H/T Chris Chavez for transcriptions below:
“Two weeks ago I was a 3:30 guy, and that’s a long way from 3:26, and you have to run 3:25 to get the world record, so I’m trying to figure that out. I’ve run 3:27 one time and I want to get comfortable running that. I am a racer, and all my best races come from racing them tactically, so that might just be something I have to learn. I’ve been in races that are set up fast and have done well, but my bread and butter right now is racing. Now that the world record is a conversation, I’m obviously so excited. I hope to take a stab at that whether it’s this season or next year, but now I have another goal to set my mind to. It was always Olympic gold, and now I’ve checked that box. I’m really concerned with establishing myself as one of the greatest runners in history, so logically that would be the next step.”
On how he's viewing the race in Lausanne: "The Olympics is the peak. Everyone knows that in the sport. That's what this season was centered around. I'm the fittest I've ever been and I don't want to leave anything on the table. I hate losing. Every time I race, I want to win. Every race feels very important to me even it's some very small meet in the U.S. in Virginia like I did leading up this year. I put a lot of pressure on each meet and I know how important each one is." On how his relationship with Jakob Ingebrigtsen compares to the Ingebrigtsen's rivalry with Josh Kerr: "I don't think it's the same as those two. I can't get in the ring with those two." On people considering his Olympic victory a shocker: "On paper, it was a 'big upset' 'underdog' and all this stuff. I knew where I was at this season. I knew I was in the shape of my life coming from the U.S. Trials with how that race felt and how it went. It took the right day for me to win (in Paris) and I know I was a medal contender for sure in my head. I knew a gold medal was a possibility. I said that after the U.S. Trials. It's just words until it actually happens but I actually executed on it." "I think of myself as a racer. It's championship racing. It's a lot different than it looked 8 years ago or in the past where it was a sit and kick more style of race. Now, you have to be strong – just extremely strong. I've built that the past two years as best as I could because my strong suit is speed and the shorter end stuff. When I came to my coach, I was an 800/1500m kind of runner. Now I train like a 1500m/5000m runner. I knew I had to be world-class at the 5K to compete with the top guys in the 1500m. Once I was there, I could incorporate my usual race strategies. Now I'm in the mix and I think it was evident that I like racing for the win and not just for the time."