shalane flanagan

NO, I'm sure she held back and didn't want to embarrass the African ladies. Of course she ran hard. I do think she and Rhines waited a little too long to try to make a move. Their positioning was perfect with 1000 to go, with 800 to go, with 600 to go...but they never WENT. They waited until within the last 400 and it was too late. At least that's how it appeared to me. They could have been all out with 1000 to go...what do any of us know?

I think she was caught between a rock and a hard place in her final.

She couldn't really expect to outkick the leaders, but she wasn't going to outrun them either by picking up the pace. I think had the race been won in say 14:30, she would have placed much higher, but considering the circumstances, it just wasn't a good race for her, strategically.

She did everything she could do, hung on to the lead pack and gave it her all. It is too bad the race was so slow, as she could probably kill the 4-7 runners in any other race.

That is competition though, and she learned something from the race, no doubt.

We will see her taking more risks in the coming years, she is one tough-ass runner.

She should be very proud of her year.

Tony wrote:

NO, I'm sure she held back and didn't want to embarrass the African ladies. Of course she ran hard. I do think she and Rhines waited a little too long to try to make a move. Their positioning was perfect with 1000 to go, with 800 to go, with 600 to go...but they never WENT. They waited until within the last 400 and it was too late. At least that's how it appeared to me. They could have been all out with 1000 to go...what do any of us know?

Nah, it wouldn't have mattered. People always talk about going earlier, but unless you're talking about something like the 1500 (where they go balls out the final 200m), then the energy in question is finite. If flanagan goes from 1000 out, then they just sit on her and smoke her like a cheap blunt the final 400m. It wasn't like she was still fresh after she finished. At this point, she just isn't quite on the same level as the top africans (and, given her AR performances earlier in the spring, I'd say she probably peaked a bit early). At any rate, a good effort and some valuable experience for her.

oh snap wrote:

Nah, it wouldn't have mattered. People always talk about going earlier, but unless you're talking about something like the 1500 (where they go balls out the final 200m), then the energy in question is finite. If flanagan goes from 1000 out, then they just sit on her and smoke her like a cheap blunt the final 400m. It wasn't like she was still fresh after she finished. At this point, she just isn't quite on the same level as the top africans (and, given her AR performances earlier in the spring, I'd say she probably peaked a bit early). At any rate, a good effort and some valuable experience for her.

I agree with this, although it may have improved her overall place.

I love Rhines, but she had no business beating Shalane. The race was just an unfortunate one for Shalane, though no fault of her own.

She is going to be burning barns next year, just wait.

Sorry, she blew it. It was a race, she should go in and race her best. Sitting and getting outkicked is stupid, she should have gone for it, at least then she would feel like she gave it her best.

She couldn' win either way, but racing the RACE would have given her the satisfaction that she did her best, plus she would have placed higher than 8th.

e-racer wrote:

Sorry, she blew it. It was a race, she should go in and race her best. Sitting and getting outkicked is stupid, she should have gone for it, at least then she would feel like she gave it her best.

She couldn' win either way, but racing the RACE would have given her the satisfaction that she did her best, plus she would have placed higher than 8th.

Yeah, go Pre!

ps- You have no idea what you're talking about.

but have you met:

falane shinanagan?