Erin Donahue 4:03.9 - the USA women 1500 dominance continues!

dnixon wrote:

No, but you're an embarrassment to the human race for making such a statement, and statements like yours just betray you as one of the new breed of privately vicious cowards.

If you had a thimble full of the the courage and tenacity and work ethic she had you might actually go somewhere in life.

Bravo to Erin. She just scored a 1.2 second PR and is closing in on 4:00. I hope she proves Coach Cook to be wrong.

I completely agree. I remember reading articles a while ago about her split with Cook, and how he completely rejected her Olympic medal dreams. I understand that Cook is a straightforward guy, and that Erin is still a longshot at best to one day medal on the World stage, but there is nothing more satisfying than seeing her improve and climb the ranks in spite of Cook's perceptions of her lack of potential. Go Erin!

I think the US women are deeper/faster than the entire European Continent.

Barringer, Pierce, Wurth-Thomas, Rowbury, Uceny, Donohue, Clement, even Flanagan

I think Cook was referring to her always doing her own training and ignoring her weaknesses. He said she would not break 4 without overcoming her weaknesses. And she did not listen to him. That's why the coach-athlete relationship did not work.

revisionist history wrote:

I think Cook was referring to her always doing her own training and ignoring her weaknesses. He said she would not break 4 without overcoming her weaknesses. And she did not listen to him. That's why the coach-athlete relationship did not work.

"But the underlying problems came to the forefront three weeks ago when Cook and Donohue had a disagreement over her career potential. The two parted ways with Donohue looking for a new coach, possibly Frank Gagliano or Marcus O'Sullivan. That gave Flanagan and Edwards the out they needed to cut away from Cook and move in a different direction.

Said Donohue: "I expressed to Coach Cook my goals for the next four years [running under 4:00 in the 1,500 and being in contention for a medal for the 2012 Olympics] and my willingness to work harder to reach them. He told me that I'm not talented enough to run that fast and that he doesn't want to work toward goals [that] he believes are unattainable. He told me officially on Monday, Jan. 19, that he would not coach me anymore. And I agreed that he probably shouldn't be my coach if he thinks I can't get much better."

Cook, who has made friends and foes with his directness, countered: "The fact [is] that Erin does not make it with Shannon. It is not Shannon's fault. [Shannon] is a really nice person. Erin needs to know she is only as good as she is. There will be not 4:00. That is a dream."

Longshot - with a 4.03 she is still a longshot to make the US team let alone get a medal, and is still at her age a long way from sub-4.00. How is Cook wrong? Heck Twell, who is slow (speed-wise) has run 4.03 as a 20-year old, so it's nothing yet to crow about, as I wouldn't bet on Twell making the British team in 2012 at 1500m.

Great that ED is improving, maybe Cook's dumping her has got her to think straight - who hasn't done that as a coach to get otherwise recalcitrant runners to face up to their development and do something about it.

Look this has been a huge PR for her. Who knows where she will be in another 2 years.

name of the game wrote:

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Great that ED is improving, maybe Cook's dumping her has got her to think straight - who hasn't done that as a coach to get otherwise recalcitrant runners to face up to their development and do something about it.

No, wrong. IIRC, it was Donahue that "wanted to do something about it", by wanting to increase workload/mileage to take advantage of her strength. IIRC, Cook's attitude with her (and/or Flanagan, was that he wasn't interested in training marathoners.

revisionist history wrote:

I think Cook was referring to her always doing her own training and ignoring her weaknesses. He said she would not break 4 without overcoming her weaknesses. And she did not listen to him. That's why the coach-athlete relationship did not work.

No!

I don't think it had anything to do with what you just said; from what I was told, Cook categorically told Erin that she is basicly a national class runner. This is one of the reasons I always cheer for her, plus the fact that she one of the nicest athletes on the pro circuit.

HL wrote:

Said Donohue: "He told me that I'm not talented enough to run that fast and that he doesn't want to work toward goals [that] he believes are unattainable."

Why should Cook waste his time, when she was doing her own thing and not listening to him. He was right.

Part of the talent to succeed, is to do what it takes to achieve.

Here we go again...

1. Cook coached her when no one else would, when she was running at night on Nike's campus track with a head lamp. He helped her get to national caliber, WC and Olympic teams and a huge step up in times. Something they should both be proud of.

2. They had a falling out. She wanted to change her training to something completely different (lydiard?) because she plataued that year. Which happens. She wanted to break 4 min last year and Cook told her that was pretty fast and felt they should make a more realistic goal. And he told her he has his program, which he understands and wont change it because of googling on the internet.

3. Something happened during camp in Mexico. Speculate what you want, but sounded like some jealousy about others and disruption. But he brought her to camp, on his own budget, because he was planning to coach her for 2009 (which I doubt he wouldn't do if he didn't believe in her and all tnat hooey)

I'm glad to see her still improving and cheer her on.

But Cook never said she wouldn't get better.

Time to move on...

That's a nice PR for Donahue with a 2nd place finish.

4:03.91

Sometimes everyone has to be happy with their work relationships.

Everyone in the discussion is doing well right now so I only see positives here.

Itz the Water in the case of Donohue, Rupp, Nelson, Manzano.

Thank you to the moderators for deleting the misogynistic post to which my earlier one was directed.

Couldn't agree more. Erin is a great girl. Cook is a great coach.

This story is old news and dwelling on it is not healthy for Erin, her family and friends or for Cook and his athletes, family and friends.

Please get over it...Time to move on!

So how is it that Erin's finishng 3rd is an indication of USA women 1500 dominance? Winning would be one thing. But it is not domination to finish 3rd. Sorry.

look for phoebe wright to be a sub 4 for 1500 as well.

Not since the Russians and Chinese has there been such a production of fast middle distance women from the same nation.

She was second, not third.

Man that is fast. Man 4:03 is a good time. Man it takes strong legs.