Wow... "I'm not into running an American record in front of 30 people and a bunch of trees."

You added the at championships part. He references making the US team which Webb did the year he ran his 3:46, he won USAs in 3:34 beating Lagat and Manzano.

I think he is calling out people who run fast at meets like Mt. SAC or Stanford then don't make it to the big show.

He is also calling out the super low key AR attempts like Webb but I don't think he is calling out Webb in terms of championship racing.

haha, YO wrote:

but I don't think he is calling out Webb in terms of championship racing.

You couldn't be more wrong. The two have some history. On a side note, it will be interesting to see how Flanagan does in the next couple of years under the new coach.

Cook Diss wrote:

Followed by, "I'm all about performing when it counts... at championships".

Could he have dissed Webb any more? I love this guy.

I would much prefer to be Alan Webb than to be John Cook. This 'dis' is lame, pointless, and childish--just like John Cook tends to be (e.g. his rude and pointless attacks on Flanagan and Donahue after they left him). My coach is vastly more successful than Mr. Cook, and would never say anything remotely like this about another athlete. Show some class, LRC.

And just what does Cook have to his name? Coaching a woman to a bronze? Congrats, that'd be similar to coaching a D3 male runner to qualify for nats.

He should shut his whoreish mouth until he actually gets some real runners to a high level, which will never happene, so basically he just needs to shut the f up. He's just trying to get publicity anyway.

I think the dis was more towards Steve Holman who ran 3:50 and 3:31 but always had trouble making the US team.

Cook Diss wrote:

Followed by, "I'm all about performing when it counts... at championships".

Could he have dissed Webb any more? I love this guy.

I was taken aback at that dbag quote on the front page.

But I guess Cook can talk, what with all his accomplished and such, and you know he is a genius who was walked in each athletes shoes and understands each individual athlete perfectly.

His kind of attitude is exactly what hurt American distance running for so long; old fashioned macho bullshit.

What you think doesn't matter Cook; how a coach coaches each individual athletes psychology so that the athlete is best positioned to perform when needed -- that is what is important.

If you want to slam someone, why don't you take on coaches, by name, and not issue some veiled pansy assed attack on athletes.

Whatever respect I had for this coach rocked down by 99% with that quote.

Ha... I didn't even realize that was the quote on the front page! Too funny. I guess I wasn't the only one who was taken back by that comment. I saw it as a diss to both Webb and Holman.

Cook is very accomplished and I'm glad he says what he thinks and says the truth. He doesn't bs. Its not bashing or being rude... its speaking the truth.

Cook is an idiot. Very few athletes will ever set an American record in a championship. Cook certainly hasn't.

What kind of history would Webb have with Cook?

Cook wasn't really involved with Webb was he?

After Webb set the High School Record in the mile, wasn't it a big thing how people thought it was cheap that he was in a big meet racing El Guerrouj and Lagat, and couldn't have done it by himself? Didn't people think that Jim Ryun was much better for be able to break 4 in a high school only race, and didn't get a huge opportunity to run with the type of professionals Webb ran with in high school? It was heavily thought that Jim Ryun was better than Webb for the things he did by himself (like maybe at a high school only meet with no professionals and a couple trees).

Either way, people are huge hypocrites, clearly hate Webb and are clearly looking for ways to hate him. He runs a 3:53 at the pre classic, so people say that it's cheap (he's running with too many good professionals in front of too many people in Oregon). So, he runs a 3:46 a few years later by himself (his pacing was not perfect, especially the rabbit doing the third lap, so he did have to do a lot by himself). But oh man now that he's showing he does have talent and doesn't need professionals to push him at a small meet with some trees, he's terrible and is "only a time trialer."

Inferior Webb for needing help and a crowd in high school to get the record, then inferior Webb for running fast by himself. He's done it all yet everyone hates it all. There is absolutely nothing wrong with him.

I don't think there is anything wrong with Webb, but I still love Cook and his comment.

This nonsense that Webb can't perform at the big meets is ridiculous. He did well at World Champs (and he would have done better had he not peaked too early or had he been a better racer), he's won USATFs, he's won on the European circuit and he has time trialed some phenomenal times. He can do it all. He'll run 12:45 and 3:45 if he can get it together physically again... though time is certainly running out.

Doesn't change my thoughts about Cook.

And Malmo, I like you and Cook. You both say idiotic things at times, but you both have sound training ideas. I have blended much of what you think and what Cook thinks to come up with a pretty nice program for myself.

He is about as much of an idiot as you are... and like I said, I am an admirer of yours.

Take Care!

not disagreeing with anything in your post - but wanted to point out that I believe Webb did break 4 in high school (more than once maybe?) in high school only competition.

An American record is a great achievement no matter where or in front of whom it is done. But his claim was just that championships are more important (and he is not claiming that you should run AR's at championships). As for his credentials, this much I know: he coached Abdi Bile to World Championships gold in 1987, Shalane Flanagan to an Olympic bronze, and Shannon Rowbury to a World Champs bronze. How many other distance medals (other than the latter two) have American born runners achieved in the past thirty years? I can think of Scott, Spivey, Kenah, Abshire, and beyond that it gets tough.

"He'll run 12:45 and 3:45 if he can get it together physically again..."

I agree with the majority of the stuff everybody on this thread says but 12:45 is wishful thinking. Not reality.

jjjjjjjjj wrote:

An American record is a great achievement no matter where or in front of whom it is done. But his claim was just that championships are more important (and he is not claiming that you should run AR's at championships). As for his credentials, this much I know: he coached Abdi Bile to World Championships gold in 1987, Shalane Flanagan to an Olympic bronze, and Shannon Rowbury to a World Champs bronze. How many other distance medals (other than the latter two) have American born runners achieved in the past thirty years? I can think of Scott, Spivey, Kenah, Abshire, and beyond that it gets tough.

Krummenacker, Kastor, Spence, blanking on the name of the woman who got bronze in the 1992 OG 10000m, Goucher

12:45 is crazy talk. No way. 12:55, maybe.

Also Samuelson, Decker and Gallagher. Teg won bronze at the world cup. Ritz got a bronze in the junior xc, and Hasay won silver at world youths.

Lynn Jennnings.

ehhhh wrote:

not disagreeing with anything in your post - but wanted to point out that I believe Webb did break 4 in high school (more than once maybe?) in high school only competition.

How many times did he break 4? I thought it was just new balance games (professional/collegiate competition), and pre classic (professional competition)