My high school coach was an Olympic semifinalist in the steeple. Even as an old guy he was still able to run us into the ground.
My high school coach was an Olympic semifinalist in the steeple. Even as an old guy he was still able to run us into the ground.
A higher-up at a company I worked for at one time started running his freshman year of college and graduated with PRs of 14:2X and 30:4X. He makes fun of his speed, says he could barely crack 60 for 400 but could run 72s all day.
I heard a rumor about a high schooler who showed up at cross-country practice for a time trial and ran sub-15 ... wearing jeans.
Kid I grew up with was 5'11 190 as a 6th grader, shredded. Could easily dunk with two hands. White boy.
As a 7th grader is the strongest kid in the entire MS/HS. Squatting near 600lbs, cleaning over 400. Standing 2 foot vertical was measured at 39in. Gets letters from Nebraska recruiting him to play fullback (these are the end of the triple option heyday).
As a 9th grader would throw the discuss 180+ feet, then walk over and win the 100m in 10.8.
Pretty sure he got on roids that year though, as he got way bigger and stronger but had horrible mobility, range of motion, and lost any fluidity as an athlete/sprinter the next 3 years. Groin pain crippled him, could only throw and not sprint. Managed a state discus title and was a decent D2 thrower, but was never the NFL linebacker we expected him to be. Still the most explosive athlete I have ever seen in person before his injuries...and he was like 15yo lol.
lemond was probably the greatest of them all.
ashton eaton is truly a god.
How about a guy who.........
had one working arm
had terrible asthma
grew up in a shack
ran :47 in HS
ran 1:48 open in HS (multiple times)
ran 1:46 relay in HS
ran 3:51 as junior
won state 300m indoor state champ in HS
WON state XC champs at least twice
Etienne wrote:
Not sure whether the most talented guy I know is the d2 XC All American who trains hard, or my roomate who skips practice 1-2 times per week, smokes cigs, drinks every night, trips on cough syrup, shrooms and acid, an still runs sub 32 for 10k. One is obviously much faster, but I think the other might be even better if he wasn't such a moron
This is the problem with this thread and general use of the term talent.
Everyone is missing that the ability to train hard and consistently IS talent.
RUNFATPAT wrote:
The last year I coached at one of the local high schools. I noticed a blonde girl who walked the hallways with a ton of kick-ass attitude.
I tried to get the girls on the team to talk her in to coming out for the team (in my head I was thinking I could make her a jav thrower)
She never stayed in school much had other things on her mind....
kid was Alecia Moore
her talent wasn't T&F, she became known as P!NK (the singer, not the BarRescue chef)
LOL: just write Pink, not P!nk. You look ridiculous.
Double LOL: Sure, you were thinking you could make her a jav thrower. Riiiiight you were. Pink is 5'4". Not exactly javelin material. You wanted a cute girl around.
jamin wrote:
A higher-up at a company I worked for at one time started running his freshman year of college and graduated with PRs of 14:2X and 30:4X. He makes fun of his speed, says he could barely crack 60 for 400 but could run 72s all day.
I heard a rumor about a high schooler who showed up at cross-country practice for a time trial and ran sub-15 ... wearing jeans.
Don't doubt you were told these tales Jamin, but neither story is remotely likely.
A guy pushing thirty who had dabbled in XC/track in HS, but never did much, ran a 20 min 5k with no training on a dare from his brother. He was into body building for a while, but quit when he had his first kid. Within just under 3 years of training with some top local guys, he broke 15 on the road. He ran about 32 on a hot summer day and on hilly 10k course. Then he had a second child and quit running competitively. The guy was amazing. Every time his feet hit the ground, he got faster. He looked like he was doing a 7 min mile when he was running 4:50 pace. Put him in a pro group and he could have been sub 14/29.
Chris Sacks
BlueByYou wrote:
jamin wrote:A higher-up at a company I worked for at one time started running his freshman year of college and graduated with PRs of 14:2X and 30:4X. He makes fun of his speed, says he could barely crack 60 for 400 but could run 72s all day.
I heard a rumor about a high schooler who showed up at cross-country practice for a time trial and ran sub-15 ... wearing jeans.
Don't doubt you were told these tales Jamin, but neither story is remotely likely.
The first one could very well be true, the second one... not so much.
A racewalking guy in Romania.
National champion from 13 years to 51, with breaks.
20+ national records, from 3k indoor, 5k, 10k, 20k to 50k, on various age groups.
Besides talent, he is/was a hard working person.
kjv wrote:
I ran with this guy in high school that long jumped 25', ran 1:49, was state XC top 10 in 15:20s and ran the school 4 x 100 (10.48) and 4 x 400 (46). He only ran 9:21 though but still was a beast. He is still considered a legend in Florida.
Who was this? That's very impressive.
Depends on how you define "talent". Rob Rotella, the sports psychologist, defines talent as the ability to keep at a task, even when it ISN'T easy. As such, many of the best golfers on the PGA tour right now, while obviously physically gifted, were usually the 2nd or 3rd best on their team/school/conference/whatever growing up... while, with a few notable exceptions, the teenage phenoms rarely last over the long haul.
Even David Epstein recognizes "improvability" as a genetic "talent".
Sort of a buzzkill answer, I know...
thejeff wrote:
Even David Epstein recognizes "improvability" as a genetic "talent".
David Espstein is not a legitimate source of facts.
odo wrote:
thejeff wrote:Even David Epstein recognizes "improvability" as a genetic "talent".
David Espstein is not a legitimate source of facts.
What about his bibliography?
Thomas Jones. No. 25 all time NFL rusher
Heath Miller. Steelers all pro
Calvin Talford. Gatorade slam dunk champ
Mike Compton. Center for Tom Brady
Billy Wagner. All star reliever MLB