Culpepper wins nailbiter!

Even if it was close, no nails would have been bitten, I'm sure.

Shayne's margin of victory was even slimmer:

http://cowtown_marathon.tripod.com/cowtownmarathon/id56.html

They musta looked kinda silly out there running all by themselves. Surely this woulda been the race for them to test out walking breaks...?

Although Shayne's victory was only three minutes as opposed to four minutes, she only ran a 5km versus Alan's 10km. Therefore, she won by a larger average margin.

This from a guy that "isn't sure" he'll run World Cross because it might mess up the rest of his season.

Little Culp is dead to me until he starts actually racing competition worthy of his prodigous abilities. Never been to Europe because he "doesn't want to get sick." Skips World Cross, but can handle the Cowtown 10K. This guy is a joke and a disgrace to the sport.

Seagate wrote:

Although Shayne's victory was only three minutes as opposed to four minutes, she only ran a 5km versus Alan's 10km. Therefore, she won by a larger average margin.

I figured that at least one person would be unable to resist pointing this out.

I think having a baby is a pretty good excuse. Where he has natural babysitters in his parents in at Cowtown, it might be a little different in another country.

Zat0pek wrote:

This from a guy that "isn't sure" he'll run World Cross because it might mess up the rest of his season.

Little Culp is dead to me until he starts actually racing competition worthy of his prodigous abilities. Never been to Europe because he "doesn't want to get sick." Skips World Cross, but can handle the Cowtown 10K. This guy is a joke and a disgrace to the sport.

I think having a baby is a pretty good excuse. Where he has natural babysitters in his parents in at Cowtown, it might be a little different in another country.

Yeah, and I guess the reason he never, ever went to Europe in the last five years was because they were thinking about having a kid? I guess that's why he never went even when he wasn't married, huh?

Gimme a break. This guy quite possibly could hold the AR at 10,000 but he won't leave his comfort zone. Or the continent, for that matter.

Why does he have to go to Europe for the American 10k record? Last time I checked, Meb didn't have to leave California.

All this nonsense about him winning the US Cross Country title and not wanting to go to Worlds is ridiculous. His contract with adidas forces him to run the US trials if he's healthy. So, he goes. Say he decides not to go, the seventh place guy goes. OK, so the US team isn't as strong...what is lost in this scenario? He's not taking anyone's spot, he's not wasting USATF funds (like Seneca)...yeah he took the prize money from the US Trials, I find nothing wrong with that. Homey needs to feed the kid.

Give the guy a break. He does things his way, always has and has been very successful...maybe not enough for some of you chumps, but he's happy. He's obviously thinking long term and he has a plan. Lay off and see what happens.

ZatOpek-

Still on your "Culpepper is a disgrace to the sport" rant, I see. The bottom line is this. Alan Culpepper knows himself better than you do. He follows his own plan, not yours.

He may very well break the AR in the 10K. He may very well run considerably faster for 5K (I know you have a big hangup about that one). I'm confident that he knows what he's doing. His plan seemed to work OK @ Chicago last fall, and he hadn't raced since USATF Nat'ls. But I imagine 2:09:41 wasn't good enough for you.

I know what your response will be - he's gotta go to Europe, everybody goes to Europe, he could be so much better, blah blah blah. Give it a rest. Not every runner fits into your little profile of how it's supposed to be done.

BDG

I have no hangup at all about him at 5,000. It's not his primary event. The only hangup I have about him at 5,000 was him once again dodging world-class competition at Pre last year to run his local road race. Now he is apparently skipping World Cross but ran another local (his "second home") road race. The 5,000 is not his primary distance, but it certainly is one he can/should compete at. Salazar, Virgin, Nenow for the U.S. and Tergat, Geb and others that have been great 10,000/marathon guys race 5,000's for a host of reasons, a big one being that you can only run so many high-quality 10,000's or marathons in a year.

And you must not read much of what I write if you believe that I think 2:09 "wasn't good enough." I have nothing but praise for that performance. In fact, I went on record and predicted he would run 2:09 a week before he did it. I think he has some great potential at the marathon, I also praised him BEFORE that race for stepping up to that distance while still in the prime of his career. Too many Americans have avoided moving up until it was really too late (I would put Kennedy not moving up to 10,000 sooner in that category as well).

But here's what you don't seem to understand. It is precisely because I believe Alan has that kind ability that I fault him for not running against the worlds best (something he actually did in Chicago). Of course there is more than one way to skin a cat, but there is one universal truth in any sport: to be the best you have to beat the best, or at least race them. Often. Little Culp doesn't do that.

And avoiding competition is never worthy of respect in my book. Not at his level.

Why is he "Little Culp"? Is there a big Culp? Are you referring to his distant cousin Daunte Culpepper?

Alan has gone to Europe actually. After winning a couple US Championships he went over there and found he couldnt get a lane in any of the big races. He showed up at a GP meet expecting to run the 5000 and they told him sorry, we don't have room for you. How about running the B 800m race, and we'll pay your hotel anyway. He ran a 1:52, and then flew home.

Alan has met all the talent on the track, while others have been off running the easy money Us Only road race circuit.

And come on, you are calling the Bolder Boulder "his local road race"??!! There were several sub 27:30 guys in that field of 45,000.

Of course if he didnt run Bolder Boulder there would be some jackass from Boulder on here complaining about how he wont even compete in the biggest running event in his current hometown. You cant win.

ZatOpek-

Here's my issue with you:

You ARE admittedly disrespectful of Alan Culpepper. You rip on him because he has a different racing/training philosophy from you. You call him names because you don't like the way he does things.

Here's my point regarding Alan:

He ran 2:09:41 @ Chicago.

He faced the world's best @ Chicago.

He didn't race at all between USATF Nationals & Chicago.

So, he had a training plan for Chicago which didn't involve racing throughout the summer & fall. He executed that plan and was successful at Chicago.

So...quit ripping on him. Here's his last 4 races for you:

Cowtown 10K - 1st ("hometown" race & family trip home)

USATF 12K XC - 1st (beat Meb, beat Abdi, beat everyone)

Chicago Marathon - 6th (2:09:41, tied for best US debut)

USATF Track 5K - 1st (came back after disappointing 10K)

What have you done in the last 8 months?

BDG

Well said. When did Alan have to start getting anyone's approval for where he races anyway? He has goals and they don't include racing once or twice a month just because he's in good shape and could make a little money. Like Viren, his focus is the Olympics and/or World Champs.

Most importantly--and different--is that the Culpeppers are running w/o using drugs--so quit being a homosexual Zat0pek.

catman wrote:

Most importantly--and different--is that the Culpeppers are running w/o using drugs--so quit being a homosexual Zat0pek.

I don't even know what this means. Catman, did you go to Bob Jones University? Are you Bob Jones?

Hey, Joan Benoit never lit it up overseas either. She was almost purely a domestic runner. Didn't seem to hurt her career. She ran world cross once and perhaps a few others in Europe but nuthin big. Didn't matter. Runners shape their careers in many different ways. Leave the guy alone.