Good job. I feel like AR will be a minute faster in a year. WR about 57:17 later in 2025.
You must be thinking Grant Fisher is the ~58:17 guy. I wouldn’t put that past him on a great day in Valencia or something like that, but I seriously doubt he’d run that fast on debut in Houston, which is where he’ll most likely go.
I’m dubious of the 57:17 too. Since Kibiwott Kandie ran 57:32 in 2020, the WR has progressed to 57:31 (2021), and 57:30 (2024). I would say that 57:17 was conceivable for Kiplimo a couple years ago, but his debuting in the marathon this spring makes it more likely that his fastest half is behind him (and this is even more true for Kandie and Sawe). The most likely 57:17 guys have to be Kiplimo/Kejelcha/Aregawi, but it’s just really freaking fast, I’m not seeing it.
I am also going to admit that I am glad it went to a guy who really came up through our high school and college system and not to someone who just moved here two years ago. It is just so disingenuous to say the best runners America has ever produced were Bernard Lagat and Khalid Khannouchi.
I want national records to reflect the best runners who grew up in those nations (like Hocker, Nuguse, Mantz, etc.).
If Steph Curry moved to Canada, it would not be accurate to say, "Canada's best basketball player is Steph Curry; wow, they are amazing up there."
You guys are saying that an outsider looking at these results would say, "Wow, America really does produce great half-marathoners" if Addisu Gobena, Gabriel Geay, Jemal Yimer, Patrick Dever (UK), and Wesley Kiptoo all got US citizenship?
Assuming these guys got citizenship and raced for the USA, would that be a reason for Americans to be proud of our training, culture, coaching, and athletic traditions?
The best part was the fact that Mantz got the AR while racing for the win and not in some staged time trial event. He was in a group of 4 coming in and was able to respond to a bunch of surges and went stride for stride in a sprint finish only to be out leaned at the tape.