Will Ryan Hall ever run a sub 4:00 mile?

well he's run 3:42 and he ran 4:03 in high school. I'd say he would have a shot over 7 years later.

You can tell from the interviews that he wants to. It's just a matter of him devoting a huge block of his training to do it, which isn't likely for the next 8 years.

Would it possibly matter?

I hope not. The amount of training required to do it would take away from his marathon prep, an event that he is clearly better at. On the other hand, if he could become so strong on marathon training that he was able go sub 4 on that ...

Of course it matters. I'm amazed he's ran 2:06low without breaking 4 minutes for the mile or even 28 minutes for 10k on the track. The marathon is increasingly becoming a speed event...Gebresselassie, Wanjiru, Tergat, Goumri, Lel could all run well under 4 minutes for the mile...

Geb-3:31/7:25/12:39/26:22

Wanjiru-26:41/58:33

Tergat 7:28/12:49/26:2x

Goumri-7:32/12:50

Lel-doesn't race on the track much, but closing the marathon in 28s for the last 200m shows that he knows that speed is important and has focused on it.

vs

Hall-3:42 7 (!) years ago/13:16 3+ years ago/28:08

Hall thought he would be a miler for a long time, and ran 800s and 1500s and 3000s in an effort to pursue that goal. Then he quickly moved up in distance, running the 20k record then 59:43 1/2 marathon record then of course 2:08 in london, an effortless 2:09low in hilly central park with a 1:02 last half, a great 2:06 in london then...the Olympics. Maybe he has been away from the track too long...he looked sluggish and had absolutely no "pop" in his stride at all.

Ritz and Hall have both worked on their speed over the years-but Hall has taken the route of pure road racer over the past few years while Ritz has been working on his speed at the same time as road racing-he ran 8:11 for 2 miles,7:39 for 3000 and 13:16 all in 2007-fairly recently. Hall hasn't raced seriously on the track in years.

The best marathoners know that they need speed to race the marathon successfully, and that means running on the track even if they are not able to win medals. Wanjiru feels comfortable at 4:50 pace not because he has better endurance then Hall but because he can run a 10k at 4:18 pace while Hall can only muster a 4:25-4:28 pace. Not to mention, I don't see Hall ever winning a major marathon in a close finish because a 30 second 200m is all out to him.

Shorter in 1972 got 5th in the 10000m before winning the marathon. Haile before running his wr had a solid performance in the 10000m. Wanjiru got beat by Bekele at 10000m but ran 26:41. I'm sure he didn't mind that much-it was just preperation for his actual event. And don't even get me started about Zatopek...

Hall HAD all of the tools to become a successful marathoner-born at altitude, 3:42 speed as a high schooler, work ethic, support crew, great mechanics...but he hasn't worked on his speed and so will not be competitive again until he wakes up and realizes that is what he is missing.

F*cking idiot.

I agree. I think one of the reasons Hall did so well in his debut at the 1/2 and marathon is he was coming off of his track background. I think if he can get back into some track races it will help him get to the next level. Like how Geb raced the 10k at the olympics and then came out and broke the WR in berlin shorty after.

Hitting 5k and 10k pace in practice is one thing but lacing the spikes up and putting it down on the track is another animal.

*sigh* wrote:

F*cking idiot.

lol, he's a got a point though...

ryan hall return to the track wrote:

Of course it matters. I'm amazed he's ran 2:06low without breaking 4 minutes for the mile or even 28 minutes for 10k on the track.

Then you're a fucking rube.

Who lets the dogs out?? wrote:

I think one of the reasons Hall did so well in his debut at the 1/2 and marathon is he was coming off of his track background. I think if he can get back into some track races it will help him get to the next level. Like how Geb raced the 10k at the olympics and then came out and broke the WR in berlin shorty after.

Hitting 5k and 10k pace in practice is one thing but lacing the spikes up and putting it down on the track is another animal.

You people confuse correlation with causation.

Basically being retarded these past two years and thinking that the roads are only answer, ensured he'll never do any of real significance the future on the track and probably championships martahons for that matter of speech. SPeedwork he needed but nooo. Ryan always had to be in the moment.

Too much eggnog. MURRRR. Beaver logs for life.

Hall seems more interested in pursuing possible international success. A 3:57-3:59 mile is nowhere near that, unless maybe it comes at the end of a 3000.

Reliant Aries wrote:

Hall seems more interested in pursuing possible international success. A 3:57-3:59 mile is nowhere near that, unless maybe it comes at the end of a 3000.

and at the end of a 5000 too these days

I don't expect him to be competitive on the track: he doesn't have the speed...but racing shorter races will develop his speed, which is what he needs. It's what set his apart before: he lost it, and now is paying for it.

I will then explain the causation to you.

Having a faster top speed causes you to be more efficient at longer distances. If this is too much for you to understand... it can never be explained.

His speed has had more than enough development in the 8-9 years between high school and college running. Now he is developing speed endurance.

shiftercar wrote:

You can tell from the interviews that he wants to. It's just a matter of him devoting a huge block of his training to do it, which isn't likely for the next 8 years.

Give it up. He's a real man, a thonner. He runs full thons not that pussy half mary shit.

I read somewhere that Tergats PR in the mile was like 3:59 or so....i also remember reading that he ran the last kilometer of a cross race at sub 4 minute pace. Some guys are just built for endurance. Tons of people have run faster in the mile than Tergat but only a couple have run faster in the 10k and half marathon and only one has run faster in the marathon.

lohalloran wrote:

I read somewhere that Tergats PR in the mile was like 3:59 or so....i also remember reading that he ran the last kilometer of a cross race at sub 4 minute pace. Some guys are just built for endurance. Tons of people have run faster in the mile than Tergat but only a couple have run faster in the 10k and half marathon and only one has run faster in the marathon.

Tergat split a 3:58.7 mile on his way to a 7:28 3k...You would think he could have gone at least 3:54 in a mile race...he did have some speed.

That's sort of the point...even someone who you think is a pure endurance runner developed his speed enough to be just about world class at 3000m...it seems Hall hasn't done that, at least recently.