Congrats American women on Great Stirling x-cross race! Last, third to last, fourth to last, fifth to last, sixth to last

not the same wrote:

Avery is not the same runner she once was. She looks like she has put on some weight (truth that may not be the worst thing in the past she was very thin). But if you look at her performances from last year she has fallen off some

From IAAF site

2018 Season Bests

1500 Metres 4:15.42 Stretford (GBR) 18 AUG 2018

5000 Metres 16:19.46 Birmingham (GBR) 01 JUL 2018

10,000 Metres 33:05.24 London (GBR) 19 MAY 2018

She was out with injuries including stress fractures for about 20 months after the Rio Olympics. So, she's still working her way back I think. At the moment her problem seems to be consistency. She was beating all those British women in British Cross Challenge races last October/November.

What a ridiculous question. They were there to represent the US and this was the best they could do. Its a national disgrace if you ask me. Good thing its XC, so no one will ever know.

And how many elite XC races have you ever even qualified for?

Let me get this straight. Blaney is a no name American that you’ve never heard of but she finished 28 seconds back from the best in Europe? Sounds good to me.

why did we send this team? wrote:

Embarrassing.

Very embarrassing . If I was the coach I’d have these slackers turn in their USA uniform . It’s not like the team that slaughtered them was Ethiopia or Kenya . The UK is comparable to Lichtenstein in distance talent .

Most of the US Team was picked from the top finishers at first the national club cross country championships in Spokane. Looks like several in the top 10 from Spokane turned down the trip.

Congrats Brooks and ADP for taking Team USA serious with the men.

Bowerman/Brooks women could have represented.

Remember when Chris Derrick made the world XC team for Uganda but declined? Hasn’t done Jack since. Won’t make the XC team anymore and that’s his only thang. Lost opportunity. Could’ve been a Pat Porter.

I didn’t remember that Des Linden ran this race last year and was the worst American 2 minutes back. Must not have been raining like Boston that was 3 months later.

Given there are dozens and dozens of championship races per year in the USA, between high school, college, and post-collegiate racing, even relative unknown runners win them. If these athletes are worth a damn then they've won something, somewhere along the line. You'd think they'd select people who know how to compete best unless there was a qualifier race to select this team. No, I don't memorize annual domestic top-20 descending order lists for every track and road distance for both sexes. I can love the sport and still have a life, pal.

Go, Laura! wrote:

She was out with injuries including stress fractures for about 20 months after the Rio Olympics.

>>> malnourished & jacked hormones

She might be the same at a healthy body weight, she might never be the same again.

Pathetic. Women’s running is so boring. No better than watching the WNBA....

Go, Laura! wrote:

A couple of examples ... Marissa Howard - a 9:30 steepler. Good enough to be noticed, surely? She's been in a number of fairly high-profile races on US soil. Rachel Johnson - had a pretty good NCAA career 3 or 4 years ago. Has a good set of PBs too, including 15:39/32:32.

This is actually not far from the likes of Burkard and Moller who have PBs of slightly below 9:30 in the steeple (granted they are both probably better X country runners than steeplers and Burkard has improved tremendously with 4:06 and 15:12 last season) so it is all the more surprising that the US runners lost about a minute to the top 3 in Stirling.

They all must have gone out the night before and gotten hammered.

It's not like this race is a championship race or anything. For the UK and Euro girls, it is barely a trip, just an overnighter. To go from the US, especially if you're out west is a long trip across many time zones.

The women's side just doesn't have the depth as the men, so if a few decline, the quality really falls. Kudos to them for jumping into a race that is way above their "pay scale".

FWIW: The only 2 I've heard of were Avery and Johnson.

The fact that every US runner finished behind a woman with no significant accomplishments since 2015 isn't exactly a ringing endorsement for the quality of their performances. If the US is going to send a team, they should send athletes that will at least be competitive, not the C- team. I don't mean to demean any of these women (I'd say the exact same thing if the US men put up a similar performance), but for whatever reason the caliber of male and female athletes representing the US in this race was nowhere near equivalent.

Wasn't Blankenship supposed to run?

https://www.greatrun.org/news-and-media/news/simplyhealth-great-stirling-xc-team-usa-announced#6yiYW0fDjGa32IFt.97

The travelling and jet lag is a plausible reason for weak performances. But if a large nation like the US bothers to send a team, it would look better if it was competitive (as the men were both this and last year). It should also be noted that the best of Europe and UK women were not running either. The top 5 of the Euro Cross did not run in Stirling , neither the top UK runners (Muir ran the relay, McColgan and Courtney not at all).

Chewbaccca wrote:

Go, Laura! wrote:

Why do I see so many US athletics fans saying, "I don't know these people" when various elite American athletes are mentioned?

I'm British, and granted I follow the US mid & long distance scene fairly closely, but I know about all of the women on that team that competed in Stirling.

I don't know, I'd expect LetsRun readers to know a bit more I suppose.

I think you maybe follow the US mid and distance scene WAY too closely if you know these runners who brung up the rear.

I follow it pretty closely and the only one I recognize is Rachel Johnson.

A tough race in the middle of January is something Europeans are better at. XC is a fall sport in the US and for some parts of the country means warm weather. That said, these US women are likely training for spring races and used this as an exhibition.

good 'old letsrun, where people who have never won a national race themselves but throw shade on national champs

Anne-Marie Blaney was an NCAA champ and Olivia Pratt was freaking all-american - both were top finishers at the USATF club XC champs, in fact they finished in front of Emma Bates who letsrun at least seems to admire

- they were some of the best the USA had to send to this event, who exactly would you have sent to this competition instead?