badda$$ of the month - Ben MF Blankenship BECKONS KENYAN ANCHOR into suicidal pace!

I came on here to post literally the same thing after watching that video. Blankenship played him so hard with that look and it worked absolutely perfectly.

Yeah, Blankenship scores 10/10 for gamesmanship in that race. I was a little shocked the LRC write-up didn't address it more.

A lot of good viewing material has surfaced this week for young racers to study, between World Relays and Penn Relays. We should recall that Ches tries the same tactic on Williamsz in the 4xmile, but unlike the Kenyan anchor, Jordy doesn't budge.

"Beckon" isn't really what he did here. More like "goad".

All he did at the beginning was allow the Kenyan to lead because he didn't want to lead.

No beckoning.

And he didn't solo the mile as he had someone in front him to go after most of the way, who he eventually passed.

No psychology here. Mostly a bad run for Cheruiyot.

All credit to Blankenship, though for running a nicely controlled and well paced mile and competing well with a great finish.

3:51 anchor (worth a 3:52 mile) is no joke.

Star wrote:

No beckoning.

Really? Really??...No beckoning? Would you mind navigating to the following two links:

1)

2)

Now, really, can you honestly tell me now that there was "no beckoning"?

Did you watch the video? Like Rojo reported, Blankenship looks him in the eyes and then beckons. Who looks sideways at an opponennt's face during a race? I've never seen that. It would probably piss me off enough to sprint for, oh I don't know, about 600 meters.

Star wrote:

All he did at the beginning was allow the Kenyan to lead because he didn't want to lead.

No beckoning.

And he didn't solo the mile as he had someone in front him to go after most of the way, who he eventually passed.

No psychology here. Mostly a bad run for Cheruiyot.

All credit to Blankenship, though for running a nicely controlled and well paced mile and competing well with a great finish.

3:51 anchor (worth a 3:52 mile) is no joke.

oh brother wrote:

Now, really, can you honestly tell me now that there was "no beckoning"?

I think it was the phony polite arm gesture that made it beckoning. It was like he was saying, "By all means, take the lead and try to drop me."

Credit to the Kenyan for actually doing something with the lead instead of just coasting.

oh brother wrote:

Star wrote:

No beckoning.

Really? Really??...No beckoning? Would you mind navigating to the following two links:

1)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6hBdgx0YRc&t=5m23s

2)

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=define+beckoning

Now, really, can you honestly tell me now that there was "no beckoning"?

Again, not the proper use of "beckoning".

Same thing he did to Centro recently. Guy is a great racer. Have known this for awhile. If he stays healthy, he will find his way onto Beijing squad. A gamer, for sure. He and Pat Casey training together is a good thing.

Beckoning would be if he had a big lead and he waved his arm as if to say "come get me!".

That would force a suicidal pace to chase him too hard.

They were side by side and he put his arm out and looked at as to say "go ahead, you take the lead"

He didn't force him to do any hard pace.

Agree, the Kenyan made the race and made the US team an additional $50,000 for the WR.

I have to admit that it looked kind of dicey at around 200 to go . . . both started losing steam. Then the white man flew.

Star wrote:

All he did at the beginning was allow the Kenyan to lead because he didn't want to lead.

No beckoning.

No psychology here. Mostly a bad run for Cheruiyot.

Well, you seem to be in disagreement with some others who have watched the video.

Allowing someone to lead doesn't entail staring straight at them and making flagrant hand gestures while running, does it?

You sound like someone who hasn't raced much on the track.

oh brother wrote:

Star wrote:

No beckoning.

Really? Really??...No beckoning? Would you mind navigating to the following two links:

1)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6hBdgx0YRc&t=5m23s

2)

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=define+beckoning

Now, really, can you honestly tell me now that there was "no beckoning"?

LOL.

Star gets dumbest post of the day, easy.

Mundus Vult wrote:

oh brother wrote:

Now, really, can you honestly tell me now that there was "no beckoning"?

I think it was the phony polite arm gesture that made it beckoning. It was like he was saying, "By all means, take the lead and try to drop me."

Correct.

Star can split hairs like the autistic guy he is, but the point remains that Blankenship certainly did NOT simply "allow the Kenyan to lead." What a dumb post.

Mundus Vult wrote:

oh brother wrote:

Now, really, can you honestly tell me now that there was "no beckoning"?

I think it was the phony polite arm gesture that made it beckoning. It was like he was saying, "By all means, take the lead and try to drop me."

Credit to the Kenyan for actually doing something with the lead instead of just coasting.

He got played. No credit is deserved for going out too hard and failing to drop someone. Brains wins, guts got second, so stop glorifying that Kenyan when Blankenship schooled him.

Watching the American kick down the Kenyans like that almost feels surreal.

Star wrote:

All he did at the beginning was allow the Kenyan to lead because he didn't want to lead.

No beckoning.

And he didn't solo the mile as he had someone in front him to go after most of the way, who he eventually passed.

No psychology here. Mostly a bad run for Cheruiyot.

All credit to Blankenship, though for running a nicely controlled and well paced mile and competing well with a great finish.

3:51 anchor (worth a 3:52 mile) is no joke.

Huh?

No psychology?

He looked the guy right in the face a few times, and then pointed the baton in a "you first, sir" obvious motion...

Judging by results, it worked out.

I wish the Wejo had asked him post race if he/the team had discussed Ches's experience at Penn, in forming their strategy...

I laughed loud out loud, when I saw him point the way with the baton.

Awesome!

Eh, it was obvious to all what he was doing. He looked back to see where Lewandowski was, who would destroy all of them if the pace slowed and the group re-formed like at Penn, so Blankenship wanted the pace to go fast to keep him (and Birmingham) away, so encouraged the Kenyan to do it for him, which he did.