To Everyone Hating on Dobson For Miscounting Laps - Read This (Involves Chris Derrick)

It is something that has probably happened to a very large percentage of people who run distance races.

It is something that requires you to be in the zone. If you feel completely terrible with 5 laps to go then you are going to know exactly how far you have to go because you just want the thing to be over with but if you feel great then you are going to be focused much more on the moves being made around you and hammering out the pace.

Bummer for Ian, expect some great races out of him this year though.

I should have prefaced my post by saying, "I'm not sure if this has already been pointed out elswhere or not." I looked on the Dobson thread and didn't see it anywhere.

I shared this info as I found it to be interesting and don't like how people are needlessly criticizing an Olympian. Miscounting laps is clearly something that can happen to the greatest of all runners (remember Bekele?).

rojo...you seem to have deleted my post rather than deleting the eddylee thread. thank you.

rojo,

With all due respect, Chris Derrick miscounted his laps and then had the will & courage to finish the race.

Ian Dobson likewise miscounted his laps and subsequently dropped out of the race after making the most feeble attempt I have ever seen at getting back in behind Teg and chasing he and Cragg down.

Honestly, it looked as if Dobson had settled for 2nd anyways in what he thought was his final 100 meters. Unless he was totally gassed, wouldn't you think he would have had a bit more of a kick against Cragg before the gun lap if he really thought that was the finish? On the contrary, it looked like Dobson was just on cruise control the last 150 meters or so.

I'm not crucifying the guy for miscounting laps but, come on, finish the race, Ian. As rojo pointed out, even Chris Derrick knew to do that.

Chris Derrick is a FRESHMAN, running his first year of collegiate track. His first year that the 5000 meter is an event.

Rojo, do you have a difeerent level of expectations for your freshman than you do for your seniors?

Would you have a different level of expectations for your Olympians (if you coached them) than you do for your seniors?

Your attempt to defend Ian Dobson is instead an incredible put down. Think of it this way. If you had a freshman do the same thing and you decided to comfort him by telling him that a middle school kid made the same mistake. I doubt it would be very effective.

Derrick did the following which Dobson did not:

a) he confirmed with the clock and didn't actually stop running.

b) gutted it out and still challenged for the win.

c) dropped a more representative amount of F'ing in the interview.

Chris "F" Derrick.

C.F.D.

The big blue.

The Stanford Sailor Mouth.

Derrick got an F in English.

F to the U to the Chris Derrick

Christof*** Derrick

Did Bekele drop out?

Frankly, it's a pretty egregious error for one doing what one does for a living. Can you imagine screwing up something that fundamental at your job? Say, handing in a report that, upon closer review, is not 100% finished, as you initially believed, but actually is only 92% finished...? Then, after you realize your mistake, just saying, Ah, F it. I'm done.

I can totally understand HOW it happens, while still thinking there's no reason it ever SHOULD happen to a professional... short of some sort of clerical error on the part of the officials. That it happened to someone else the same night doesn't make the first person any less accountable for his own mistake.

Bekele did not drop out but finished way behind....Craigg of all people (whats this guy doing to his competitors?)but still got 2nd. Although it was on an indoor track, so running another 200 is alot different than running another 400. I was there and saw it happen.

My friend and i were both amazed he was kicking that hard w/ two laps to go. At first we were impressed, but we both realized a half lap into it that he must think it was the last lap. So did lots of others and there was a collective gasp as he was sprintiong to what he thought was the finish.

It was weird because I forgot who won the women's 5k that day (WR) but she was ethiopian and they played some music (the ethiopian anthem?)during her final bell lap. Weird, but whatever. Well over the loudspeakers on the mens 3k they started playing it w/ 2 laps to go in anitcipation of a bekele win. Weird again, but i wonder if bekele heard it and thought it was the last lap. The whole thing was werid.

The huge ethiopian crowd was so noisy and excited but when he pulled up on the last lep and Craigg went by you could have heard a pin drop in the whole arena. Bekele started running again but it was over.

bekele said thats part of racing. you forget that part and you may lose. Glad Derrick was able to collect himself, but his didn't seem like an last lap kind of effort. Blabbity bla bla blaaah. Sorry.

rojo wrote:

I was reading the other thread where people were ripping on Dobson for not realizing how many laps were left in the 10k.

Dobson ran the 5k, not 10k.

I know because Teg was in the race and he doesn't run 10ks.

People should remember that Bekele's head was in a different place during that BIG race with Cragg. His wife had passed away three weeks earlier. He lost a 2M race shortly after too.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/athletics-heartbroken-bekele-laments-a-greater-loss-than-another-race-484145.html

Before the 2008 olympic marathon trials, the Hanson's did a 26.2k time trial through Central Park. Brian Sell kept going past 26.2k unaware that he was supposed to be done. He too was feeling good and in "the zone". It happens to the best of us...

Derrick figured it out with 2 laps to go, before his kick, and adjusted. Dobson didn't figure it out until almost a lap to go, after his kick.

That was a workout on a course he'd rarely, if ever, run before, and an unusual distance.

This was a track! People would kill Kobe Bryant if he decided, oh well, I played hard, no need to push it the last minute.

Goals of this early season race:

#1 get the standard

#2 get a race in their legs

Craig-

one of two

Tegenkamp-

one of two

Dobson-

one of two

Dobson's not going to drop out of a race that matters. In fact, in 2007 at Nationals he didn't have a standard, the race wasn't fast enough to get the standard, and he toughed it out.

Be tough when it matters is what's good. Being tough when it doesn't is pointless.

I suppose you people probably think the guys who have 10 year no day off streaks are the tough ones. Hobbling around when they should take time off and get faster instead of faking 'tough"

I'm surprised no one's mentioned that Craigg and Teg kicked just as hard as Dobson on the second to last lap--in fact, Dobson thought he was kicking in to the finish, whereas the other two knew they had another lap to go, and yet, Dobson still did not cross the finish line in first. He was in second or third after a kick against people who were not kicking, so he was not going to win this race regardless. It's hard to imagine he would have been anything but third.

Sometimes miscounting laps can be a good thing. At the Indiana state meet in the 3200 a few years back, a kid made a huge move with about 1300 to go, thinking he had about 900 left. The move was so drastic and done so early that nobody tried to go with him and he put a huge lead on the field. I remember thinking, "Man, I hope he knows he has 3 laps left!" Turns out, he didn't. He kicked hard on what he thought was his last lap and crossed the line, hands in the air like he just won the meet. An official told him of his error and he continued on, jogging the first 100 or so before he found enough energy to "kick" in the last 200. He had such a huge lead that he ended up winning anyway and his time was still pretty decent, somewhere in the 9:05-9:10 range.

I don't get it.

Don't they usually have lap counters?

he didn't have his glasses