Willard wins in 1.58.80

You don't get style points in a race. This ain't figure skating. First runner across the line wins. Last I checked Anna was there before everyone else. Well done.

Vessey is running in Ghent on Tuesday... fastest PR of the field.

hmmm? wrote:

Vessey is running in Ghent on Tuesday... fastest PR of the field.

Ducking the better competition, eh?

She'd have been eaten alive in Paris. Go Anna!

hmmm? wrote:

Vessey is running in Ghent on Tuesday... fastest PR of the field.

Great! I hope she breaks 2 minutes.

My prediction for Paris was Vessey, Willard, Rowbury, Clark.

I was right on except that Vessey did not run. Willard is fast and strong but she ran a horrible pace 57-62 yikes, that is terrible pacing. She should be able to better that easily.

I am excited about the women's team for Berlin and hope that Vessey is a part of it.

Yard Man wrote:

hmmm? wrote:

Vessey is running in Ghent on Tuesday... fastest PR of the field.

Ducking the better competition, eh?

She'd have been eaten alive in Paris. Go Anna!

Why are a lot of the Anna Willard fans so pompous and nasty?

It makes me not want to root for her even though I think she is awesome!

Try to humble yourselves and enjoy the fact that our US female middle distance runners are tearing it up right now!

Something that hasn't happened in quite awhile.

Got around to seeing the race this morning. Great tactics by Willard. She showed good strength and speed.

The French girl tried to shove her early in the race and that might have fired her up.

Don't get me wrong. She is thin but she isn't naturally thin like some of the other women in the race. But she isn't thick like a Mutola either. She has a unique body type that is stronger than some of the other women runners but it looks like she has potential to gain weight easier than other women too.

Yard Man wrote:

hmmm? wrote:

Vessey is running in Ghent on Tuesday... fastest PR of the field.

Ducking the better competition, eh?

She'd have been eaten alive in Paris. Go Anna!

I thought that it was too soon for her to have another high-level race. She does need to go 2:00 (and not have #3 go sub-2) and she has to figure what are her best chances of doing so. In the short-term this is what is important for her. Even if she does not make it to Berlin, she has not gotten entree to major meets (and not getting top four at USATF is beginning to look like less of a big failure, as US women have now won four major races, although Jelimo is now, finally, looking like she is getting back on track. However, I do not expect 1:54.0 this year, although her racing strategy, where she pushes the middle 400m might be the best one for getting top times and she has the right tools for that strategy (and Vessey probably does not).

Vessey wins big races wrote:

Why are a lot of the Anna Willard fans so pompous and nasty?

.

I haven't seen many anna fans be pompous or nasty. I have seen a hell of a lot of people say she has a big gut, which I just think is bullshit. I love Anna, think she's sexy as hell, and think she's an extremely good personality for the marketability of our sport. But I also love what is happening in women's mid distance running in the US right now - Rowbury, Wurth-Thomas, Barringer, Willard, Vessey, etc. I cheer for them all.

The Vessey fans are just jealous of Anna. Vessey is tall, better looking, but slower. Put up a letsrun.com poll and she wins hands down.

Unfortunately, a 3000m steepler has a faster 800m PR and is winning golden league meet at Vessey's event -- while Vessey sits on the sidelines -- the horror! So they make fun of Anna's gut.

Vessey Fans wrote:

The Vessey fans are just jealous of Anna. Vessey is tall, better looking, but slower. Put up a letsrun.com poll and she wins hands down.

Unfortunately, a 3000m steepler has a faster 800m PR and is winning golden league meet at Vessey's event -- while Vessey sits on the sidelines -- the horror! So they make fun of Anna's gut.

C-- on this comment. "On the sidelines"; runners are supposed to run every race on the circuit? She was scheduled too close and needed a longer break - she is too new on the scene to be racing too much and she should be aiming at only one more race -- to get the "A" (if it matters; i.e., the other runners getting As make it moot).

Seems AW now sees her opportunity as a 1500m runner. Vessey has won two major races this season; super breakthrough year for her and she will learn better how to race in top level competition but has done almost unbelievably well this season.

by the way, 'Vessey Fans', how did you do on the international scene in your first season?

Learn to read, dude. I am not slamming Vessey.

Vessey Fans wrote:

Learn to read, dude. I am not slamming Vessey.

My reading is fine, your writing is less than clear.

It's sad that people can't appreciate both of these women.

As for "competition," Vessey ran in Rome, a Golden League meet. She's faced the competition, In any case, at this very moment, the point for her is NOT competition with other humans. She has one goal and one goal only, and that's to get under 2:00, and if she can do it at a place like Ghent, fine. She can worry about "competition" when and if she gets to Berlin.

Any link to the race?

7:20 pm Ghent time.

Start list

VESSEY Maggie USA 800M 2'00

JOHNSON Alysia USA 800M 2'02

GREEN Nikeya USA 800M 2'03

HOWARD Julia CAN 800M 2'04

MACLEAN Leanna CAN 800M 2'04

JOHNSTONE Rebecca CAN 800M 2'05

MUNCAN Marina SRB 800M 2'05

DEBROUX Charlotte BEL/DCLA 800M 2'05

DE GRANDE Lindsey BEL/OEH 800M 2'05

VAN DEN HURK Anne NED 800M 2'05

PETERS Celia CAN 800M 2'06

HARDY Melanie USA 800M 2'08

It makes you wonder if the resurgence of women's mid distance has been triggered by the fact that Suzie and Regina finally got out of the way (retirement and or drug related) and left the door wide open for all these newbies to explore an event so dominated by the two of them for so long.

You folks should take it easy and enjoy the competition - best year ever in American women's middle distance running. We've been waiting for this since Mary Decker was 14 years old.