Post-Fontaine wrote:
But it is a team race.
This kid was dotting the "i" in TEAM and cost his school the win. As I was suggesting in my original post, coaches, fans and athletes fetishize this spirit of Pre to the point that we inspire the ridiculous. I'd put this particular race in the category of stunt racing that we see out of Famiglietti . Yeah, it's fun to watch a guy gamble like that but in this case he wasn't just playing with his own money.
And to illustrate just how extreme this move was I'll point out again that he spent several days in the hospital following the meet. This wasn't just taking a stab at the win this was the Return of Falmouth.
You keep using the word "stunt" and "ridiculous" to describe the move the athlete made. I'm curious as to what you're basing this opinion on? The fact he bonked and had issues really isn't proof of anything. It could be he learned a lesson about nutrition or hydration. It could be he was getting sick. You have no way of knowing what caused him to hit the wall.
You're making this move out to be some insane move that was way over the head of the athlete. The athlete that won did so by 17 seconds. The athlete that bonked had beaten the second place finisher twice this year by 7 and 15 seconds. He was a legitimate contender for the state title. He had won most of his races this year. He was a national xc champion in JO's last year. He is an experienced racer.
I'm not necessarily saying it was the right tactical move in hindsight, but to get on here and make statements that a freshman in high school was making "stunt" moves,"dotting th I in team" etc. is irrespsonsible when the reality is you had a kid running all out doing the best he could to help his team win. You're an idiot if you think the athlete that bonked didn't have a team title as a goal.
Our bodies react in funny ways sometimes that aren't the same as how they've reacted in the past. It is a fine line between giving all you have by the time you hit the finish line and ending up hitting the wall with 200m to go. As athletes we all learn lessons as we mature. I'm sure this 15 year old will take some lessons from Saturday, but the move he made was far from a "stunt" move that showed a lack of respect for his team.