Bobby Mack ran his last race today as a professional.
Always loved the working man of distance running.
I think his World Cross team silver is a highlight but also a US XC champion.
Great dude.
Bobby Mack ran his last race today as a professional.
Always loved the working man of distance running.
I think his World Cross team silver is a highlight but also a US XC champion.
Great dude.
Press release on race today here:
wejo wrote:
Press release on race today here:
http://www.letsrun.com/news/2016/04/bobby-mack-makes-victory-lap-rock-n-roll-raleigh-marathon-12-marathon-presented-wral/
Isn't Bobby Mack the one you were supposed to sponsor?
Bobby Mack the best.
messinat wrote:
wejo wrote:Press release on race today here:
http://www.letsrun.com/news/2016/04/bobby-mack-makes-victory-lap-rock-n-roll-raleigh-marathon-12-marathon-presented-wral/Isn't Bobby Mack the one you were supposed to sponsor?
I don't know the answer to this question but the fact that this thread has 3 replies is EVERYTHING wrong with Distance running in the U.S.
Bobby Mack is exactly what the sport needs. Fans want to bitch about drugs or Salazar's group or the East African dominance but Bobby was a guy who subverted all of that. He ran his entire career based out of the State where be was born. There were never drugs. Ever. He never left NC to live at altitude. He never ran with any support from a group (aside from Reebok. Yeah, Reebok). Yet he was one of the best XC runners in the world.
Well said Mundus Vult decipi. Bobby is a great guy and a great runner. It's a shame that controversy is what sparks interest.
Mundus Vult decipi wrote:
messinat wrote:Isn't Bobby Mack the one you were supposed to sponsor?
I don't know the answer to this question but the fact that this thread has 3 replies is EVERYTHING wrong with Distance running in the U.S.
Why is the fact that this thread has 3 replies is EVERYTHING that is wrong with distance running in the U.S.?
Is it terrible that I have never heard of this guy? What great things did he do?
Bobby Who? wrote:
Is it terrible that I have never heard of this guy? What great things did he do?
We wouldn't say it's terrible. It's just a reflection of our sport. Society in general is very top heavy focused but track may be even more so. In your average sport, the 15th best soccer team can easily beat the the #1` team. In track, that rarely happens.
Mack is a guy who is perhaps best known for finishing 19th at the World XC champs in 2013 as the US edged Kenya for the silver. He was the US's final scorer and sealed the deal for the silver.
http://www.letsrun.com/2013/homepage0325.phpHe also is a 27:53 guy for 10,000. Tilastapaja lists his pbs as 3:59.70 for mile, 13:39.09 for 5k, 27:53.52 for 10,000 and 63:10 for the half-marathon. He's known on these boards for being a guy who we said if he broke 28 (or maybe it was Wejo's pb of 28:06) we'd sponsor him. Weldon talked to him but Mack already had a local deal he didn't want to give up.
It's a bit strange a sub-28 guy never ran a marathon. Anyone know what's up with that?
The most impressive thing about Mack may have been the fact that he dreamed big.
http://running.competitor.com/2015/04/features/bobby-mack-has-high-hopes-for-hometown-rock-n-roll-raleigh_126001Competitor wrote:
While attending North Carolina State, Mack says he was a middle-of-the-pack collegiate runner—nothing special. “Nothing ever told me that I should continue running at a professional level,†he says. “But I had been injured a lot and I felt that I had never lived up to my potential.†Mack says that after college, he tried to see what he could get his times down to.
A great story of a guy who followed his dream. That being said, to say he was "middle of the pack" isn't really true. He was an All-American in xc as a sophomore at NCAA state.
Here's an interview with him that is pretty good.
http://www.writingaboutrunning.com/2012/06/5-questions-with-bobby-mack-and-his-sub.htmlWait... did he retire because of HB2?
This year at Club XC Bobby told me he wanted to qualify for one more trip to the Great Edinburgh XC race. After he had a bad race from being dinged up, I asked him why he didn't just take an at-large spot, since he had won the race in 2013 and run there 4 times. I could tell it hadn't even crossed his mind. He told me wanted to qualify for it, not just take the spot. A solider dude there was never - will be a great Dad.
Mundus Vult decipi wrote:
messinat wrote:Isn't Bobby Mack the one you were supposed to sponsor?
I don't know the answer to this question but the fact that this thread has 3 replies is EVERYTHING wrong with Distance running in the U.S.
Bobby Mack is exactly what the sport needs. Fans want to bitch about drugs or Salazar's group or the East African dominance but Bobby was a guy who subverted all of that. He ran his entire career based out of the State where be was born. There were never drugs. Ever. He never left NC to live at altitude. He never ran with any support from a group (aside from Reebok. Yeah, Reebok). Yet he was one of the best XC runners in the world.
You are absolutely right!...There should be at least a 100 posts on this guy!
...Bobby Mack is the REAL DEAL!....
I met Bobby two weeks ago in Raleigh at the Run Lab where he works. I didn't know anything about him at the time and was blown away by how humble and soft spoken he is. We need more throw-back hard working honest guys in the running world like Bobby Mack.
2002 National Finals
Boys Results
December 14, 2002
Morley Field - Balboa Park
San Diego, CA
5.00 Kilometers
Scoring Teams and Points:
1. Midwest 27 (1 2 4 6 14 16 25 27)
2. South 44 (3 5 11 12 13 15 23 31)
3. West 71 (7 10 17 18 19 22 24 32)
4. Northeast 84 (8 9 20 21 26 28 29 30)
1 Chris Solinsky (12) Midwest Stevens Point Area Senior H.S.Stevens Point WI 14:40.5
2 Wesley Smith (12) Midwest Hudson H.S. Hudson OH 15:01.0
3 Bobby Curtis (12) South Saint Xavier H.S. Louisville KY 15:06.1
4 Neftalem Araia (12) Midwest Lawrence North H.S. Indianapolis IN 15:06.4
5 Matt DeBole (12) South Mount Tabor H.S. Winston-Salem NC 15:12.7
6 Garrett Heath (11) Midwest Winona Senior H.S. Winona MN 15:14.5
7 Mohamed Trafeh (11) West Duarte H.S. Duarte CA 15:14.8
8 Ahmed Haji (11) Northeast Conard H.S. West Hartford CT 15:15.3
9 Benjamin True (11) Northeast Greely H.S. North Yarmouth ME 15:16.1
10 Lauren Jespersen (12) West Klamath Union H.S. Klamath Falls OR 15:16.4
11 Bobby Mack (12) South North Forsyth H.S. Winston-Salem NC 15:18.3
12 Ryan Deak (11) South Maclay H.S. Tallahassee FL 15:20.3
13 Steven Hassen (12) South Ocala Vanguard H.S. Ocala FL 15:20.7
14 Stephen Pifer (12) Midwest Edwardsville H.S. Glen Carbon IL 15:22.0
15 Kippy Keino (12) South Fork Union Military Academy Fork Union VA 15:22.2
16 Joshua Harper (12) Midwest West Plains H.S. West Plains MO 15:24.3
17 Andrew Jones (12) West Campbell County H.S. Gillette WY 15:27.6
18 Tim Nelson (12) West Liberty Christian H.S. Palo Cedro CA 15:30.7
19 Steve Shepherd (12) West Weber H.S. Eden UT 15:31.2
20 Hakon DeVries (11) Northeast John Jay H.S. Hopewell Jct. NY 15:32.2
21 Ian Gottesfeld (11) Northeast West Chester Henderson H.S. West Chester PA 15:33.5
22 Michael Poe (12) West Etiwanda H.S. Alta Loma CA 15:39.0
23 Justin Simpson (12) South Oak Glen H.S. Chester WV 15:40.5
24 Alec Wall (12) West Grant H.S. Portland OR 15:41.3
25 David Van Orsdel (12) Midwest Hopkins H.S. Minnetonka MN 15:42.6
26 Brendan Fennell (12) Northeast Pearl River H.S. Pearl River NY 15:46.6
27 Christian Wagner (11) Midwest Columbus North H.S. Columbus IN 15:47.2
28 Victor Gras (11) Northeast Belmont H.S. Belmont MA 15:55.8
29 Kevin Tschirhart (10) Northeast Northport H.S. Northport NY 15:58.9
30 Jonathan Pastore (12) Northeast Scranton Prep. Dickson PA 16:03.9
31 Brian Sullivan (11) South The Woodlands H.S. The Woodlands TX 16:19.7
32 Galen Rupp (DNF) (11) West Central Catholic H.S. Portland
He really was a great runner but is certainly an even better person. Earned everything he ever got as a runner with hard work and patience.
I echo Garick's thoughts. Humble guy, just kept plugging away. Could have quit after three years of injuries in college but didn't. Mad props. Well done Bobby!
Brant