5 Years Ago Today (7/21) Alan Webb Set The AR In The Mile - Post Your Recollections Here

As a reader of "Sub 4" I had wanted so badly for him to fulfill his potential and this was the validation of that hope. There was a lot to cheer for and when he smashed the rest of the world in Paris at 1500 soon after, I thought that he had found the 2001 magic once more. Unfortunately, the years since then have been more disappointing than the years between 2001 and 2006. I still hope that he can get it back together, but I don't think Vig is the one to get it done. He already was in the right place last year in Portland.

Honestly, it was much the same feeling that I had yesterday when Jager got the Steeplechase record. It was the validation of the faith I had in Evan going back to HS like I did with ALan.

2007 was the first year I heard of Alan Webb. I heard of him because I was in high school at the time and would be checking armorytrack.com for results and stuff and I saw the headline of Alan Webb making his return to the armory to the New Balance Games 6 years to the day that he ran sub 4 indoors.

I watched that mile which he won in 3:56 and then just continued to follow Webb that season, not knowing much about him but just curious as to what else he would do. He than ran 3:55 later indoors, ran sub 4 at a couple small meets outdoors before destroying Lagat at the New York Grand Prix, running 3:51 at Drake, and then his AR mile of 3:46 which I watched on flotrack. 2007 was the first year I heard of Webb, and it just happened to be the year where he was currently in the best shape of his life. I became a fan ever since and followed him closely ever since

I remember chuckling at all the "who is Steve Scott?" threads.

I was fortunate to be in Brasschaat, Belgium that evening. The conditions were perfect for running as a number of other Americans also had PR's that night. People like Molly Huddle, Dathan Ritzenheim in their respective 5000 meters and some others. What I remember the most was how hard Webb ran a number of 100 meter pickups on the backstretch immediately before the start. He was really focused. For a while I didn't think he was going to make it to the starting line on time. The meet itself had about 300 spectators at best on a track in that community park, which is surrounded by woods. He ran very even splits & finished very strong. About 2 weeks later in Huesden-Zolder Belgium, he beat a great field in the 800 meters at the KBC Nacht meet, running 1:43 something. I don't know what went wrong at the world championships later that summer, but in July of 2007, Alan Webb was the best or close to the best middle distance runner in the world.

when he did it I though he'd go faster.

That was the fastest he got, it was all downhill from there.

It was like oh, wow!

Looking back it seems Webb did his best in races he had low pressure.

When he broke the HS record nobody expected him to do it.

When he broke the AR it was like a huge surprise and at a small time meet.

Too long ago to remember for sure, but I think my thought was that he was having a great season and was set up excellently for the 2008 Olympics. Boy, was I wrong!

My first thought was- how utterly unforgettable a record set on a time trial at some tiny little track meet would be. And so it is.

Then again, the way the record came down- it all makes sense in the non-linear world of the supremely gifted Webb's career.

I knew he was going for it and wished him good luck. He actually messaged me back on Facebook before his race. Guess he was just trying to pass the time in the hotel room. Pretty crazy that it's been 5 years since. I love watching that video and remember being absolutely stunned by the way he attacked that last 400m. Glad Webb got the AR. It's something tremendous to remember. Thanks for the post!

Like http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Maree and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_Mamede , Alan Webb had a great talent for succeeding when it didn't matter.

I was a senior in college and discussed whether or not he peaked too early for the US Championships/World Championships... Then how much rabbiting makes the sport so much more boring.

I remember mowing my lawn that day, then drank some milk and went to bed early. Had a dream about Suzy-Favor Hamilton.

Bring Back the Mile has posted a Webb AR recollection - enjoy!

http://bringbackthemile.com/news/detail/sparking_an_american_pastime

i've always been a huge AW fan, but the guy is a straight up headcase. too bad he couldn't fix his problems early in 08 and capitalize on his 07 season. i think his best days are behind him now.

gonchar wrote:

My first thought was- how utterly unforgettable a record set on a time trial at some tiny little track meet would be. And so it is.

Then again, the way the record came down- it all makes sense in the non-linear world of the supremely gifted Webb's career.

I'm assuming you meant to write 'forgettable' instead of 'unforgettable.'

I have a poor long term memory but my thoughts then are likely what they are now. What a waste of an opportunity.

What is wrong with the sport that this could even be allowed to be done in front of < 500 fans in the middle of nowhere in Europe with no tv/internet audience?

The whole sport - it's financial incentives, the shoe contracts, the agents - is broken almost beyond repair.

Imagine if Kobe Bryant was allowed to play his best games and paid handsomely by his #1 sponsor to do it in a locked gym with no tv cameras, fans, etc.

I thought to myself, geees, I ran 1.46.1 clean and if I had the same stuff as Alan I too might just have run 1.43 and 3.46 for the mile. And if this gets taken down this thread is a joke because that is EXACTLY the first and only thought I truly had.

I remember being very pleased for him, and thrilled at the *way* he'd run it (though the "modern" setup for manufacturing records is not as exciting to me as a real race). I was glad that he'd had the opportunity, and had taken advantage of it.

But I (among others) also had predicted, the year before, that he would not make the 2008 OG squad. For whatever reason(s), after his AR race I saw no reason to change that prediction--though I hoped it'd be wrong.

Simon Ripsnitch wrote:

I thought to myself, geees, I ran 1.46.1 clean and if I had the same stuff as Alan I too might just have run 1.43 and 3.46 for the mile. And if this gets taken down this thread is a joke because that is EXACTLY the first and only thought I truly had.

Oh, were you a 3:53 miler in high school as well?

I was very impressed that he broke the great Steve Scott's record. I like how he did it in a low-key race. Look, John Walker ran the first sub-3:50 mile in a low-key race, didn't he?

I have to say I had a sense of a guy who was more about running times than competing, however.

But what the heck, 2007 was the peak for Mr. Webb--he won major races at 800 and 1500, he runs a superb mile. That 1500 in France was one of the great 1500 wins by an American runner. ALAN WAS NOT GOING TO LOSE THAT RACE!

I think he could have medaled at the WC if his peak had been properly timed, given his prime wins earlier in the season. I don't know if he would have beaten Bernard Lagat or the cheater who took silver, but he mighta just blown them off the track.