Mottram brings distance running back to the big time! How? Immaturity and over-blown claims!

i total agree with you.

there are plenty of athletes who perform like 'childish' mottram and vanish.

just to name the few hailu mekonen smash world 2000 in door game during 1990s gebremariam won 2nd place in the brussles XC for obth long and short course.

abrham chabii beat halie and kenenisa convincingly but could not win a single medal.

songok socre 12.48 for 5000mr but could not get a medal in WC.

we can mention number of athletes but i think it is enough for kid mottram

quit whining

who are you?

he also ran one of the fastest 2 miles since Komen's 7:58 for a win. you can't call that a time trial he won in a big race.

I guess his two 3K World Cup wins weren't worth mentioning in your argument? Nor his Olympic Final in 2004?

Let's see, he's only lost 2 out of his last 14 10km road races and finishes 2nd the Ritz who ran a great race in NY. Probably got his timing wrong coming down from altitude and had a slightly off day. Then he backs that up with a third place finish behind two athletes that have better experience at the distance over a mile..not too bad I'd say. Then he comes back to run one of the fastest 2 miles ever without really extending himself. The guy has been the only white athlete that has been able to run with the African for the last 3-4 years.

You can not tell me for one second that guys like Teg and Ritz have not gained more confidence from seeing a fellow white guy running up with the best in the world. Did you not read Steve Crams article that was linked on the homepage? You think a guy like that just hands out praise for fun? Our sport needs guys like Buster out there promoting the sport (which is sadly on the decline) and showing the general public that they are real people, that sometimes say the wrong thing. Is saying that you have to have big balls really such a bad thing? I'm confident that NBC would not have shown the interview if it was.

Mottram hasn't done any track work yet this season. If you've actually paid any attention to the interviews (besides the cussing which obviously aggravates you), you would know that he is planning his season to peak at Worlds. Losses to inconsistent Webb and injury-prone Ritz in 2 meaningless early season meets means nothing to Mottram.

Most people admire Mottram's honesty. What you describe as 'Over-blown claims' is actually self-confidence. Track fans see American runners as boring because of their modesty and self-repression. He's helped bring character and life back into distance running.

As far as the swearing goes, we all do it, whether it's in our head or aloud. I'll bet you anything when people fly by you at the end of a race you think "F***!" or some other sort of curse word. Saying it aloud may be wrong, but repressing it and then leading people to believe you are somehow 'more mature' is complete dishonesty.

IMO:

HONESTY > MODESTY

Very good post!

I would have to agree that American elite distance runners are very boring.

what he says he's done in his training doesn't really mean a thing. but anyway.

and those losses "meant nothing to mottram"? despite his being visibly upset after the mile last week and deflated after his loss to ritz? it's easy to say they mean nothing -- now -- when he is on a high. but it's something else to claim super-machismo-over-confidence, ranting about the size of his balls and how scarily fit he is, after winning an early season 2 mile. (a meaningless race, no?)

what mottram has done is great. he's run mid 12:50s in the 5k in europe. he's won some important races.

he also lost plenty of races. as noted, we only need to look back within three weeks to count two of them.

i wish him the best and see good things to come. i don't think he'll break 12:50, nor do I think it's an impossibility. but his "honesty" is a bit inflated to be talking about how big his balls are after winning a super-important 2 mile race after losing twice in three weeks, and saying "how scary" his fitness is.

i wish him the best, but i don't know why a loud and filthy mouth is so impressive to people. i prefer sportsmen.

lp wrote:

Very good post!

I would have to agree that American elite distance runners are very boring.

It would be kind of hard to call Fam boring. Teg, Meb, Hall, Lagat, Ritz, Webb, and Abdi. I guess we just have more depth right now than Australia. Mottram is not boring therefore all of oceana is not boring.

Filthy mouth. Are you for real. You never heard the word "balls" before? Get in the real world. Good god!!! It's not even close to filthy.

Everyone's get disappointed with losing but the hurt is less sometimes in some races, especially this time of the year. I actually know Buster. He's confident but not a big mouth or filthy. I don't think you know very much. I think you should get a few things straight.

His popularity lies in the fact that he's determined and devoted to winning against all comers. He's not afraid to mix it up with the dominanat Africans, and he's not starstruck. He also speaks his mind and is very personable. He doesn't mince words and you can tell he cares a lot about his running. No wonder why he's popular to me, pretty much he comes off as a fearless underdog who has had some good success as you've noted.

Lets see..Mottram in the finals at Osaka and in Bejig, most likely with a medal at both. I doubt any americans make the final.

Although it was an early season race, lets not under estimate the field that he crushed.

Look at some of the people in this field that he beat easily.

Buster is the greatest non-African distance runner (5k or greater) ever. The evidence clearly supports this. If you dispute this, then please provide clear evidence to prove otherwise.

Grow some.

wjw0006 wrote:

Buster is the greatest non-African distance runner (5k or greater) ever. The evidence clearly supports this. If you dispute this, then please provide clear evidence to prove otherwise.

No, Zatopek & Viren are. Zatopek was a better man and runner than Mottram will ever be.

Carlos Lopes is quite a bit ahead of Mottram as well. Let's see some Olympic hardware or perhaps a few world records before we get all carried away with Mottram, eh?

wow you just said he has won some important races and lost plenty of races.

name one other runner from the past few years that you can say hasnt lost plenty of races besides bekele.

the last time i checked, track was still a sport. sports are fun and he is obviously having fun out there.

Frank Shorter was better as well. Baumann too.

I don't really understand what you're saying.

I'll agree Fam does have some unique qualities about him.

What are you trying to say about the rest of the runners you mentioned?

Can you clarify your last sentence also?

Word, yo. wrote:

wjw0006 wrote:

Buster is the greatest non-African distance runner (5k or greater) ever. The evidence clearly supports this. If you dispute this, then please provide clear evidence to prove otherwise.

No, Zatopek & Viren are. Zatopek was a better man and runner than Mottram will ever be.

You knew Zatopek and Viren? Or are you just judging their character by what you read about them?