Hoey/Hoppel/Koech/Miller have all run 1:43 already in 2025. Now Brazier's back in the mix. Maybe Sam Whitmarsh or Tinoda Matsatsa makes a jump at NCAAs next week?
Men's 800 getting really interesting in the US this year!
1:43.3 at altitude with a slight ease-up about a week after winning a DL 1500? Ok man whatever floats your boat
Not to mention Koech has made the US team before and I'd bet that even though he has run 3:31 this season he'd do the 800 because there are less guys that can potentially beat him (Hocker, Nuguse, and Kessler from last year, another 3:31 man in Vincent Ciattei, and now 3:48 milers Martin and Strand)
First performnance that made me say "wow" in a while. Wow!
This is so exciting.
Nearly everyone I know was super, super pumped to learn this - and these are people who have seen an awful lot in the sport.
I got a call from my buddy Chris Catton who rarely calls me., prefers text. I knew it had to be important. I pick up the phone and I was not disappointed. He heard about it as Craig Engels was so pumped he immediately facetimed Chris (who coached Craig in HS) while standing next to Brazier who was just taking off his spikes.
Chris was so excited he hung and called me. I then immediately texted my buddy Jason Stewart who was a Kiwi Olympian. Everyone was like kids at Christmas.
It reminds me of the early days of letsrun. You didn't sometimes even know a race was going on and then you get stunned when you see the result.
Although I'm not sure why we are all so excited. Isn't one of my most favorite sayings - "Talent doesn't go away."
I guess because while it doesn't go away it does sometimes get injured. I hadn't really had time to think about what I expected from him in his return - but that's the best part about it (I thought he was returning next week) -but this is fantastic.
1:43.3 at altitude with a slight ease-up about a week after winning a DL 1500? Ok man whatever floats your boat
Altitude is probably neutral for the 800. It’s obviously beneficial for sprints and harmful for distance, and 800 is about the break-even point. See Ralph Doubell equaling the WR at the Mexico City Olympics.
I think Koech has to be a top-3 favorite right now, but lock is a strong word.
He's back! Great start for Brazier. He can for sure cut down close to 2 seconds between now and the trials, especially if this is his opener. Same goes for Engels recently with his 1:45. I really think Brazier, Engels, and Eric Holt out of Empire Elite Track Club have the best odds of making worlds.
This is such a good result for DB, I’m going to come out and say even if he doesn’t run faster for the rest of the season, 2025 has already been a success due to even just this one race. It’ll be a massive accomplishment even he runs just a handful more decent races this season, including just participating at USAs, and manages to stay healthy. I don’t even think that making the Tokyo WC team or hell even making the USA 800 final matters that much. It’s just great to see him racing again.
Does anyone know who is coaching him now? It looks like he was hopping in with Craig Engels and other Flagstaff runner's workouts on strava
Mike Smith - that's what I heard today from a source but haven't confirmed it.
I just texted Mike Smith. He said that Brazier has had two recent altitude stints in Flagstaff and that he has been giving him some workouts, but that they have mostly been very basic. Though Smith also said he considers coaching to be much more than just giving workouts.
It sounds a bit similar to when Woody Kincaid arrived in Flagstaff in 2023 in that he and Smith did not have a formal coach-athlete relationship to begin with but eventually it became permanent. So maybe Smith-Brazier will be permanent at some point -- TBD.
Smith said he was very excited but gave all the credit to Brazier.
This post was edited 1 minute after it was posted.
Reminds me of Hocker’s first race back from injury at the Portland track festival in 2023 when he went from 12th to 2nd last lap. Something about really great athletes coming back from injury and running way better than expected is a different level of excitement.