20 year old kid runs low 2:30s at Boston

Yeah, get these college guys (or at least college-age guys) running the marathon, and by the time their at their peak age, maybe we'll have runners only 95% of the people on this forum will rip to shreds.

Cathy Shiro ran 2:32 or 2:33 while in high school. Gompers ran what--2:16? as a teenager.

Alejandro Cruz of Mexico ran Chicago in 2:08 and change in 1989-90 or so at the age of 20, losing by a slim margin to Antoni Neimczak of Poland. Cruz looked great, but was toast by the time he was 23 or 24. Unless the US guys can do all of their training on soft dirt until they are 17, 18 years old, we'll be better off to start marathoning later in age than the Africans IMO.

I know a 20 year old who may run 2:25 or faster...

I hope that Ritz and Torres won't wait until they are 30 to debut. We really need get out of this, we can only run 2 marathons a year for three years before we burn out mentality.

I had the privilege to run with Dick Beardsley a few years ago. I talked to him about marathon training since I want to run them some day. Pretty much the first thing he told me was to get in at least a year of 100+ mpw before my first one if you want to be serious and compete well. I think people can start young (early 20s) as long as they have the years of mileage under their belts. It really couldn't be more important for any other event. This isn't like running a 10k. My (outsider's) view is that so many people have problems with injuries and burnout from running marathons because they simply don't have a large enough lifetime mileage base under them.

OUC Half Marathon 2004 Results

December 4, 2004

Approximately 1535 Runners

****MEN -- OPEN****

Name Age Official Pace

1 BASHIR HUSSAIN 39 1:08:52 5:15

2 MIKE HENSLEY 19 1:09:12 5:16

3 CHIP HAZEWSKI 23 1:13:17 5:35

Not to say a marathon is anywhere near the same as a half, but 2nd place is looking good for 19...

No offense to Sackrider, but I ran 2:35 in high school and ABSOLUTELY NO ONE NOTICED and I still realized that I was 20 minutes from being a nobody without a shoe contract. Maybe I could have gotten free shoes and uniform from the Brooks Regional Team that was around at the time (this was the late 80's), if I had run under 2:25.

So your point is what?

Also, the "US" cannot impose its will to "succeed in the marathon" on individuals. The individuals have to WANT TO DO IT. This guy obviously wants to do it, and good for him.

My point was simply that this is a kid who is apparently eager to excell in the marathon and is resolved to do this at a fairly early age, and that he seems to be an unknown. His line just jumped out at me from the results page and I wondered if anyone knew who he was. I like your point about my national rhetoric, though--I realized after reading it again that it sounds a little off. While the US can't impose its will on individuals (that much), I think we're affected by what the people around us are doing.

i definitely don't want to rip on him (he lives about 35 minutes from me) as I think that is a great achievement for anyone, and especially great at 20 yo. However, a 15:30 5k is comparable to a 2:32 marathon when you are endurance trained and you don't see many people waxing rhapsodic about a 5k at that level for a 20 year old.

Americans so rarely see a marathoner that is sub-2:15 who isn't already accomplished that when you see a 2:32 runner whom you haven't heard of you get excited.

You have to remember that 2:32 is good for women, not world class, but good. A 20 year old male is much better athletically than a woman.

"Sack's got some sacks."

Sackrider was on the Western Michigan track team that got cut after last year, but opted to stay at WMU. He ran about 3:51 for 1500m last Spring as either a sophomore or red-shirt freshmen.

Yeah- well when you look at the results again, notice the guy in third from Kenya. He is twenty also.

3 Benson Cherono 20 Kenya 2:12:48

We had 10-15 guys on my college cross team who could run 2:32 or better. We ran enough miles and 5:48-5:50 per mile pace was not difficult.

i don't think anyone is debating that there are dozens, if not hundreds of 20 yr old american men who can run 2:32 for the marathon. the point is that this guy has chosen to begin running marathons at 20.....perhaps giving him a head start on adapting to the distance AND making the committment to run marathons.

I don't know this guy, so I've no idea if he just went out to run one, or if he has his heart set on becoming a marathoner. Either way, it is a commendable performance

I still think one can perform better later in the Marathon.

Alejandro Cruz is still running but he never did anything after that 2.08. I mean he was done at 22 -23. I'd rather take Alan's career. A saw Alejandro in Mexico a couple of years ago. He still trains but the result are not there anymore. 2.08 too young is better than no 2.08 ever, but the point I want to make here is, chances are you're going to get hurt early, you're going to have a short career and if you don't run 2.08 right away :-) you're screwed!

Wang Junxia ran a 2.24'07" marathon at 20y of age.

Didn't Hudson run close to 2:16 when he was in high school?

You put that at the end of your sentence just waiting for someone to pounce. It really depends on who that woman is.

darkness wrote:

A 20 year old male is much better athletically than a woman.

Is it just me or was the marathon the only event the US had anyone medal in at the olympics this past summer? US marathoning is as good now as it has been since the 1980s, so this whole discussion is flawed. US needs to start getting people at the 10k and 5k and especially steeple. 1500 webb and of course now lagat are in excellent positions and of course the sprints the us dominates. The 10k/5k is where we need help the most.

darkness wrote:

i definitely don't want to rip on him (he lives about 35 minutes from me) as I think that is a great achievement for anyone, and especially great at 20 yo. However, a 15:30 5k is comparable to a 2:32 marathon when you are endurance trained and you don't see many people waxing rhapsodic about a 5k at that level for a 20 year old

I disagree...i had a teamate who ran about 1440's and 3100 for the 10k, and was more of a distance guy, with a 51 and change minute 10 mile pr...and he only ran 237 in the marathon...San Diego...not sure how tough that course is. I don't see any 1530 guy running a 232 in the marathon with a very few rare exceptions.