First of all, you just cant compare Americans with East Africans. Do you understand that when there ages are in the SINGLE DIGITS SINGLE DIGITS some of them are doing 100 miles per week to school? Do you understand that thousands of kids are doing this and that Running is their national sport? They play almost no sports that don't involve running. All their games are running. They are genetically freaked people who have huge air capacities because they live at altitiude and when Kenyans run, THEY RUN. You have thousands, literally thousands, of kenyans that could break a sub-2:20 BECAUSE THEY SEE IT OUT LIKE IT IS THERE WHERE OUT OF POVERTY.
They run in training until they collaspe, even at young ages of 12 and 13 they run 3:20 marathons at altitiude in the hills. And thats not even the best, just some of the Kenyan Kids.
Do you seriously see American Kids running like that? Most play sports like soccer where, yeah, they can maybe run 8 minute miles for 3-4 miles if there in great shape for Soccer, but most dont run competitively until High School. The Kenyan and Ethopian kids already have a good 5-6 years on them anyway and even for people in Cross Country most of them dont even train as much as the Kenyan Kids. Numbers and time is what its all about. When you have that much running in Kenya, that much natural talent, your likely to get some insanely great Kenyan runners.
Lukas Verzbicas is an insanely talented runner. When we get a runner who runs 14:18 indoors when he's 15 you know that is talent. He only runs 60 mpw and swims and bikes alot of the time. Once(or hopefully) he switches from triing to professional running and actually starts pushing(we know he doesnt) then he will be there with the Africans. He might not be the best, and I highly highly doubt he'll be the next Gebrsalassie or Bekele, but no one wants to see another african win more titles.
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So hold on. Because Americans work less hard and have less running experience and just because they live in your country they are better then the Africans? I'm sick of everyone saying how Ritz, Alan, and Ryan are so great when if they were african they would barely get any credit at all. Don't get me wrong all of them are incredible runners, but why should they get any more credit then Kenyans? I thought running was a sport that everyone could participate in and that when someone beats someone they are better? I guess I was wrong though.
Seriously though why would someone think that because your an American and your running 3:50 mile than your better than an African running a 3:45-3:46 mile? And in my opinion watching runs at the World level are much better than watching The U.S.A. Track and Field Championships. Would you rather see the Olympic Games winner or a winner of the U.S.A. Track and Field Championships? Clearly most Americans these days would rather see the Track and Field Championships...So you guys can go watch your U.S.A. runners, but just in my opinion I think watching it on a world level is better. And if an American wins, great. If not, they don't.