Elite Runner Who Just Walked Away Before Their Potential Was Realized - ?

Jimmy Grabow. 2:11 Marathon debut at 27 years old. Struggled with injuries but couldve been a sub 2:10 guy for sure.

SJWHippie wrote:

jiaaf wrote:

Bob did not exactly "throw it all away." Bob was 30 years old and had been battling injury problems. Bob made the right choice.

Jeezus, do you not understand sarcasm.

Another guy "threw it all away," Ralph Doubell of Oz, gold medal 1968 Oly in a record time that stood for 50 years, got injured so no run in 72, so went to Harvard Business School, then was head of Deutsche B ank down under, the lazy bum.

Doubell had injury problems throughout his career, but a WR and Oly gold doesn't really fit not living up to potential.

Eric Hurst?

preisg8erthanu wrote:

I call b.s. wrote:

In 1976 Olympics, Prefontaine would not have finished in higher than fifth in either 5000 or 10000.

Pre had only improved after Munich. Was hungry. And would have demolished Lasse Viren had he showed up to the meet in Eugene that he was suppose to and chickened out of. But when your blood dopping regime and training aren'tin sync, you are scared of the 4th place finisher that is looking to take you down. Viren chickened out like the 8itch he is.

Yeah, Viren was really devastated by all of those between Games losses. A thumping in another twilight Oregon meet would have ended his career.

this is it wrote:

Jargen Frankfurter wrote:

Um...Ever hear of Herb Elliott??

+1

Imagine Herb Elliott vs Peter Snell in the 1500m final at the 64 final?

It could've turned into a Seb Coe vs Steve Ovett type of duel. Too bad they never raced each other. One of the biggest tragedies in running.

They did. Just not in a mile/1500

zxvczxcv wrote:

Herb Elliott is obviously a great one for this category, although two Olympic golds, undefeated in international competition, and world records mean a good deal of his potential was realized, albeit on very low mileage.

Elliott did high mileage and I would say getting a second gold without even running a race counts as reaching his potential. Somehow.

Barry Sanders.

Liz Mueller

Renaldo Nehemiah. Granted he stuck around long enough to set the WR, but he walked away to play in the NFL

I guess you have to include that guy who went to Nau.

Isaiah Harris... almost!

Dumb IL guy wrote:

I guess you have to include that guy who went to Nau.

No. He was not an elite runner.

Tony Russell - Penn State.

11th at NXN, other HS accolades, then 24:15 8K and 25th at B1Gs as a freshman, then stole a PS4 and got kicked off the team and expelled from school.

He didn't walk away but he brought it on himself. This was back in 2015. No one knows where he is now.

aging wrote:

John Trautman

Legend from Monroe Woodbury NY- still holds the fastest Soph. Van Courtland Park XC record, beat Bobby Kennedy in College. Went to the 92 Olympics 5k then got a Wall Street job.

He got fat and rich. ONe day at 44 he decided to train for about one year to set the >45 AG mile record --he did.... 4:13 ish.

You are missing out on a pretty serious foot injury which pretty much finished him off. I think you will find that for a bunch of the listed people.

Mark Dani.

There are some names on here being pulled from the gray matter!

Tara Chaplin, didn't she have eating issues and couldn't stay healthy?

Laurynne chetelat

Daniel Lincoln

jiaaf wrote:

SJWHippie wrote:

Dr. Robert Kempanien. Prof at Univ. Of Minn. Med skl.

Two Olys, national cross champ and 2:08 at Boston...and threw it all away.

Bob did not exactly "throw it all away." Bob was 30 years old and had been battling injury problems. Bob made the right choice.

Bob was 34 and a few months when he retired. He had run 27:37 that Spring (2004) when he was 33 and won the 2004 USATF National Cross Country. He had been running 20 years.

He made two Olympic teams and tried for four. He also ran the 5000m in the World Championships in 1991 (12th), 1993, 1995 (12th), 1997 (6th), and 1999 (9th). Holding American Records at 3k/2M/5k (7:30 / 8:11 / 12:58) at the same time and running 27:38 in his first ever 10k in 1999.

There is no way he did not reach his potential, and if he didn't, continuing on past 35 would not have done the trick.

Whoops!! Everything I wrote was correct, but about the wrong guy. Sorry. I was reading a post about Kennedy and then saw this one right after and I jumped to a conclusion.

Liz Mueller was emotionally abused and manipulated.

Has anyone said Lukas Verzbicas yet?