Holmer wrote:
Tough enough for a silver medal? Maybe sometimes it takes a well thought out and yes, seemingly "sissier" route in order to look at the long term plan. If NOP chooses to stick to their plan and not mess around with club nats...so be it. Seems to work.
That being said, disappointed and frustrated in their withdrawal, for I do think it would be a great testament if they ran.
You seem very confused...
Never mind that you can't "withdraw" from an event you've never planned on doing, never mind that club nats is a great event but the professional "baby nationals"...
You people realize "Nike Oregon Project" wouldn't even have 5 runners to make a team for club nats if they wanted?
Hardloper wrote:
Never mind that you can't "withdraw" from an event you've never planned on doing, never mind that club nats is a great event but the professional "baby nationals"...
You people realize "Nike Oregon Project" wouldn't even have 5 runners to make a team for club nats if they wanted?
Funny that this is the last post right now b/c I was just going to say the same thing. Why the hell would the Oregon project people run in club nats? It's a sub-sub-elite race for people who have a lot more to do in their lives than run (or who aren't even close to good enough to just run...however you want to look at it).
I can't believe some of you get your undies in a bunch about this.
Your point can be viewed both ways. I see it this way. It is a nothing meet and is about mixing it up with the average joes. 24 hours ago it was a good idea. Now it is not. Why? It is not like they aren't going to run today. It is not like they have to make a special effort to get in town. Slow down and have fun and give your fans a chance to see you in a different light.
This must have been one of the last times World Cross was over a reasonable Cross Country course and Alberto was there in an epic finish with Lopes and Debele.
He is the only one in the field that is wearing a leotard though.
There's like 3 people in the US who know about the Club Nats other than those running. It's irrelevant, and I'm shocked NOP would consider running this even as a workout. Not worth the risk of months of training.
Or a horse...
Does NOP even have 5 guys/girls to form a team?
Salazar won the NCAA XC meet in frigid, snowy conditions against some pretty tough Kenyan competition. 15 degrees at race time. Lots of people wore long sleeves and tights under their kits.
Sooo has it actually been confirmed that the course is the
reason that NOP is not running? Otherwise the fact that this is the link of the day on the front page is pretty piss poor journalism.
Employee 1.1 is running in the race. After the NOP pullout, we texted him and asked him, "How bad is the ocurse?" He wrote back, "It's pretty bad to be honest. I would have been shocked if they ran. All up and down. NO FLAT. Some places you can go flying off course or down a hill. It's going to be a lot of fun."
When I saw the OP, i thought it was joke but no it's real.It's official. Max King's Course isn't Rupp Certified:
NOP tweeted:
Oregon Project @OregonPJT 1h
Nike Oregon Project won't be racing at USA Club Cross tomorrow. We wish everyone a great race. See you on the track!
When I saw yesterday that Max King designed the course and it was inspired by my predecessor at Cornell, Jerry Smith, I just chuckled as I knew it would be a real xc course. Honestly, if I'd known that I'd have flown out to Bend to watch the race.
I remember hearing stories of those guys doing workouts and then a yell would come out from Smith (or maybe he blew a horn) and the guys would practice hitting the ground and tumbling mid-workout.
Max graduated the year before I got to Cornell but guys were still talking about him after I left. Yes, he did pin the bib to his chest:
http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=5532148Update: Employee 1.1 is running in the race. After the NOP pullout, we texted him and asked him, "How bad is the ocurse?" He wrote back, "It's pretty bad to be honest. I would have been shocked if they ran. All up and down. NO FLAT. Some places you can go flying off course or down a hill. It's going to be a lot of fun."
I completely agree with Rojo. Also, correct me if I am wrong, but does the NOP not understand the importance of a fan base and support from the running community? If everyone hates you and your only goal is medal at international championship races, what is the point? At the end of the day there is only a select few celebrating your successes. Does Nike not care that the NOP actually hurts the image of the company and the program? If it's your money I would think you can step in and say, "Run the race, its good for the sport". And judging from some of the other responses (and my own), its obvious that by dodging these types of meets only negatively affect the NOP.
You're seriously crazy if you think anyone's fan base is going to be adversely affected by running or not running a race. Think back five years ago when hardly any elites ran this race. No one cared. This is Club XC Nats, it's a big race but only big to a few thousand of those on the board who care. This is being blown way out of proportion.
It's a freaking GOLF COURSE!!! How hard can it possibly be!?
[quote]Bend over OR wrote:
Just dumped my Oregon Project Singlet in the parking lot of the Riverhouse Hotel (Meet Headquarters). I am officially done with them. I drove 400 miles with my 12 year old daughter to support Jordan Hasay. Thanks Alberto.[/quote
NOP should be aware enough to know fans will come wanting watch and/or participate in a race in which elites are entered. Them pulling out late is BS and the issue really is that Al Sal failed to do his homework on the course ahead of time. Maybe he did solicit an honest reporting of what Max King and local organizers had in mind well before deciding to enter NOP in the race. If he did not, it is on him for failing to verify the course conditions were going to be acceptable. Backing out on his commitment at the last minute does nothing but make him and NOP look bad(even if their reasons for pulling out are legit.) It is simply not professional and if running wants to be seen as such these types of things do matter.
We need to separate "hard" and "potentially hazardous". I'm just guessing here but I don't think NOP would back down from "hard" conditions but a person making their living by running should, on most occasions, avoid "potentially hazardous" conditions.
oslo wrote:
It's a freaking GOLF COURSE!!! How hard can it possibly be!?
Lol, no kidding. Can you imagine Coach Vigil telling the Adams boys to stay off the dunes because one might roll off?! How about those shiny smooth surfaces in the Rift Valley? Seriously, this is why nobody gives a sh#t about running in the US any longer...the sport has been taken out of the sport....
In other news, my city's NFL team is not playing in the local flag football game today. What a bunch of jerks!
same idea wrote:
In other news, my city's NFL team is not playing in the local flag football game today. What a bunch of jerks!
Too many strip clubs to visit, too many peds to shoot up, and too many fights to get into. We all understand that. What's the NOP's excuse?
