Ryan Hall picks London

Bowery tough guy:

1 Ryan Hall, 23 34:38

2 Jorge Torres, 25 35:05

3 Max King, 25 35:20

4 Dathan Ritzenhein, 23 35:27

bowery ballroom wrote:

...so i wouldnt even waste my time saying hall is that much better than ritz, especially until he hasnt beaten ritz yet...

i wouldnt spend your time bashing me for this board unless you are willing to put out your name, email, and are willing to say these things to my face. keep your mouth shut kid and well see how these guys fare in the next few races.

Cheer up kid, no need to be so angry:

US X-Country Championships 2006

1 Ryan Hall, 23 34:38

2 Jorge Torres, 25 35:05

3 Max King, 25 35:20

4 Dathan Ritzenhein, 23

Mr. Marathon wrote:

No one in the London field has run a faster half then he has in the last few months.

This is a point worth highlighting, all learning curves aside. Hall was only a few seconds a mile off of Haile's WR half in Phoenix; the only difference was, Haile was rabbited for the first 6-7 miles and Hall ran alone the whole way.

I don't think this is mismanagement. I think this is superb management. Hall is plainly in the mood to take no prisoners. His recent racing justifies his desire to face down the best. That's the sort of American runner we want.

Has anyone found a way to watch this in the US?

There has got to be a way. It's going to be an awesome race.

No, the point of the IAAF tables and other equivalent perfomrance charts is to be able to compare different runners in different events, as I used them. They are also helpful in getting an idea / approximation of what a runner could do in near event. I didn't say Hall could go 2:05:27, but I said that 2:07s could be possible, 2:14 would be way off. I also used them to show that Hall right now is way better then Ritz. I guess you missed Hall winning (I mean rocking the house) at XC nats 12k at VCP. Ritz wasn't there? Thought he ran, which mean Hall beat him. Didn't see where Hall ran a 10k last year but I did see a couple of 20ks. Ritz and Hall have the same 5k times - 13:16. Oh Hall has few ARs that Ritz could only dream of. http://www.usatf.com/athletes/bios/Hall_Ryan.aspI guess you missed wejo's thread about Hall having one of the greatest american performances. Not one serious reply mentioned Ritz.http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=1718804&page=0Here's an old thread on Hall's kick ass day at XC natshttp://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=1229687&page=1The bowery is homeless trash, I avoid that area as much as I can. If i gave out my name, you might panhandle me.

In sports it's hard to do something great if you set out to do something ordinary.

For those who worry about a learning curve, isn't the Flora London course one of the easiest courses there is? Where better to "learn?"

For those who think he should cut his teeth in an "easier" race first, recall that he is one of only a dozen or so men on earth who have ever run under an hour for a half. Not all of them will be in the race. And I recall a quote from my old college's wrestling coach defending the nation's toughest schedule: "If you want to be a bullfighter, you have to go out and fight bulls."

He's already used to solo running so if he gets left behind in the early going, he probably won't panic.

And as opposed to Boston, he won't have to worry about being a standard bearer at Flora London -- he'll have to spend less time at press conferences as an "American Hope" -- he'll be a bolt-on the the field. He probably won't even be the most publicized guy from the town he lives in.

I see nothing bad from Ryan's perspective in chosing Flora London, except for the long flight from California...and who knows? Maybe the guy digs airline food.

it seems he has dealt well with long flights in the past year - the world 20k champs he did well (eastern europe), and the World Cross in Japan as well...

Pamela Anderson's Left Nipple wrote:

I agree. I think Salazar's debut was an anomoly. Hall would be do better getting a 2:12 under his belt, and then going for it.

You're right but he will not. He will go out fast. If he runs a 2:12 it will not be an even pace.

KudzuRunner wrote:

Mr. Marathon wrote:

No one in the London field has run a faster half then he has in the last few months.

This is a point worth highlighting, all learning curves aside. Hall was only a few seconds a mile off of Haile's WR half in Phoenix; the only difference was, Haile was rabbited for the first 6-7 miles and Hall ran alone the whole way.

I don't think this is mismanagement. I think this is superb management. Hall is plainly in the mood to take no prisoners. His recent racing justifies his desire to face down the best. That's the sort of American runner we want.

Bravo!

I bet Mayeroff is happy too!?? :) Thing is, there is a careful plan in place leading up to 2008. Lovely.

Off topic a little...but how is that mysterious figure Kannouchi doing?

I have nothing but respect and high hopes for Ryan. He is a genuine guy, fast as hell, and stepping up to the plate.

I am going to say he runs 2:07:38.

Think about it, he just ran 59 and change on a hilly course. It will fell easy to go through the half at 2:03-4 on a dead flat course just tucke in behind some people saving energy.

opps, i meant "feel" and "tucked"

regardless, Hall is going to kick ass and be the top American!!

Not to offend anyone too greatly. But I am so sick of every talented runner, going to the marathon prematurely.

I echo the words of Matt Teg, Hall should forget about marathoning until later in his career, and go out now and break 13 for 5k and break 27:00 for 10k.

I dont' think you can serve 2 masters, look at Meb after he turned to marathoning full time, he's not posted anything on the track worth talking about.

Hall has great track potential, i think he could reach the 2 above goals in the next 2 years. Move up later.

Same with Ritz, break 13 and 27, then move to marathoning.

I just think once you cross the line and consider yourself a marathoner, the way you approach the track and what you accomplish on the track is never the same.

I know this will fall on deaf ears, but the track is where its at. Go Teg!!

I agree that Ryan will run a very marathon and I love the decision to run London. Your logic is a bit off and overly simple though... To say that coming through the half feeling easy in 63 minutes implies that someone like Kipketer or Coe should have run 3:40 for the Mile.

Yes, it should be easy to come through the 1/2 in 63ish. However, the marathon should always feel easy through the half and it can feel easy through 20-24 miles if you're having a great day. However, running one step too fast too early can turn a great day at 24 miles into a disaster at 25 miles.

The key to Ryan's success is ensuring he's been developing his aerobic (not anaerobic) threshold over the past several months and upcoming weeks - as well as managing his fuel on race day.

London is not a particuarly easy or fast course. Compared to Chicago or berlin London is considered relatively slow.

"A ship is safe in the harbor, but that's not what ships are made for!" Go Ryan Hall!!

Remember what the consensus was after Ritz' 26.2 debut: The 13.1 tells us little on how the marathon will go. What I'm excited about is given Hall's half-marathon "speed" and his mentality to mix it up, we know that he could be right with Geb for close to 20 miles.

Goucher never went. Kennedy never went. What are you talking about? Webb sure is hell isn't going. He won't do the 10k agian for a long time. Williams followed your advice and never broke 2:11.Ritz kept getting injured running the shorter distances, so he wanted to move up. Meb ran 13:11 and 27:13 before moving up. Did those times get him anyware? attention? Teg is a great track athlete. He has never put in big mileage and run track unlike Ritz and Hall. His potential is a lot higher in the 5k than Ritz and Hall. He is a different runner than either of those two and what he does is best for him. You make sub 13 and sub 27 sound so easy. Its not. You make its seem like you can turn to running world class marathons after you lose your speed. wrong.

Can someone please explain to me where exactly there are hills in NYC?

I think mainly the bridges. It is a bit rolling and the central park section is not flat.

I don't know about Hall skipping national xc, if it's true. Too bad, the US would have had a kick ass team in Kenya.