BEN MF TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!

Dream-miler wrote:

Ben True is a gamer. Second-best American gamer, behind only Lagat... well, maybe Meb is up there too.

And they are all clean...Amazing!

+1.

ventolin^3 wrote:

this hassan guy has a huger wiki bio than some recent OG champs !!!

someone prune it down as you don't deserve that many bytes until you win a biggie or run 12'40 !!!

yeah but how else would you know he opened his freshmen indoor campaign in 2008 with an 8:13 3K for third?!?

seriously though, props to True & Mead! great times, hopefully more to come in the right race this summer.

NotAustin18 wrote:

that awkward moment when you run your best time of the season at the first meet....

Well, this wasn't really a rust-buster for him. He almost beat a sub-12:50 man at the BAA 5k, so he is clearly fit. However, if it's true that he was only able to do strength-oriented work over the fall and winter (unusual for him evidently), then he should have a big season. As for Jerry's guys, they can't be all that disappointed. Being fit in practice doesn't always translate to being race fit. I believe Jager opened his 2013 campaign with a 1,500 and then barely lost to True, going 13:15 in his first 5,000. He eventually got down to 13:02. The goal is to peak in late summer, not May. Hopefully, we will see a bunch of 12:55s or better this year. Perhaps an AR...

Dream-miler wrote:

Ben True is a gamer. Second-best American gamer, behind only Lagat... well, maybe Meb is up there too.

The guys who beat him at USAs last year might have something to say about that. He's phenomenal, no doubt, but there are plenty of other guys in this country besides Lagat and True who get it done when it counts.

The Africans will be in trouble this summer. can't wait to see True and Rupp going sub 12:50 and spanking some Kenyans and Ethiopians in the process!!!!

NotAustin18 wrote:

that awkward moment when you run your best time of the season at the first meet....

In a non-championship year does it matter when you run your best time of the season?

I have Hassan's autograph and it just became worth a LOT more

yyy wrote:

The Africans will be in trouble this summer. can't wait to see True and Rupp going sub 12:50 and spanking some Kenyans and Ethiopians in the process!!!!

I doubt the Africans are afraid. If all of these guys line up at Prefontaine, including Rupp, I could see some sub-13:00s. I just hope True isn't peaking for this meet. Even Jager might scare 13:00. Derrick doesn't quite have the same leg speed as some of these other guys, so something in the low 13's would be phenomenal, and he will likely run a great 10,000 later this year. I would really like to see Jager go sub-8:00 in the steeple too, and I will reiterate that I think Rupp will peak and set his lifetime bests this year in many events.

Jager was leading until the kick, which is characteristic of him, meaning that he can run considerably faster this year if the field is significantly faster. He can hang onto very quick paces at steeple but just does not have that top end speed for the kick. Sub-8 is a possibility for him this year at his peak if he gets in a low 7:50s Kemboi race.

Mead's pr coming into this was just a couple tenths behind True's, but the latter had shown on numerous occasions that he could run much faster with the right field, given his high World XC finish, his very windy pr at NYC, and his BAA 5k race. That Mead would have dropped that much I wouldn't have predicted, but now he has to be in the conversation as a likely sub 13 guy this year, with True, Jager, Rupp, Lagat, and maybe several others.

I hate to be a Debbie Downer, BUT...

This is eerily similar to the Chris Solinsky saga.

Does this not ring any bells?

1. Off year, no championships (2010 vs. 2014)

2. Both run unexpectedly fast at Payton Jordan ( Chris sub 27, True 13:02)

3. Both 5k/10k guys that burst out at the wrong time.

Hopefully True's career season doesn't happen in 2014. But next year he will be 30, and you never know what time/injuries will do to you.

Yeah, I agree, and I meant Jager could scare 13:00 at Pre if he runs it. No doubt he is capable of sub-8:00 and sub-13:00 in the right race, perhaps even 12:55. He may not have that blistering last lap, but he has decent mile speed, and I expect great things from him. He could be the one to watch, as I highly doubt Payton Jordan was a primary focus for him.

flannel panel wrote:

I hate to be a Debbie Downer, BUT...

This is eerily similar to the Chris Solinsky saga.

Does this not ring any bells?

1. Off year, no championships (2010 vs. 2014)

2. Both run unexpectedly fast at Payton Jordan ( Chris sub 27, True 13:02)

3. Both 5k/10k guys that burst out at the wrong time.

Hopefully True's career season doesn't happen in 2014. But next year he will be 30, and you never know what time/injuries will do to you.

Chris Solinsky completely ignored a hamstring injury and made it 100x worse by training another 4 months on it. When it comes to running times, LOTS of athletes run their PR's in non-championship years.

Sagarin wrote:

Yeah, I agree, and I meant Jager could scare 13:00 at Pre if he runs it. No doubt he is capable of sub-8:00 and sub-13:00 in the right race, perhaps even 12:55. He may not have that blistering last lap, but he has decent mile speed, and I expect great things from him. He could be the one to watch, as I highly doubt Payton Jordan was a primary focus for him.

Jager does have a decent record of being ready at the right time compared to most of this sub 13:10 crew. Ben True certainly has skill, and hopefully he will be able to hit his best in a world champsionship, or for that matter in Europe this summer.

I was surprised to see Ryan hill that far back relative to the others. His indoor season seemed very promising but maybe the 5K is a bit of a stretch for him? Maybe he just had a bad day.

I know one thing, the 5000 at next years USA's could be nasty.

We'll see what Rupp can respond with this outdoor season. Last year was a bit of a plateau, maybe it's time for a breakout.

Shumacker can kill any runner's aility to kick. I can't believe everyone thinks this guy can coach.

He gets a rep with good recruits and Wisconsin, but then kills them. Bairu, Solinsky and now Lamong. Look at the speed Lamong had a few years ago.

can't wait for pre!

* wrote:

NotAustin18 wrote:

that awkward moment when you run your best time of the season at the first meet....

In a non-championship year does it matter when you run your best time of the season?

Good point.

Marathon Man 23 wrote:

Shumacker can kill any runner's aility to kick. I can't believe everyone thinks this guy can coach.

He gets a rep with good recruits and Wisconsin, but then kills them. Bairu, Solinsky and now Lamong. Look at the speed Lamong had a few years ago.

He may not have it all buttoned down, but I don't think you can argue the fact that he has improved almost all of his guys (and gal) in terms of overall performances, PB's, qualifying for international teams etc. He's already got a guy under 27:00, 2 under 13:00 with several others right at the door, the AR holder in the steeple just shy of 8:00 and the list goes on.

The only thing he seems to lack is the ability to have the majority of his runners peaking at the right time for the meets that matter most. They seem to leave it out there a little too early sometimes. That may be easier said than done when you have that much talent working out together and maybe pushing it too hard to often.

By arch wrote:

I have Hassan's autograph and it just became worth a LOT more

2 cents instead of 1.

I am pretty clever thank you.

Can Jager go sub-8 in the steeple?