Selfish, cowardly and weak performance by Fisher. Could result in distance races being removed from the GST format. Slow, boring, weak races won’t last long in this league that’s looking for excellence.
Selfish, cowardly and weak performance by Fisher. Could result in distance races being removed from the GST format. Slow, boring, weak races won’t last long in this league that’s looking for excellence.
Seems like a good idea.
Even he described it as a bunch of "5000m guys trying to race 100m."
Funny thing: there were actually 100s, 200s, 400s, 100/400 hurdles, 800s, 1500s with competitors actually racing hard.
Before this weekend Grant Fisher was one of my favorite runners. Not anymore. Any real athlete would go for the win instead of purposely losing for the 100k. He is literally the world record holder in the event indoors. No reason to run for third. Shameful.
Cowardly for getting the bag? Early in the season? Basement dweller take.
I love distance running but I think they should remove distance running from the slam. The slam will only work well for the sprints and it could be really great for them. Distance people need to come up with their own thing.
I agree that the long distance races were the low light of the event. The longest race should be a mile and there needs to be way less time between races.
I love distance running but I think they should remove distance running from the slam. The slam will only work well for the sprints and it could be really great for them. Distance people need to come up with their own thing.
I don't hate that take. I have said something similar before when talking about why track meets are so long and not fun for most of the people in the stands.
Most (not all) fans are either sprint/jump focused and grew up doing stuff like the 100m, 200m and the long jump OR they are distance focused and did everything from the 800m up to the 2M in track (and longer in XC). Throwers are their tribe. :)
The idea that the best throwing festival should also have a 5000m makes no sense. The idea that the "Night of Miles" should also include eight heats of the 110H makes no sense. We are all mostly fans of one discipline or the other, not everything equally.
Jamaicans would rather have watched more elite sprinting and less distance running. I don't blame them. And up in Seattle, we'd rather watch a "distance carnival" than 40 heats of JV 200m dashes.
Yet WA and USATF and the Diamond League and GST have not really figured it out that they could put on three meets with a more focused product and have more success in a shorter window.
I love distance running but I think they should remove distance running from the slam. The slam will only work well for the sprints and it could be really great for them. Distance people need to come up with their own thing.
I don't hate that take. I have said something similar before when talking about why track meets are so long and not fun for most of the people in the stands.
Most (not all) fans are either sprint/jump focused and grew up doing stuff like the 100m, 200m and the long jump OR they are distance focused and did everything from the 800m up to the 2M in track (and longer in XC). Throwers are their tribe. :)
The idea that the best throwing festival should also have a 5000m makes no sense. The idea that the "Night of Miles" should also include eight heats of the 110H makes no sense. We are all mostly fans of one discipline or the other, not everything equally.
Jamaicans would rather have watched more elite sprinting and less distance running. I don't blame them. And up in Seattle, we'd rather watch a "distance carnival" than 40 heats of JV 200m dashes.
Yet WA and USATF and the Diamond League and GST have not really figured it out that they could put on three meets with a more focused product and have more success in a shorter window.
Great point.
I think that the various sprint groups and even the 800/1500 made for good viewing in the GST format. (That would be TV/online; I can't speak to in-stadium but people seemed bored as heck for 90% of the 3000/5000.)
Especially when the distance runners' tendency to do "just enough" as illustrated by Fisher.
Some could rightfully say that is a reasonable decision on Fisher's part.
Others could say accept that, while noting that reasonable decisions by elite distance runners make for poor entertainment in the GST format.
At least we now know how much Fisher’s dignity is worth to him.
Relax Alice.
Fishers two races were very intriguing. 5,000 had eight guys battling at the bell and was won by a kick that was as fast as the 1500 winner.
The 3,000 had everyone scratching their heads except for Fisher who knew what he needed to do to WIN based on the point structure and rules of GST.
People are talking about it. Some people are upset whilst others, who understand the format, think it wast masterful. As long as people are talking and watching that’s what it’s all about.
Fisher won the points and the cash. It is on the guys who didn’t win the first race and really those behind Fisher in the second race to be scratching their heads. If any one of those runners who where behind the two breakaway guys during the 3,000 were thinking and chased them down, Fisher would have moved as well.
Guaranteed the Miami Slam will be different. Different tactics, different challengers. That’s what makes GST exciting, different and fun to watch. It’s the tactical unpredictability, especially in the distance races, versus the sprints that are just run as fast as one can that makes it all more appealing.
Selfish, cowardly and weak performance by Fisher. Could result in distance races being removed from the GST format. Slow, boring, weak races won’t last long in this league that’s looking for excellence.
GST isn’t Championship racing as in a one-off race at a one-off event, it is a two stage race event. Much like bike racing.
The sprints are “two-stage” in that there are two different races somewhat outside of the athletes comfort zones. Exciting but still flat out facing and not nearly as exciting (to me) as the distance races were.
The distance events, being longer, and understanding GST in this format, make for strategy and intrigue.
Grant solidified a power position winning stage one the 5,000. Stage two, the 3,000, came down to a variety of decisions on the fly. Also, my being an old bike racer, it sure appeared there was blocking going on by the guy in red which allowed for the break to materialize so early. But I digress…
It was a winding day, there was a breakaway, Grant decided not to be everyone’s domestique and bridge the gap. That would have been up to those behind him because he knew he just had to finish third based on who was in front of him in order to WIN the TWO STAGE event. The others didn’t figure that out - shame on them.
We have been spoiled as of late by super fast one off races. Expecting such every time these runners toe the line is silly especially given the format of GST. Thats what makes GST fun and in many ways more fun to watch.
Jacob at world indoors did the bare minimum to win, get back home not be worse for the wear and back to his training. The difference was it was a World Indoor Championships. He ran two depart races. They weren’t Stage races with points.
Besides it’s April, none of the athletes are peaking. Many are in building phases. Most are working on fine tuning areas they deem important. It seemed they all really enjoyed themselves. Fisher proved his kick is more lethal than last year. He has shown his fitness and speed indoors this year.
Look at Arop. Smartly he realized the 1500 was a bit fast for him, backed off in that stage race and came back and won the second stage. I thought that he was very smart to do such.
Miami will be different. Highly unpredictable and a lot of fun to watch.
I love distance running but I think they should remove distance running from the slam. The slam will only work well for the sprints and it could be really great for them. Distance people need to come up with their own thing.
I don't hate that take. I have said something similar before when talking about why track meets are so long and not fun for most of the people in the stands.
Most (not all) fans are either sprint/jump focused and grew up doing stuff like the 100m, 200m and the long jump OR they are distance focused and did everything from the 800m up to the 2M in track (and longer in XC). Throwers are their tribe. :)
The idea that the best throwing festival should also have a 5000m makes no sense. The idea that the "Night of Miles" should also include eight heats of the 110H makes no sense. We are all mostly fans of one discipline or the other, not everything equally.
Jamaicans would rather have watched more elite sprinting and less distance running. I don't blame them. And up in Seattle, we'd rather watch a "distance carnival" than 40 heats of JV 200m dashes.
Yet WA and USATF and the Diamond League and GST have not really figured it out that they could put on three meets with a more focused product and have more success in a shorter window.