Editor's note: This is a slightly edited version of a post Rojo put on page 6 or 7 of the Rupp goes home devastated thread. We didn't think a lot of people would see it there.
Also asthmatic wrote:
So, he is trained by a program akin to the space race for the moon and they couldn't come up with clothing to prevent hypothermia? Hmm. And, he trains year round with an army of doctors monitoring his asthma but are not able to stabilize his condition for moderately wet and cold conditions. This was not Calgary in February and an asthmatic who can run world class times in stifling heat has no idea what severe asthma is like. He likely quit because his team decided to get him another gig.
I know everyone thinks I hate Rupp but what I really hate is idiocy and people who don't understand the sport. The whole point of the site was to educate people about the sport so here goes.
1) I'd much rather run in Calgary in February than Boston April 16, 2018. There is NOTHING in the WORLD than 30 degree temps and rain (ok, today was high 30s/low 40s -worse would be about 34-35). I did a long run once in Ithaca where it went from snow to 34 degree rain. I MUCH preferred the snow. I thought I was potentially going to die to the rain as I had cotton gloves that weren't water proof andmy body shut down. I thought I was going to lose my hands as I didn't have proper gloves.
2) Rupps asthma? Yes, I believe it's real. I can't remember who told me this but someone told me this spring that Rupp didn't run the NYC half specifically because he was fearful it might be cold and he doesn't do well in the cold due to his asthma. A few people have pointed out one of the few races that Rupp has bombed besides today was Manchester. What does 2018 Boston and that Manchester race have in common? Cold.
ThatAverageRunner wrote:
*People do not understand professional running. Of course Rupp dropped out. So did over 3/4 of the Elite East Africans. Why would a guy with the credentials Rupp has slog his way to a 5-10 finish at Boston and risk injury, illness, etc when he can hopefully regroup and try another marathon sooner and not completely waste 6 months of his life. Sure, it is noble to not drop out, but it also isn't smart. Especially if he was truly having asthma and hypothermia problems, which I do not doubt.
*Just because some people handled the cold better, even in less clothes, doesn't mean that Rupp is faking just because he wasn't doing well. Everyone will respond differently to adverse weather conditions, even without taking into account how they would be feeling on that day regardless of weather.
You nailed it.
1) I've never understood why people hate DNFs. When I was coaching, it didn't bother me at all. This isn't 2nd grade where you get a participation award. By bagging it before mile 20, Rupp could go run somewhere else this spring. I imagine he will. I think there is little chance Salazar wastes his fitness in the next 6 weeks.
2) I've always said running in really hot weather is like a totally different sport. Same thing with cold and rain. I wrote Ross Tucker this morning to ask him what type of body type might benefit in these conditions. He said those with higher body fat percentages.
Tucker wrote:
In cycling, it was thought that larger riders, with slightly higher body fat %, would be less affected by cold. Same is true for cold-water swimmers - if you wanted to swim the English channel, you needed insulation from higher body fat %. So the same logic suggests that runners with very low body fat % will struggle in the cold. Bigger athletes produce more heat, too at the same speed. So my prediction would be that in extreme cold (& the wind & wet achieves this for Boston), very small, lean runners will struggle more.
A final factor - does the athlete train in it. The Africans will find it entirely unfamiliar. Some Americans, too. But some will be accustomed. That said, I recall Cheruiyot won a super cold Chicago, so predictions only go so far!
The mitigating factor is that the elites generate such a large amount of heat because heat production = 4 x mass x velocity. The slower runners at the back are going to struggle, especially if it’s wet (heat loss in water is 25x greater than in air). Staying warm is a big
Guesss what? Two relatively stocky people - Kawauchi and Linden have way stockier legs than most elites - got the win.
DC Wonk wrote:
Boston's weather was a fluke and it dictated the whole race. Neither Yuki now Desi will ever win a major again, so I hope they party hard tonight. I congratulate them both for fantastic wins in what will go down in history of marathoning as a crazy race.
I 100% agree. Win a major again? I don't think they'll be competitive in a major again. And by competitive I mean finish top 3 in a non-fluke year.
So call me a Rupp fanboy from now on please.
Rojo
PS. But I can still start a thread saying, "Boston 2018 - Not Rupp Certified." I mean it clearly wasn't.
PPS. ALl of that being said, during the race when Linden and Yuki were like both moving up, I said I"d shut down the site if they won as they represent the ideal of the Letsrun Dream. So how long should we go dark for?