A Must Read: Ryan Hall Talks Confidently in USA Today, Says Mahon Didn't Believe In Him

Don't take it personal, it's just that nobody likes you.

Coach I can run 1:58 if I take a day off.

Ryan, please, let's be serios.

I'm Out!

virginia runner wrote:

Bit bot wrote:

Doesn't Geoffrey Mutai coach himself? I thought I read that or heard that after his run in New York.

Renato Canova is his coach I believe.

I'm pretty sure Geoffrey Mutai is self coached and that Canova coaches Moses Mosop.

ace hood wrote:

rojo wrote:

To me, questioning someone's desire and not believing in them are two different things.

You try to create controversy out of everything. That's all it is.

I'm trying to do the exact opposite of create controversy by explaining the article in depth instead of saying "Hall says Mahon questioned his desire" when I don't know that to be true even though the article said that.

If I put up a link that said, 'Hall says Mahon questioned his desire.' That would have been done to create controversy.

I purposely didn't do that even though when I read the article the one thing that jumped out me most was that desire comment.

When I read it, I was like "Wow."

Consider This wrote:

Sp!kes wrote:

How many great runners coached themselves? I'm not saying it can't be done, I just don't know of many.

Culpepper kinda coached himself after he left Colorodo, right?

Who else?

Kenenisa Bekele.

Not true!

Ryan Hall is a hardcore nutbag who happens to be physically gifted.

Ryan Hall would be an interesting person if he wasn't such a religious nutjob. To think that God, if he were to exist, would actually care about the outcome of a specific race and guide a runner through it, is the height of self-absorption.

Dear Ryan: God might exist. If he does, he doesn't care how well you race. He doesn't care whether you take a day off, or how you train. You are one among seven billion. God devotes one seven-billionth of his energy to you. Keep that in mind next time you open your mouth.

agip wrote:

just a comment here - I am liking this Ryan Hall character more and more - fire your coach? check. go train alone in flipping Redding, Ca? Check. Repeatedly surge to the lead in Boston on WR pace? check. Sense of humor? check. largely cliche-free interviews? check. Talk about religion but not have it be preachy and annoying? check.

Whatever you think of his beliefs, Hall is the most interesting marathoner out there since Al Sal. Maybe they're both a bit nutty, but that's what makes them interesting people.

Average_Joe wrote:

rojo wrote:

To me, questioning someone's desire and not believing in them are two different things.

Anyone have thoughts on this?

You are seriously overthinking this. They might mean the same thing to him and they might not but if he said both maybe he just means both.

That was the point, Hall did not say both things. It was the USA writer (as Rojo clearly states) that said the quote about questioning the desire, most likely assuming something that maybe not true based on Ryan's quote.

I don't mind if someone believes in God but this guy is so far over the top with the stuff he says that there's nothing I can really do but ridicule him. Sorry.

Looking forward to seeing Hall make the team, don't know if he's medal material in the OG's but I'll pull for him.

All the God talk, well I'm glad it works for him. But ferchrissakes, I honestly don't wanna hear so much about it. Give it a rest. We all have beliefs. We don't all blab about them constantly. Boring and ultimately stupid. I have my spiritual core but don't need to shove it down everyone's throat.

My general gut feeling about Hall is that he is committed to his religion more than anything else, including winning. He's part of the Charismatic movement, and it's a specific branch of Christianity that has its own particular quirks (as they all do). I think he'd rather "be filled with the Holy Spirit" while racing than use the cold calculation necessary to win, and I don't think he'd deny that (and probably use the same exact words). His run in Boston this year makes perfect sense in light of this. The joy and exhiliration he felt halfway through the race was worth a fourth-place finish (and, honestly, there was no f***ing way he was going to beat Mutai or Mosop anyway).

The athlete I find most comparable is Tom Byers, but Hall is better. Byers was a bit of a wild man and lived in the moment.

I'm an atheist, but when I see a wild-eyed fanatic, I think they are probably more capable of exceptional things than your average joe. By exceptional I don't necessarily mean great achievements, just outlier stuff. This could mean running 2:04, composing a great work or art, or blowing up a building.

My next door neighbors are a bit like Ryan and Sara. They freak me out a little bit even though they are down with the Jeez. Who knows WTF they will do.

Didn't Mark Nenow coach himself?

My Take Is: wrote:

I'm an atheist, but when I see a wild-eyed fanatic, I think they are probably more capable of exceptional things than your average joe. By exceptional I don't necessarily mean great achievements, just outlier stuff. This could mean running 2:04, composing a great work or art, or blowing up a building.

My next door neighbors are a bit like Ryan and Sara. They freak me out a little bit even though they are down with the Jeez. Who knows WTF they will do.

haha, well put. The Halls certainly are complete nuts, but they don't seem like the type that try hard to push their views on others, which makes them more entertaining than annoying. And I agree with you; if believing running is glorifying god is what helps Ryan Hall run fast, than so be it. Whatever works.

I am familiar with Ryans church Bethel, I have had friends go to school there and also randomly stopped by when traveling through the west. All the people at the church have almost exactly the same kind of care-free, God loving, joyful personality. Say what you want about Ryan and/or his church, but I'd take their joy over people on heres cynicism any day. It's like some of you people can't stand genuinely joyful happy people and must wallow in your misery.

Wahhh wrote:

I am familiar with Ryans church Bethel, I have had friends go to school there and also randomly stopped by when traveling through the west. All the people at the church have almost exactly the same kind of care-free, God loving, joyful personality. Say what you want about Ryan and/or his church, but I'd take their joy over people on heres cynicism any day. It's like some of you people can't stand genuinely joyful happy people and must wallow in your misery.

They are not really happy, idiot. Its smoke and mirrors, deep depression, appearances over reality and a desire to bring you in (to their misery). Why wouldn't you want to be happy too, right? You should join them and be happy like they are (is what they want you to think).

Similar to Mormons.

Sp!kes wrote:

They are not really happy, idiot. Its smoke and mirrors, deep depression, appearances over reality and a desire to bring you in (to their misery). Why wouldn't you want to be happy too, right? You should join them and be happy like they are (is what they want you to think).

Similar to Mormons.

wow, you sound quite miserable yourself. And alone.

Inf wrote:

Sp!kes wrote:

They are not really happy, idiot. Its smoke and mirrors, deep depression, appearances over reality and a desire to bring you in (to their misery). Why wouldn't you want to be happy too, right? You should join them and be happy like they are (is what they want you to think).

Similar to Mormons.

wow, you sound quite miserable yourself. And alone.

Actually, that's an accurate description of the sort of pseudo-ecstacy that professed believers often affect in order to bring others into their pyramid scheme.

The motive is the same for their "charitable" acts, which provide the added bonus of implying that religious belief is necessary for acts of compassion and even morality itself.