Why was Brazier so bad in the 600 at New Balance Grand Prix?

If the last year has taught me anything, it’s this:

Never doubt Brazier, not even a little bit

Hoey split 1 whole second faster through 600 in his 800 than Brazier RACED a 600.

Then Hoey ran a 26.31 at the end of it. Brazier's last lap of his 600 was 26.44

This was an unmitigated DISASTER for Brazier.

Hoey set out to set world records in December and January. My guess is that Brazier is a little smarter than that, in consideration of his own personal circumstances.

I can’t find video of the race. What did he do wrong? Losing to someone like McPhillips who is young and definitely on the rise doesn’t seem like an upset.

Brazier should be able to run faster than 1:17 during his base phase. He never runs more than 7 miles. Gault's recent article showed his training week:

"Brazier began to settle into a routine: short speed on Mondays, 1500 pace work on Tuesdays, hills on Thursdays, 800-specific work on Fridays. He does not run more than 35 miles per week. But Brazier has never been a workout hero, which explains why Smith was so shocked by that 1:44 in Nashville."

The Mike Smith train is being exposed

Let’s see how these guys are performing in July and August.

Uh, lack of fitness?

Brazier and a couple of other really talented runners ran mediocre times. I was disappointed with the race, but I don't read anything into it. This is equivalent to around a 1:46 800, btw.

"Possible reasons"

1) It's not even February and I would guess it was probably the first time he even tied the laces on his spikes since the World Champs in September

2) Unlike an 800m contemporary of his who ran quite well yesterday, he hasn't been essentially training at race-shape intensity with little to no break since the summer season.

3) He's 28 years old, still has missed a considerable part of his career to injury and the fact he was able to come back to begin with, points to some level of experience, intelligence and acumen when it comes to managing his body and workload. I think a lot of these guys when they get older move past the "getting in shape for indoors" because they know carrying that through into the outdoor season when it really matters, is more difficult as you get older and in general more difficult than the perception is.

That's probably why.

Can you remind me what Brazier ran in January last year? I only recall him winning the US championship.

He was supposedly still finishing up his three years on the couch to be followed by five brisk months of training.

It was a weird race. Brazier was kind of boxed with 125 to go and just sort of shut it down.

3 years on the couch? That’s hilarious.

The easy answer is he was tentative after getting out slow. Didn’t seem like he wanted to bite the bullet and run extra distance. As a result, he ran a tactical 600 instead of letting it all hang out and running an all-out 610 meters with surges.

I'm not saying he's never going to run fast again. I am just trying to figure out why he ran a horrible race.

He easily could have run faster than this in high school.

And last January, remind me?

No. It converts to 1:48.