Tegenkamp to retire

rojo wrote:

I was thinking about Teg and Solinsky the other day when I saw that Solinsky was now coaching in college.

My first thought was - i wonder if he and Teg are going to have some huge contract rollbacks in the coming years.

I don't know how the contracts work exactly but can imagine they are do for some serious rollbacks.

I imagine these guys were making six figures easily. If suddenly, you are 30+ and making $20k, it might be hard to be motivated.

Anyone have any idea on if the contracts would end in an Olympic year or the year after? What type of rollback could one expect?

Solinsky is not "coaching" at UP, he is a volunteer coach. For some programs that is really hands on but Solinksy will just use this for he resume' before he gets the job at UW in a few years. From where he lives it will take a good 35 min to get to UP (or from Nike) so I would be surprised if when he is in full training during track he is there more than once a week. When he does go I bet he runs too.

Not sure on the rollbacks. I doubt they would drop that much (down to 20k) they might have an option year coming up like Vaughn though. Maybe Teg is a little worried about that but the dude did just get 2nd in the Trials so he should be fine.

I bet he still feels the sting of being just .04 off of a medal at Osaka 5 years ago. I still think he can get it done in the 10k, or even the 5k still. He needs to run more fast races. Maybe attempt a sub-27 10k, or at the very least break his current PB. He does that, I think he'll perform better in championship races.

It's not a rollback if a contract expires.

Teg did okay this year, hammering Ritz at the end of the Olympic trials 10k to get second and go to London. He ran poorly there but the idea that he is over the hill is entirely in his mind. He's always been injury prone and is plenty young to go back under 13 and maybe even hammer a low 27 10k. How will he do at the half marathon and marathon? Probably very well.

Problem is though that the marathon is just as competitive as the track events, if not more so.

With all the East Africans running times in the 2:03-2:08 range, it will be very difficult to achieve more on the roads than on the track. And he would also have to learn to go with the mid-race surges like we say Wilson Kipsang do. And if Teg can't handle surges in a 10k, it's doubtful wether or not he'll be able to handle them anywhere else.

If you talked to Teg, you'd know that he doesn't have the fire that he used to. And that's fine - he's got a family to worry about now, and he's had a solid career. He isn't going to retire, but you can stop fantasizing about sub 27, sub 13, sub 2:08, etc.

yyy wrote:

no, the word on the street is that he will be running a fall marathon. probably Grandma

Grandma's in the fall, eh? Newsflash for you Einstein. Grandma's is in JUNE. Not exactly the fall.

Wait, what? Uceny is racing at Grandma's?

Teg and Solinsky should do the Half Marathon world champs

TrollSpotter wrote:

It's still weird to think that just 3 years ago he ran 12:58.

Just 3 years ago, he ran a 53 last lap to beat Solinsky in the 5000m of the US champs.

3 years ago he made it to the world final of the 5000m, but I have no idea why he couldn't deliver there..

I think he should go back to the 5k.

Are you joking? Why would he have been able to deliver there? Seriously are you insane??? Since when did being a 12:58 guy make you likely to deliver? Teg had an amazing year. Nobody expected him to medal though.

Retardalert. wrote:

TrollSpotter wrote:

It's still weird to think that just 3 years ago he ran 12:58.

Just 3 years ago, he ran a 53 last lap to beat Solinsky in the 5000m of the US champs.

3 years ago he made it to the world final of the 5000m, but I have no idea why he couldn't deliver there..

I think he should go back to the 5k.

Are you joking? Why would he have been able to deliver there? Seriously are you insane??? Since when did being a 12:58 guy make you likely to deliver? Teg had an amazing year. Nobody expected him to medal though.

I expected him to medal.

Teg ran a 53 last lap with a 26 sec last 200m, to finish a 13:20 race. The WC that year was won in 13:17, so the pacing was certainly similar, so it's reasonable to assume that he could have closed in 53 again to finish with the leaders. Why he couldn't, I don't know.

Also, his SB in 2009 (12:58) was right up there with the best in the world, so he was certainly as fit as the other guys.

Oh and, 'since when did being a 12:58 guy make you likely to deliver', you ask? Since 12:58 guy Rupp got silver. Since 12:59 guy Lagat won WC in 2007. BOOM!

TrollSpotter wrote:

Also, his SB in 2009 (12:58) was right up there with the best in the world, so he was certainly as fit as the other guys.

When Teg ran 12:58 in Brussels, he came in 7th place in the race.

Ya, and just a few seconds behind the other guys. So my point is that he was right with the others in terms of fitness. But WC racing is not time trialing. It's about racing and tactics, and Teg certainly had some good ones leading up to the 2009 final.

oops, sorry I meant Houston.

He should at the very least show up to the start of a major marathon and get an appearance fee before he retires.

rojo wrote:

I was thinking about Teg and Solinsky the other day when I saw that Solinsky was now coaching in college.

My first thought was - i wonder if he and Teg are going to have some huge contract rollbacks in the coming years.

I don't know how the contracts work exactly but can imagine they are do for some serious rollbacks.

I imagine these guys were making six figures easily. If suddenly, you are 30+ and making $20k, it might be hard to be motivated.

Anyone have any idea on if the contracts would end in an Olympic year or the year after? What type of rollback could one expect?

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Six figures ? Not exactly. Rollback , have not heard that term used before.

Contract will expire and a new one may or may not be offered , its that simple. Agent will feel out other footwear brands as a backup.

Contract will be based on markets current value of how the athlete is performing and what future plans may be. In Teg's case , road racing will bring value as well as marathoning. Tegs value as of today is limited as its track focused.

Lets wish him the best.

some of you puddinheads are such hypocrites, calling for numerous Americans to 'give it up' (Sara Hall for ex.) for coming in 2nd or 3rd too many times, but if Teg wants to give it up, he's a quitter?!

kmaclam wrote:

some of you puddinheads are such hypocrites, calling for numerous Americans to 'give it up' (Sara Hall for ex.) for coming in 2nd or 3rd too many times, but if Teg wants to give it up, he's a quitter?!

This^

30 and completing an Olympic year often add up to the end of full time training and racing at your highest level.

There is the eventual non-running career that he is falling behind in.

These transitions are difficult and can be more difficult the older you get

Being 35 with no real world work experience is tough.