Yesterday, Jonathan Gault caught up with Drew Hunter's coach Tom "Tinman" Schwartz and they talked about Hunter's plans for the Bowerman mile and the rest of the year.
It's a must read:
http://www.letsrun.com/?p=113810
Kudos to Schwartz for not being afraid to talk about the fact that yes indeed, they are eyeing Webb's historic 3:53.43, but the focus is on competing. Kudos for him to not be afraid to talk very specifically about the strategy Drew will use (follow Ben Blakenship)
The sport will never be popular if coaches of the sport's stars continue to operate in such a secretive manner that meet directors don't even have the starts lists out for one of the biggest meets of the year some 36 hours before it takes place.
Schwartz says that they tried to get the Pre Classic to put in a 2-mile as remember they don't view Hunter as a miler. That being said, Schwartz says Hunter is in the shape of his life and he feels 3:53.43 is a possibility.
"Try to get him at the 1200-meter mark by 2:57 and if that’s the case then I think he can dip under the record just barely. If he gets to the 1200-meter mark feeling even fresher than we expected, it’s possible he could get well under the record," said Schwartz.
LRC Exclusive: Drew Hunter's coach thinks Hunter might be able to break Alan Webb's historic 3:53.43 HS mile record
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Wow. I am expecting great things. I bet Hunter will CRUSH the record in 3:51.8
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Most of the time, the best laid schemes o' mice and men gang aft agley, but I'll be rooting for him.
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Tinman is simply a damn good coach.
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Letsrun exclusive? Does any other publication really care about this? No offense intended...
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Shape of his life? He is a high school senior so not shocking...
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That was a great interview because you rarely hear all that type of detail about race plans before a race even happens. I know I personally liked hearing that info before the race and I'm now much more likely to watch it live. 3:53:43 is going to be tough to get but I hope he at least goes 3:55.
On a side note, I wonder if Drew going for a 5k qualifier for the trials makes more sense? He'd have a better shot at making the finals, that's for sure. -
impressed wrote:
Tinman is simply a damn good coach.
+1
Great read. Love the philosophy and interest in developing USA youth middle distance. Excited to see what happens. -
Even if he is in 3:51 shape, his performance will depend entirely upon how the big guns decide to run the race.
If it is anything like last year's mile then he has no chance. Hopefully it will be fast because I'd like to see Kiprop break 3:44. -
Metric Miler wrote:
Even if he is in 3:51 shape, his performance will depend entirely upon how the big guns decide to run the race.
If it is anything like last year's mile then he has no chance. Hopefully it will be fast because I'd like to see Kiprop break 3:44.
He has no chance of breaking 3:55 so 3:51 talk is silly. -
If Hunter can handle all the pressure latent here I'll be very impressed. My feeling is that he'll blow up as no race is perfect or conforms to such a rigid set of expectations. Rabbit will likely be shooting for :55, 1:51, 2:47. At 2:55 Hunter would be back of the pack, or in last place, and will need something really special to dip under 3:57.
Can't wait to watch the race. Even more excited to watch Slagowski put on a show in the National mile. The kid has not been tested all season and is super talented, as well all know...a totally different runner than Hunter but arguably equally suited to a very fast mile at Pre. -
Remember when the Pre mile use to go out "slow"?
When Webb accomplished 3:53, he was back of that pack at:
0:58.1
1:57.8
2:58.4 -
Can't help but think there is going to be a let down. Lot of expectations being placed upon this kid.
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My only point here is that the Bowerman mile isn't run like it used to be.
During Webb's record run, El G hit 1:55 and 2:55.7 before throwing down for 3:49. Perfect set up for Webb. El G is incredible.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5jk3kyjji4 -
This would bring the hype :
"a Hunter-Slagowski showdown will have to wait unless Pre Classic meet director Tom Jordan bumps Slagowski up to the Bowerman Mile at the last minute (which is not inconceivable: Matthew Centrowitz did just scratch from the race, potentially opening up a slot…)" -
+1 !!!!
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What these kids need is more hype about what they're able to do when they're 17-18. Because it has worked so well before!
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"Schwartz said he expects the rabbits for the elite professionals to hit 800 in 1:54"
LOL - no way that slow. More like 1:50-51 -
LetsRun.com wrote:
The sport will never be popular if coaches of the sport's stars continue to operate in such a secretive manner that meet directors don't even have the starts lists out for one of the biggest meets of the year some 36 hours before it takes place.
Athletes will never be successful if they choose what is popular over what may help them.
Some do well from being open, some do well from being private. It is not their job to account for the popularity of the sport when making a choice between the two. -
nice work asking the follow up question on Slagowski. Tin man's answer was disappointing. I love that LRC is all about the competition. Nike is making a dumb move if they don't include slag.
