US 25k Championships - Landry, Biwott, Solinsky

To specify, Landry was 2nd overall, but first among Americans. Was beat by an African.

I watched the race earlier and was very impressed with Landry's performance following Cherry Blossom. Was also impressed that Solinsky hung on and was only 2:20 back. I'd forgotten how massive the guy is. He looks like a football player running alongside the other skinny runners.

Here's last year's results.

Men (official)

1. Mohamed Trafeh 1:14:18 AR

2. Josphat Boit 1:14:34

3. Matt Tegenkamp 1:14:43

4. Christopher Landry 1:15:00

5. Craig Curley 1:16:14

6. Andrew Carlson 1:16:21

7. Joe Moore 1:16:48

8. Michael Reneau 1:17:04

9. Zachary Hine 1:17:28

10. Ben Sathre 1:17:42

Looking at Tegenkamp's time here and his 2:12:38 Marathon, Solinsky's time seems like a bad omen.

blender brains wrote:

Looking at Tegenkamp's time here and his 2:12:38 Marathon, Solinsky's time seems like a bad omen.

Nah

Teg was in great shape when he ran that

Solinsky is not in great shape but has time to get there

When you couldn't keep up half-way with a pack of college kids running 3000m in 8:30 in Jan, this result has to feel like a step up

Yea, that's what I was thinking. It's not super fast, but he seems to be going in the right direction. Also he finally seems pleased with a race result, so that's also good!

That's 4:56 pace for 15.5 miles for Solinsky. I don't think that's a good result for him. That should be a tempo for him especially if he is running a fall marathon.

Too big for my britches wrote:

That's 4:56 pace for 15.5 miles for Solinsky. I don't think that's a good result for him. That should be a tempo for him especially if he is running a fall marathon.

that's assuming he's a 2:10 marathoner, which he likely will never be.

he ran 1:16:xx, but it's a hilly course. give him 75:30 ona perfect day, and that's about a 2:12 marathon. to be honest i don't expect him to be any faster than 2:14.

lets talk about the guys that beat him. chipangama has run 2:13 at grandmas. shadrack biwott has run 2:13. landry has run 2:14.

solinsky just got crushed by a few 2:13ish guys, so i'd imagine he's nowhere close to 2:13. he's got a long time to improve though

I am still unsure about Solinsky moving up before age thirty and tackling more distance. In fact, I dont think adding distance is the best solution at all. He has a ton of athleticism and could use his size to benefit him in the shorter events. He is built more like an 800/1500 type and has a sweetspot falling between 3000 and 5000. The 5000 is too long for him and it'd be hard for him to penetrate the new US lead pack. If he could get his 800 time down to 1:46 I think he'd be able to run 3:32-3:33. Still not a force in time trials compared to the rest of the world and a bit of a gamble against the US field but he has a strong mind and the experience to do well in tactical situations. He could get in a few more US champs and possibly world champs races. His sub-27 10000 AR was sort of a one time thing similar to Webb taking down Ritz in that it was fueled by a rivalry with Rupp.

Eleanor Roosevelt wrote:

blender brains wrote:

Looking at Tegenkamp's time here and his 2:12:38 Marathon, Solinsky's time seems like a bad omen.

Nah

Teg was in great shape when he ran that

Solinsky is not in great shape but has time to get there

When you couldn't keep up half-way with a pack of college kids running 3000m in 8:30 in Jan, this result has to feel like a step up

Why do you say Solinsky isn't in great shape (for him anyway)? He has been training hard and consistently since his injury which was years ago putting in lots of miles.

I agree his build is typically more suited for the shorter distances, however, his 5k and 10k performances say otherwise. He just doesn't have the natural speed for the 800 or 1500.

Geez, Landry is really showing his potential in the longer stuff. Gets better and better as the distance goes longer. Probably good for 1:01:30 HM and a 2:10 marathon right now. If he can keep building momentum the sky's the limit.

http://christolandry.wordpress.com/about/

solinsky is done

the guy ripped his hamstring off his pelvis ffs

mwwwin wrote:

Why do you say Solinsky isn't in great shape (for him anyway)? He has been training hard and consistently since his injury which was years ago putting in lots of miles.

Well, because race results show that he's not yet in shape.

Given his natural affinity for a high frequency of tempo runs during training, and his 26:59 10k, I'd put him on a 59:30HM and a sub 1:13 25k.

there's no way solinsky moves back down. he never had the speed to run 800/1500 despite his size.

he needs to stick to the roads where he can pull off some smaller wins against 29 minute 10k guys.

blender brains wrote:

Here's last year's results.

Men (official)

1. Mohamed Trafeh 1:14:18 AR

2. Josphat Boit 1:14:34

3. Matt Tegenkamp 1:14:43

4. Christopher Landry 1:15:00

5. Craig Curley 1:16:14

6. Andrew Carlson 1:16:21

7. Joe Moore 1:16:48

8. Michael Reneau 1:17:04

9. Zachary Hine 1:17:28

10. Ben Sathre 1:17:42

Looking at Tegenkamp's time here and his 2:12:38 Marathon, Solinsky's time seems like a bad omen.

10th last year would have gotten 4th this year.

Reed and you others are onto something. 25k ad up are not Solinsky's ideal events IMO. I also agree that something like 800 isn't. We know what events he is genetically best suited for. He found that out by racing in his prime. It may be true that he never gets back there, but a move to a distance at which he'll be mediocre by American standards a non-existent by World standards solves nothing.

Injuries destroy confidence. Bekele was losing to chumps after his comeback from injury. Only after a few years is he slowly making his mark on the roads.

I fear it's a similar road for Chris. A few years of drudgery and a breakthrough in the 'thon a few years from now - maybe just in time for Rio.

In the interview post race he mentioned that the fastest he's run a mile in a workout THIS YEAR is 4:55. He ran a 4:36 in that race. He ran competitively the first few miles and then glided in. This was basically just an extended tempo. He will round out to run a great marathon in the fall. You heard it here first, he will run 2:10s or faster in his debut.

legit. wrote:

Injuries destroy confidence. Bekele was losing to chumps after his comeback from injury. Only after a few years is he slowly making his mark on the roads.

Bekele never had a confidence problem. He has been injured.

coach comments nicely wrote:

In the interview post race he mentioned that the fastest he's run a mile in a workout THIS YEAR is 4:55. He ran a 4:36 in that race. He ran competitively the first few miles and then glided in. This was basically just an extended tempo. He will round out to run a great marathon in the fall. You heard it here first, he will run 2:10s or faster in his debut.

Did your imaginary friend tell you this, because it's completely untrue.