All -
Usually the all caps approach doesn't appeal to me much, but you HAVE GOT TO SEE THe finish of this race. You'll be pleased that you spent the couple of minutes to do so (actually, you'll probably spend 5+ minutes to watch it a couple of times).
http://www.i2sports.com/events/248/248.asp
Click Sat 1., then skip to 42 minutes to see the last 500m of the race.
Some poor kid cramps up in the last 50 meters of a track 5k and loses the race. Too bad. Heartbreaking way to lose a race.
OUCH!!! The Horror!!!
Just so you know, it is not as though I simply happened on this without any knowledge of the participants (specifically the spectacularly collapsing one) and decided to post it for everone's viewing pleasure.
The "kid" (who obviously is quite a competitor) is an excellent runner who will go far in running. He was totally fine after the race and even laughed about it that evening.
His Mom even cracked up. So, you are allowed to watch without feeling too much remorse for the guy. I think he is fine knowing that he'll have to crack 15 (or 14, for that matter as 15 is by no means a stopping point) on another day.
BTW, if you can't push with all you've got, and not be able to laugh about the craziness that sometimes happens, then you might not be enjoying running as much as you could. Just my opinion.
Shades of Dorondo Pietri and Jim Peters!
As I've said before about finishing last in some big races, some of your fondest memories -- and most enjoyable stories -- will probably come out of your most spectacular "failures." My guess is that, in the long run, this kid will get a lot more enjoyment out of that race than the guy who ended up winning.
That sucks!!! Cracked me up when he shakes his head twice while on the ground.
Oh man, that was great...."this one of a kind piece, no other like it in the world....oh f...shit"
bwahhhhh at that clip.
man, that last clip is hilarious!!! Keep em comin!
Funny clip reminds me of the Bart Sibrel clip. Bart, a conspiracy theorist who believes that NASA faked the moon landing, confronted retired astronaut Buzz Aldrin on September 9, 2002 and said to Buzz Aldrin,
"You're a coward," he exclaimed, "and a liar, ..."
At that point, Aldrin (age 72) got tired of his punk ass and landed a punch to Sibrel's jaw.
Sibrel tried to hide behind the police and file charges after verbally going off on Alrdin but the District Attorney office said forgetaboutit.
Good gif of the punch
http://www.csicop.org/articles/20021018-aldrin/anim.gif
Clip of the incident
JEH,
Man that is some brutal footage.
The video doesn't come up for me--all I get is the audio.
Ironic, isn't it catman, that apparantly some people on Letsrun might hold the belief that I should be reprimanded for my lack of sensitivity for showing a clip of a guy literally running himself to the ground.
Personally, I totally agree with oldguy. Although I certainly want successful results for everyone (and am shooting them myself), this isn't always going to happen... and I think that a person who can get past the "bummers" to laugh and grow from them really has a higher quality of enjoyment/appreciation for running.
I asked the guy when he knew it was coming, and he said that he felt it coming on with a quarter to go, but since he'd never collapsed before, he figured it was all in his head, but that apparantly he was wrong.
SWEET! Way to go Buzz!
Wonderful response JEH--but I hven't even seen the video yet. What am I doing wrong? All I get is the audio.
catman,
It won't work if you have a dial up connection. I tried it with my dial up and it didn't work. My T1 connection works just fine though, but not with Netscape. Had to use Internet Explorer for it to work.
Do what you can to see that video. It is grueling.
When you click on the link, you should go to National Jr Olympic website that has several days listed on the right side. The video should be on the left side of the screen. You select Sat 1, then in the little time box, you type in the 42min and hit play. Funny thing is... I didn't know there was an audio....
I know all I have put above is "beneath" your (or just about anyone's) internet savviness, but I really don't know how to help.
Basically, a guy with a huge lead has 100-120 to go to win a 5K. Coming around the last corner, though, he looks a little rough, and his body language seems to say "what's going on???". Then, basically, his left side stops working correctly. So, he's pumpin away trying to make it (with his right side), but the left side seems to be a bit of a liability. He stops and kind tries to collect himself, but then when he starts out again, he inadvertantly takes two steps backward... going forward doesn't work much anymore. And then he goes down, tries to get up again, and then nicely faceplants. Meanwhile, 2nd place (or eventual winner) goes running by (cameraman doesn't know what to do). Then as other guys are going by, our friend (now with his head off the track) shakes it a couple of times like a QB who got his bell rung. He makes it off the track - about 40-50m from the finish.
Maybe I'm going to open a can of worms, but you know how some people collapse just after they finish? Now, sometimes, I am sure they pushed themselves that hard and the relief of finishing (and concurrent anguish of the effort just given) takes them down. However, sometimes, I wonder if this is no more than a bad habit for some people. Seems to me, we should have about the same number of cases of those who collapse just before the finish and just after the finish, but, comparatively, you hardly ever see people crash before the finish.
My neighbor calls me trailor park trash--and we don't live in a trailor park.
JEH,
I'd say that for the most part, it is just drama when people collapse at the finish line. That kid though obviously gave it all he had. Man that must have just sucked.
