Drew Hunter: 13:56 today

ONLY ONE collegian beat him, Barraza. So stop saying collegians. Everyone else in front of him is out of college.

I don't know why Barraza was in the race, because most of the top collegians were busy last weekend at nationals, but good for him. He did beat Drew by 4 seconds.

I am impressed in this race as it is his first pro 5k, right? Yes its a road race, but a year ago he was running against preps at Footlocker this week down at McAlpine. He put himself out there, didn't win, but still came away with a great race.

FWIW - He ran a faster pace than Rupp did...

Is a pro 5K different than a 5K? Longer or something?

Is running a pro road race different than running a pro track race? He has run plenty of them?

Since no one else has said it, I will.

Drew Hunter's form sucks! If the kid wants to get seriously fast and compete with the best in the US or the world, he needs to improve his form.

Fisher, A 19 year old just came 5th at NCAA XC and was the first American. He ran 13:39 in his first 5km then 13:30 in his second 5km albeit on the track in season.

Kids out there, if funny money is thrown at you for your talents you have to think about it but that kind of experiment doesn't happen very often and if Adidas experience with Drew doesn't work out there probably won't be those kind of opportunities for male HS distance runners in the future.

Focus your talents towards gaining access to University and the university experience.

afromanmiler wrote:

FWIW - He ran a faster pace than Rupp did...

It's worth absolutely nothing considering their races were different lengths and on different courses.

How can he go from third all-time high schooler at 3:57 with the top indoor time to not that good a prospect in six months? The answer: he can't.

Going sub 14 in a turkey trot is a very good sign, particularly for a guy making a transition to the pros (often difficult) and recovering from Lyme Disease (very difficult).

All about the almighty dollar...

All about the almighty dollar...

Also guys it is November 25th. Nobody peaks in late November unless it is for cross country... Generally speaking

Ever heard of Evan Jager?

Ivy Leagah wrote:

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.

Actually, you don't have to alter it, simply say you don't have one and get a new one.

lmfao wrote:

Not This Year wrote:

Chris Derrick ran faster than that in high school.

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

You mad bro?

Snowman1 wrote:

Since no one else has said it, I will.

Drew Hunter's form sucks! If the kid wants to get seriously fast and compete with the best in the US or the world, he needs to improve his form.

I agree with this entirely. Looks like he is working way too hard.

Looks like Morgan Pearson is also be in coached by Tinman based on his instagram.

I know what the poster is saying... I'm saying he's wrong. It's not justifiable to compare him to collegians as a sophomore because he's not basically a sophomore. He is a freshman. People usually turn 19 during there freshman year. Which he did. He's a freshman. Not a sophomore.

If Drew Hunter is going to be trashed for performances like this in November, I truly hope he never goes on letsrun. Letsrun message boarders need to learn from past mistakes and not expect a record in every race from our young prospects.

Yeah, Drew Hunter's 1:48.64 (800m) / 3:57.15 (mile) / 3:42.42 (1500m) / 7:59.33 (indoor 3000m), 8:42.51 (2 mile), and 13:56 5k road race are outrageously pathetic and shameful performances because of his horrific form! Tinman must be a worthless coach! Drew's parents should hide their heads in the sand! "Why US!!!!????" they must ask as they cry themselves to sleep at night. There is no hope for Drew EVER to improve...because he doesn't have the smooth-as-silk running form, right now, of, say, Michael Slagowski.

Gimme an effin' break! I do hope Drew can improve his form, and that he can avoid serious injury as he strives (and strides) to improve that physical form. With improvement may come even more outrageous times.

There was a guy named Alberto with piss-poor form who blew the socks off of a runner or two in his day. Ugh...form ain't everything! And how did that Jim Ryun character ever dominate with that wacko head-waving??? Emil Zatopek. . .how did that guy ever win multiple Olympic golds in a storied career, what with THAT absurd form of his???

This is a great post and very true- however, in terms of predicting who will pan out to be GREAT, I'd say many (if not most) American distance studs have had and do have silky smooth form. Centro, Andrews (even though his upper body may not look as smooth as Centro, his legs/hips are perfect).

Jager, Murphy, Solomon (he has faded, but he burned bright). All of these guys looked like athletes and studs in the making. I'm not saying Hunter can't be that guy, but he is certainly in a different mold.

And for the record, I'd say that Centro, Jager and Murphy are the only true studs (outside of Rupp, obviously) that the US has, and they all have and always had smooth, smooth form. Not a necessity, but surely a useful observation.

(And then there is Nick Symmonds, who ruins any argument for having nice form).

I'll take performance at a given age over aesthetics any time as a predictor of future performance.