Drew Hunter: 13:56 today

absolutely wrote:

He wasn't even the top college kid in the race.

It's a solid opener, but for a 3:57 miler who sees himself as a 5k type, he just shows that he's not ready to go pro. He can compete on the college side. He's not ready for the pro's.

You raise an interesting point. If you were the head of a shoe company, would you rather have Hunter or Thomas Ratcliffe. I was talking to some people in NYC and they said Ratcliffe. Hunter has a great coach, has a great diet, and trains a lot.

I said, "Well Ratcliffe may be more talented, but we don't know that for a fact."

Where was this race?

The men's race which included Drew Hunter (13:56), Lawi Lalang (13:44), German Fernandez (13:39), Olympian Shadrack Kipchirchir (13:36) and others was won by Morgan Pearson in 13:32. Caroline Chepkoech (15:18) won the women's race which included Alexi Pappas (15:44), Leah O'Connor (15:54) and Kate Grace (16:03).

Results for the race can be found here:

http://www.letsrun.com/news/2016/11/results-2016-silicon-valley-turkey-trot-results/

Not a bad way to start his fall season...

Editor's note: Hunter ran at the Silicon Valley Turkey Trot. The race, which also Lawi Lalang (13:44), German Fernandez (13:39), Olympian Shadrack Kipchirchir (13:36) and others, was won by Morgan Pearson in 13:32. Caroline Chepkoech (15:18) won the women's race which included Alexi Pappas (15:44), Leah O'Connor (15:54) and Kate Grace (16:03).

Results for the race can be found here:

http://www.letsrun.com/news/2016/11/results-2016-silicon-valley-turkey-trot-results/

Not This Year wrote:

Chris Derrick ran faster than that in high school.

Nice to see Chris Derrick posting on here.....

Drew Hunter to lost to Brian Barraza in a Turkey Trot. Hunter has a 500k deal and Barraza runs for the University of Houston. We can be critical.

Barraza's a senior.

Like I said, Hunter's still a whippersnapper, and should be judged by whippersnapper standards.

German is back, baby!!!

Hunter should be compared to other college freshman. That's it. He was offered a professional deal that he could not turn down. I'm sure there are very few LetsRunners who would have turned down that deal. However, we should not expect the deal to turn him into a world class runner. We can't expect that out of him for about 4, 5, or even 6 more years. Adidas is taking a risk signing a high schooler for a decade long contract. We have to wait to see if that'll pan out. We won't be able to tell in the fall of his first year as a professional.

Dodo birds can type -- this forum proves it.

Drew Hunter is the beneficiary of adidas' great leap of faith, and both he and the adidas folks know the meaning of a gamble. For Drew, however, it's a $urefire $uccess $tory, even if he doesn't attain the all-time greatness all the lesser runners/trolls demand of him just because funny money was thrust in his face. He's made a brilliant choice -- to set himself up for a comfortable life rather than to HOPE that one day, after slogging through 4 or 5 years of Oregon allegiance, he can make some money with his legs, lungs, and brain. He knows quite a few superb runners who, sadly, can barely eke out an existence financially doing what they love. He is and will not be in their shoes, thanks to the adidas people who deemed it worthwhile to give him a LONG-TERM shot at attaining greatness. It's not his fault that he was offered a fabulous contract!

A 19 year old -- I repeat, 19 year old -- running a 13:56 in his first 5k since last December's Foot Locker XC Championship win just wows me! I consider it greatly satisfying to see him strive for LONG-TERM growth in the sport.

19 is not young. There are 19 year olds who are as developed as 23 year olds and run world class times.

Ummm, a 20 year old just won the NYC marathon in 2:07:51. That's what you call impressive.

also in that race: Grace Ping in 16:36 and Nicole Blood in 16:59 and no one has said anything about German Fernandez.

Oh, please. The fellow who won NYC is not 20 years old - I can guarantee you that much.

I've spoken with a junior world champ who told me to my face that he was 25 at the time of his win.

Age documentation is spotty in Africa - at least in Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, etc. And one can literally have one's birth certificate altered for a fee.

Yfuvtfvyv wrote:

also in that race: Grace Ping in 16:36 and Nicole Blood in 16:59 and no one has said anything about German Fernandez.

Sorry, I had not seen the Ping threads

Hunter ran his personal best mile, 3:57.15, on Friday August 5th at around 9pm at Meredith College in Raleigh, NC during the Sir Walter Miler where he placed 7th in what might was his first pro race before he shut it down..before ramping it back up.

Drew Hunter ran under 4:00.00 4x (2 indoors and 2 outdoors) before his 19th birthday... what have the rest of you done..?

Special? wrote:

Sammy Atkins wrote:

I think he definitely has potential to be one of the best America has to offer withing a few years. Guys incredibly talented

Am I the only one not that impressed? He's run 3:42 and is 19, that Ingerbritsen kid did the same at 15...

Man you guys are so cynical. 1) we don't know if that Ingerbritsen kid will be around for much longer and 2) I'd like to see you run a 13:56 at 19.

LapRunner wrote:

Hunter should be compared to other college freshman. That's it. He was offered a professional deal that he could not turn down. I'm sure there are very few LetsRunners who would have turned down that deal. However, we should not expect the deal to turn him into a world class runner. We can't expect that out of him for about 4, 5, or even 6 more years. Adidas is taking a risk signing a high schooler for a decade long contract. We have to wait to see if that'll pan out. We won't be able to tell in the fall of his first year as a professional.

Well, maybe he should be compared to college sophomores instead. He turned 19 on Sep. 5. He's about as old as you can be and still have just started freshman year.

Old Man Wither wrote:

LapRunner wrote:

Hunter should be compared to other college freshman. That's it. He was offered a professional deal that he could not turn down. I'm sure there are very few LetsRunners who would have turned down that deal. However, we should not expect the deal to turn him into a world class runner. We can't expect that out of him for about 4, 5, or even 6 more years. Adidas is taking a risk signing a high schooler for a decade long contract. We have to wait to see if that'll pan out. We won't be able to tell in the fall of his first year as a professional.

Well, maybe he should be compared to college sophomores instead. He turned 19 on Sep. 5. He's about as old as you can be and still have just started freshman year.

Wait so he was born after the regular cut-off date for any given grade which is usually in August and sometimes July, depending on where you're from? Yeah totally unfair to compare him to others in his grade...

My birthday is Sep. 4 and you'll never be able to convince me I have some sort of unfair advantage because I was born in September. You're ridiculous. It's not like his parents held him back a year.

LapRunner wrote:

Old Man Wither wrote:

Well, maybe he should be compared to college sophomores instead. He turned 19 on Sep. 5. He's about as old as you can be and still have just started freshman year.

Wait so he was born after the regular cut-off date for any given grade which is usually in August and sometimes July, depending on where you're from? Yeah totally unfair to compare him to others in his grade...

My birthday is Sep. 4 and you'll never be able to convince me I have some sort of unfair advantage because I was born in September. You're ridiculous. It's not like his parents held him back a year.

I think the point he's trying to make is that age wise, he might as well be a sophomore.

Someone compared him to Barraza and noted he was a Senior. But if you look at Barraza's birthdate, he's almost exactly 2 years older than Hunter. So it's like a Soph vs. a Senior.

I believe the point that the poster was likely making is that if you are using age as a reason for boosting what he does, you have to use it on the other side too.