2009 CARLSBAD 5000 ELITE START LISTS

Wonder what kind of shape Cragg is in. Cherkos should be up front if he is any kind of shape at all.

Birmingham for the win.

What a boring list of runners in that race. Nothing to get excited for.

No Way wrote:

What a boring list of runners in that race. Nothing to get excited for.

I hope this was written tongue-in-cheek? You're not excited about Fam and Bauhs taking on the Ethiopians? You can get pumped up for Rowbury versus the Africans?

Best non-US Champs road race (not including marathons) of the year!

WHAT??!!!!

No Alan Webb????!!!!!!!

Don't think we've had this many Americans in this race in a while. Gonna be interesting to watch...

GO SCOTTY!!!

Keep that winning streak going

72 degrees forecasted

fam to take it out and win gun to tape,

although I would love cragg to do something, he is due a good race, go on the clonliffe harriers!!!

Shoemaker, FTW

Good luck armijo represent new mexico

That field has been watered down tremendously from year's past. Carlsbad had always brought in the top Eths and Kens and had a few local whites if they were cheap to get. I guess it's the economy again.

Nmoldster wrote:

Good luck armijo represent new mexico

Armijo is not running

So how do you get in the Elite race?

Do you have to be a pro?

Do they pay for your entry? Expenses? Travel costs?

Sign of the times wrote:

Carlsbad had always brought in the top Eths and Kens

Wrong. They have brought second tier Kenyans and Ethiopeyans. The big guns are not gonna travel to San Diego for a $5000 prize.

Yeah like Defar, Adere are not top tier.

So what's first tier if these guys came to a race with $5000 prize money?Meseret DefarTirunesh DibabaSammy KipketerVivan CheriyoutAbraham CherkosIsabella OchichiBerhane AdereWorknesh KidaneCraig MottramKim SmithDathan RitzenheinAlan WebbShannon RowburyMeb KeflezighiKhalid KhannouchiDeena Kastor

Strategist wrote:

Sign of the times wrote:

Carlsbad had always brought in the top Eths and Kens

Wrong. They have brought second tier Kenyans and Ethiopeyans. The big guns are not gonna travel to San Diego for a $5000 prize.

this years fields so called 2nd tier afriecan strength.

maregu zewdie 27:14 for 10k.

abraham feleke cherkos 12:54 for 5k as a 17 year old.

shadrack korir 3:31 for 1500

ali abdosh 13:01 for 5k

ibrahim jeylan 27:02 for 10k at age 17

daba bekana 13:04 for 5k (beat rupp at 5k indoors this year.

these are all young runners and all have run close to or faster than the american american records at legitimate distances, so beating them for an american is not mission impossible, but it is mission extremely difficult.

as far as the top tier africans not willing to race for 5k as the person who already posted the names of athletes who have competed here, shows the top tier do come, i mean its a 5k would there be any two 5k runners in history more top tier than tirunesh dibaba and meseret defar probably the 2 fastest 5k runners in history?

and carlsbad does not even give appearance money.

i just read an article carlsbad was going to get micah kogo, but he was denied a visa, anyways, i think at least 1 of the africans running sunday will go on to something great and people will say remember when ----- ran carlsbad, kind of like when carlsbad had pretty much unknown young giirls all about 16-21 years old like tirunesh dibaba, ejigu dibaba, shitaye ejigu, meseret defar and werknesh kidane, those unknowns are all having legendary careers or close to it and the oldest of that group is 27, so probably a lot more to come.