If you’re going to enter the race and not go for the win, why even lace up the spikes and get on the starting line?

It probably has some value as a mentality at that level.

If you're like me at a local road race, and the 5k winner will be 2 minutes ahead of you, there's no point in starting at the line going "I can win this."

PB's count for something

toro wrote:

to all runners who have towed the line

toed the line not towed

I don't think he's speaking generally about all runners. I'd take it as those who are in the elite fields competing for a spot on the world championship team, or olympic team. Those runners that would be considered professional and competing for those spots need to toe the line with the intention of winning or else why run professionally...

toro wrote:

There are often many subplots within a race besides who will cross the finish line first.

In high school, yes. In college, yes. In road races, most definitely.

In Olympic or World Championship competitions as a member of the US or Kenya or Ethiopia teams? No. Absolutely not. Those guys are there to WIN - for gold, with another color medal a consolation. Finishing is no consolation. A PB is no consolation. Unfortunately, those sub-par finishes have been a good enough consolation for too many Americans for far too long. Thankfully, we have a new crop of distance runners whose mentality is that of a winner, not a thankful also-ran. I don't want to see Solinsky line up and be thankful he ran 12:54 to finish 12th. I would rather see him run 13:30 and get a medal. I would even rather see him run 12:49 and win a medal. No matter the time, though, I want to see him right in the mix of the leaders going for the win at all times. Same for Teg, same for Lagat, same for Wheating, same for Rupp.

I think it was a direct shot at AlSal and Rupp.

When you look at the good runners you do have the time trialers and the racers.

The statement by itself doesn't stand up well.

Even among professionals certain races are done in preperation to build up to the ultimate goal down the road of winning in the future if not now.

From the perspective he is coming from, it's fine.

It's the coach talking to his athlete or the athlete talking to himself.

Setting expectations.

It just comes off as an indictment of all runners who line up.

It works in specific situations, not as a generality.

I doubt Chris was talking about all runners. Of course his theory doesn't make sense for high school runners, college, local road races, etc.

But when you're a professional runner and you go to the World Championships representing your country, you should go with the intention of trying to win. Especially when you're a runner like Chris Solinsky with world class PBs. Winning would be a long shot for a guy like Chris, but certainly not impossible. So he should go for it.

i kinda like running wrote:

I doubt Chris was talking about all runners. Of course his theory doesn't make sense for high school runners, college, local road races, etc.

But when you're a professional runner and you go to the World Championships representing your country, you should go with the intention of trying to win. Especially when you're a runner like Chris Solinsky with world class PBs. Winning would be a long shot for a guy like Chris, but certainly not impossible. So he should go for it.

Exactly. He clearly is talking about world-level championship racing. I agree wholeheartedly. If you're in his kind of situation and not running for the win in the global championship race, why the hell are you racing?

I'm not offended by his comment. He runs in a very different context than most of us.

toro wrote:

toro wrote:

to all runners who have towed the line

toed the line not towed

He may have meant towed the line. Maybe he was talking about taking the line somewhere else, which obviously towing would be the easiest method to move it.

With that mentality we will see Big Chris dropping from way more races than he will finish...