Feb 15th--Why not have Galen go for the Mile WR at Millrose instead of Boston? Hurts the sport?

World Records are rarely set in competitive events due to a variety of factors like jostling, race tactics, etc...World Records or American Records are generally carefully orchestrated events where the athlete attempting the record is shepherded and protected by the pacers until about 60-70% of the race is complete. Since WR's and AR's are not easy to accomplish almost everything has to go right on the record attempt day. To run the WR/AR attempt at Milrose would likely hurt Galen's chances of setting the record.

Editor's note: Wejo started a thread, "Date of Galen Rupp's 1 Mile Record Attempt Moved to Same Date as Millrose". However, Captain Track started this similar thread 12 minutes earlier so we are merging them

I just noticed in the Ken Goe article on the HP:

http://www.oregonlive.com/trackandfield/index.ssf/2014/01/oregon_track_field_rundown_gal_8.html#incart_river

that Galen Rupp's mile record attempt has been switched from February 8 (date of New Balance Indoor Games) to February 15 (date of Millrose Games).

Galen won't be running in the most prestigious indoor mile (Wanamaker mile) world on live national tv, instead he'll be time trialing in Boston. It is what it is. In an ideal world Galen would try and get the record at Millrose. But that's not how track works and there are very few limitations on where a world record can be set.

This run is a perfect illustration of the unique nature of track and field and how the stars and meets are all free agents and there is little governing control like in nearly every other pro sport.

The lack of central control ultimately I believe limits the growth of the sport. The stars don't have to race each other in the Diamond League, etc, but that's for another day.

So was it moved or was it originally misreported? The link says the date was wrong in the original blog post.

Can we get clarity?

The "competitive events" sure did'nt hurt Eamonn Coughlin!

It would be better if the top athletes clashed more.

However, since the mile isn't Rupp's main event, I'll let him duck the competition in this case.

On January 13th Boston University announced that Rupp would be running the 1-mile on Feb. 8th @ the David Hemery Valentine Invitational. Galen will now be running in the Scarlet & White Invitational the following weekend.

I'm not sure you guys realize how much your bias comes out. It is immensely strong. It's no wonder Rupp and the whole crew enjoy dealing with the boys who make videos but have little to no patience with letsrun.

I get that it's fine to have an opinion, but your "opinions" are made up before anything ever happens.

If you were a little objective you might concede that:

A) They have announced they are going for the WR not just the AR, so maybe a tad more time for sharpening and rest was decided on. This is just a smart decision.

B) Again, they are going for a WR. Do you really think a competitive mile at milrose is a great venue for that? It would make for a great race, but not a high probability of WR. More likely a bit of chaos.

There is always next year for Milrose, and Rupp has raced it before, but when you have a chance to take down a very legit WR from the greatest miler in history, why in hell would you not go for it?

Get some objective perspective.

I would love to see Rupp in the Wanamaker mile, but if the record is the number one goal, he made the right decision. A previous poster was correct when he stated that you have to setup and control the situation to maximize opportunity a WR attempt. WR opportunities don't come often and all things considered, it has far more value monetarily and prestige than winning the Wanamaker mile.

Nowadays, there is so much to be gained by setting a WR that when there is an attempt, coaches, agents, pacers, event organizers and even the facilities owner/manager actually have a meeting to make sure everything is just right...setting a WR raises the profile of everyone involved. If Rupp does get the record, 'which I doubt', when he races in Europe this summer, he can get a couple extra grand in appearance fees for just having 'indoor mile world record holder' next to his name. Rupp is one of the few elite long distance runners running a full indoor season and it's ok if he wants to do his own thing for one race. - With that said, I agree with you in wanting to see Rupp in the Wanamaker mile.

Have to agree. The track is faster in Boston.

Good decision. He can race it with fewer distractions and it brings more media attention to a lower key event.

Time trial AR or WR? Meh. WR in an OLY final? Awesome.

Rupp should take notice what Rudisha did in the Olympics, sans pace setters.

NOP events are bad for the growth of the sport. But then Al Sal and Nike doesn't care about that.

bleu wrote:

Have to agree. The track is faster in Boston.

I'm guessing he is looking more at his fitness and condition leading up to the race rather than "The rubber is harder on the BU track".

What the hell. Does anyone really believe that Galen Rupp of all people is really one of the greatest middle distance runners of all time? What is going on here?? The crazy thing is that I actually do believe he has a shot at it, I just wish I knew what kind of crazy-ass drugs he's taking. If you ask me four years ago what his most competitive events would be I would never in a million years list the mile, and now he's going for the indoor world record? Come on, give it a break already.

Unfortunate but True wrote:

World Records are rarely set in competitive events due to a variety of factors like jostling, race tactics, etc...World Records or American Records are generally carefully orchestrated events where the athlete attempting the record is shepherded and protected by the pacers until about 60-70% of the race is complete. Since WR's and AR's are not easy to accomplish almost everything has to go right on the record attempt day. To run the WR/AR attempt at Milrose would likely hurt Galen's chances of setting the record.

Salazar and Nike know the easiest way to set records is with red carpet time trials. It's not done just for the athlete. It is a way to promote the Nike/NOP brand.

I'll take Armory racing over Nike's theater. I am not going to be seduced by Rupp's or Cain's scripted record attempts and their cornball uniforms with super-sized Swooshes. I'll watch Ajee'Wilson's 800 at the Millrose. Meanwhile, Rupp's fanboys can drool over their idol.

Alberto announced early that this was going to be a season of chasing records - and that's exactly what Galen is doing.

Probably the biggest record ever noted was Roger Bannister's 4 minute mile - a total set up and pace race for the record.

I'm not suggesting that Galen's runs are of the same notoriety as was Bannister's, I'm just pointing out that record attempts have always been part of our sport.

RE records wrote:

I'll take Armory racing over Nike's theater. I am not going to be seduced by Rupp's or Cain's scripted record attempts and their cornball uniforms with super-sized Swooshes. I'll watch Ajee'Wilson's 800 at the Millrose. Meanwhile, Rupp's fanboys can drool over their idol.

Well you will see plenty of swooshes there too and get to see Cain racing to a WJR.

umm wrote:

Good decision. He can race it with fewer distractions and it brings more media attention to a lower key event.

Brings more media attention to a lower key event?

What?

Read that. There was a total of ZERO words written about Rupp's AMerican records in the Boston Globe.

The event in Boston isn't really an event. It's an obscure college meet that gets no media coverage.

Rip on LetsRun all you want but they are the media that still exists for this sport in terms of daily coverage.

If a tree falls in a forest.....

If a world record falls in a room with no one there....

Let's go play the super bowl in barren field in mississippi where we no no reporters will go.

The NFL gets it. If no one pays attention, they don't do events. That's why they tried to revamp the pro bowl this year. Salazar sadly doesn't.

He thinks the record is all that matters- whether achieved in a barren track with or without TUEs.

I totally disagree that world records are rarely set at competitive events. The races sometimes are not that competitive. But all the records recently in the 1500/mile have been at competitive events.

Indoors all the recent records are at competitive events.

Mile:

3.50.6 Eamon Coghlan IRL San Diego Feb 20, 1981

3.49.78 Eamon Coghlan IRL East Rutherford Feb 27, 1983

3.48.45 Hicham El Guerrouj MAR Ghent Feb 12, 1997

Now from this book I do see El Guerrouj won by 5 seconds. The Flanders meeting in Ghent is a major pro meet.

1500m indoors:

• 3.35.6 Marcus O'Sullivan IRL East Rutherford Feb 10, 1989

• 3.34.20 Peter Elliott GBR Seville Feb 27, 1990

• 3.34.16 Noureddine Morceli ALG Seville Feb 28, 1991

• 3.31.18 Hicham El Guerrouj MOR Stuttgart Feb 02, 1997

El Guerrouj in the 1500m WR indoors was racing none other than Haile Gebrselassie:

Looking at the World outdoor mile the record the last 33 years, the records have been set at Oslo, Rieti and Rome. All very competitive, prominent pro track meets. In Rome, El Guerrouj was pushed all the way to the line by Noah Ngeny.

In Rieti, Morcel did win by 11 seconds, but 2nd place was an eventual Olympic champ Venuste Niyongabo.

Outdoor mile last 30 years the records have been in: Rieti, Nice, Berlin, Rieti, Nice, Rome. All major competitive track meets.

I guess you don't come to LetsRun.com often. I am being consistent. I often lament the fact that the stars don't have to race each other. The New Balance Boston Indoor Grand Prix has been an advertiser on this site and I've criticized the meet before for not having stars race each other. Stars not racing each other is a quirk of the sport where individuals can do whatever they want which doesn't apply to other sports really. Individuals doing what they want applies to this record attempt as well.

Think how unique this is. Even in swimming Michael Phelps isn't going to time trial a record in his own pool. This is unique to track .

But when did I say Rupp shouldn't go for the record? I never said that at all. I just pointed out that it's one of the quirks of our sport he can go for the record in any track meet he wants.

I think it would be better for the sport if he broke the record on national TV. Of course he has to break the record to begin with and his team thinks BU is the best place to do it.

I think one thing I hadn't really thought too much about was what if the BU track really is faster then the Armory. Forget about doing it at Millrose then if you believe BU is faster.

Galen is not a miler by trade, so think about it, how do you draw up a way for him to beat the world record?

Traditionally:

Find good conditions - check.

Find a great rabbit - check.

Millrose would be perfect for this.

If that's not enough for Galen because he's not a miler then take it a step further:

Find a faster track - check

Make sure the full-time milers don't run on it - check

Then BU at a meet like this is THE place for the record for Galen.

Nothing outside of the athlete's control (except for the rabbit) can go out of the way.

Remember when Solinsky ran 26:59? That was supposed to be Galen Rupp's American record day, but Solinsky messed up the plans. Rupp did break the old record.

If Rupp was going to attempt the record at Millrose, there is the slim chance that Millrose says, "You know what, we're bringing in Kiprop as well."

At a concierge track meet (new term) as much as possible is under coach Salazar's control. It's now only up to Galen to do the running. It might be the only way a 10k guy breaks the mile indoor record.

Let's go further. Why not move the Millrose to Boston?