USA vs Great Britain - Distance Running

You make a good point, but when runners are aged 10-14 do you really think most of them enjoy distance running in solitary form and only that? Not many, I think.

The French coaches are very concerned about not burning out their runners. They are super cautious. In Britain, I recall living in Tunbridge Wells (1976-77) and seeing Mick Hamlin's famous boy runners (age 10-13) out running every night on the roads in Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge - and a few of those became very good when they became adults (Mark Steinle), but I think most of them did not make it as seniors. Not to take anything away from Mick, he was a great coach and motivator for that age group and had special rapport with those athletes and they would run their hearts out for him - but perhaps excessive road runs at those young ages was not the best way to go for the long term - it's about choices.

Very few phenomenal 10-13 year olds become phenomenal 20-30 year olds.

In running there is usually a window of opportunity for progression over roughly a 10 year period. And starting too young, they will reduce that window.

Running is not like swimming, which is less traumatic on the bones and skeletal system.

Ghost

coach:

christophe_moulton@yahoo.ca

Getting rid of the current leaders was a smart move.

Honestly, I don't give a 2 bit damn about UK running. You guys could disappear entirely from running and it wouldn't put a dent in our emerging distance powerhouse in the US.

It just goes to show how great the US is and will continue to be in terms of facilitating good distance runners. All the great ones come here to race and train (think Boulder for location, and Chicago marathon as an example PR race, not to mention Stanford Invite and Pre Classic).

What do you guys have? One, maybe 2 big-time races that's worth mentioning that a person can PR in?

Also, if you think the Africans are the ones who you need to beat..think again..you'll now have the additional challenge of beating us "yanks," because we have tons of youngsters coming up the ranks and your #1 guy is probably #10 in our really deep rankings.

Their current system needs restructuring. Should they be developing U.S. athletes?

If you look at the UK women in terms of the senior and junior athletes in comparison to the USA you will see the opposite is the case. With that holding true, can it necessarily be about systems?

The IAAF have recently ranked the UK number 1 in terms of the number of quality road races here, so your point about races doesn't exactly hold true.

I could say I don't give a damn about US running but I wouldn't be as arrogant and dismissive.

Your whole post demonstrates an attitude that had lead to the rest of the world hating the USA more and more.

Fortunately most of us have the insight to see the vast majority of you are not like that at all.

In the light of your post, I would suggest that Obama orders a complete thermonuclear carpet bombing of the UK in 2009. Nobody would give a damn, and track cycling and rowing are akin to speedwalking anyway.

After this;

1. We can have a proper 2012 olympics with a decent logo in New York.

2. The Chicago marathon will be the world's greatest marathon.

3. We will have only proper cross country races on Rupp certified courses without having to run through fields of cow crap.

4. The problem of beer-drinking soccer hooligans running amock in Europe will have disappeared.

5. People will not have to pay $15 for a ride on the subway nor will they have to pay $1500 every month to live in a cardboard box.

6. The world will be freed from its epidemic of bad teeth.

What I mean is, around here the USA is probably the most hated country, more so than Iraq, Russia, etc. I do not hold this opinion, but it's not hard to see why it is held when we hear shit like this constantly.

If you can't have a discussion without resorting to insults then I would suggest we bomb you. The rest of the world would be happier.

There, does that work, sinking to your level?

As one of Micks runners I understand he had us on a challenging curve which by 15 we weren't meeting.And he reassessed from that point.

I really don't think he Burt us out. I ran 8 flat for 3k, and 16th in senior National.Spencer ran 13.45..and I think he was 8th in the National.And yes Mark did ok.

I still drive by the road you speak of think fondly of those sessions and the great races we had.

More importantly he gave all great passion for the sport.

He let us run as hard as we wanted to run

Darrell Smith

I think the British took a long time adapting to the sport going professional. There was still an amateur ethos.

The investment seems to have been there over the last few years and things seem to be improving, especially in the shorter distances.

Do you think Reebok would have been more willing to sponsor British athletes if they weren't owned by the sausage eaters?

It's a shame athletes can't wear discrete sponsor's names on their shirts. It might encourage some financial backing from local companies.

Brave New World wrote:

4. The problem of beer-drinking soccer hooligans running amock in Europe will have disappeared.

It has already.

Not a Coach wrote:

I think the British took a long time adapting to the sport going professional. There was still an amateur ethos.

The investment seems to have been there over the last few years and things seem to be improving, especially in the shorter distances.

Do you think Reebok would have been more willing to sponsor British athletes if they weren't owned by the sausage eaters?

It's a shame athletes can't wear discrete sponsor's names on their shirts. It might encourage some financial backing from local companies.

Exactly. For decades, running in the UK has been a middle class amateur sport. Even those who did make money were criticized for doing so.

All the english come to america for NCAA

Matt Raw wrote:

What UK distance running needs is a damn good economic recession, 1970s style....

in 2007 says UK needs damn good economic recession.. Queue 2009 financial crisis and following recession....

2010 Mo Farah wins 5000m(Chris Thompson [GBR] gets 2nd) / 10000m at euro champs....

2011 Mo Farah wins 5000m and silver in 10000m at World Champs, Hannah England gets 2011 silver in 1500m at World Champs...

2012 Mo Farah 5000m / 10000m double at the olympics

2013 Mo Farah 5000m / 10000m double at World Champs, Hannah England 4th in 1500m, Andrew Osagie 5th in 800m at World Champs

2014 Mo Farah 10000m / 5000m Euro champ (Andy Vernon 2nd in 10000m Euro Champs, 3rd in 5000m), Jo Pavey 10000m Euro Champ, Chris O'Hare 3rd in 1500m at Euro Champs, Laura Weightman 3rd in 1500m at Euro Champs, Lynsey Sharp 2nd in 800m at Euro Champs, Laura Weightman 2nd in womens 1500m CG, Jo Pavey 3rd in 5000m CG, Kate Avery 4th in 10000m CG, Jessica Judd 4th in 800m CG. Eilidh Child 3000m Steeplechase Champ at Euros.

There does seem to be some progression ( and this was only quick google searching championships,, 2014 is massively skewed by the fact that CG and Euros while major championships are not nearly at the level of the World Champs or the Olympics

NCAA invites British athletes.

Those improved results were due to the Olympic influence.

Mo was already on a roll, but the London Olympics inspired him and others. Plus, the attention, respect and helf from the public towards athletes in the UK was much higher. The recession has nothing to do with it.

Mo, however, has trained for some years with a USA-based group...

I ran in Gainesville with the Florida Track Club( = Overdistance training) and I was glad to see mention of Mick Hamlin. He got me in some races when I was in Kent, England. My guess is that over distance wouldn't be so much of an issue if it were always on soft surfaces.