What events will Shelby Houlihan run at Tokyo2020 and Paris2024?

sheldont wrote:

None...she'll be banned by 2020 and retired by 2024

No Way, She and many of the top Americans will stick around for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

2020 I say she runs 1500 and 5000, 2024 she tries for the 5 and 10, 2028 She tries to make the Marathon team, if she is unsuccessful she runs the 10k in the trials.

She looks like a lock in 2020 in either the 1500 or 5000, but 2024 is a long time, maybe the USA will have better runners than her by then.

Sifan wrote:

Trucjdjjrjr wrote:

No one has ever moved up successfully to 10000M after starting as a 1500M runner let alone an 800M runner. Shelby is very talented but the 1500m will be her best event forever. 14:34 will get you an AR but you need a sub 14:20 to medal in this day and age.

Siffan Hissan...originally 800/1500, moved up to 5000m and had a super impressive half debut with the European record

She ran an impressive 5000M and half marathon. I should have clarified that no one has moved up to 10000m and medaled. In fact, I can't think of anyone that moved up from even just 5000M and medaled at 10000M, and 10000M is the weakest event!

Obviously we'll know more after we see what she does at World's this year, but right now I think she'd have a pretty good shot at making the team in any distance 800-10,000 (obviously, 1500 and 5000 are a given). 800 would be the hardest. If I had to guess I say she does 1500/5000 double in Tokyo, and 5000 and 10000 in Paris, though it depends on if she's better at 1500 or 10,000 by then as well as how the schedule looks.

What is Felon Docherty?

Your info is all correct. I just don’t like the misconception that people have that she was an 800 runner in HS. She was great from 400-3k. She just focused more on shorter stuff at that time but certainly showed she was national class in the 1500 without putting in the effort. She is the poster child for how to develop a runner to their fullest potential. Schweizer is similar. Jenks is the opposite. She travelled the world chasing every title possible.

Former Iowa Great wrote:

What is Felon Docherty?

Your info is all correct. I just don’t like the misconception that people have that she was an 800 runner in HS. She was great from 400-3k.

I didn’t know there was a popular misconception. She was definitely stronger at 800 than at 4k XC as a youngster, however, but good at both.

Felon Docherty is Ellen Dougherty. I was nervous she’d catch me ogling her in ‘09, and I’m nervous on this forum still.

Just curious, “Former Iowa Great,” did you compete during the Wally Duffy era, the Thomas Pollard era or somewhere in between?

Sifan wrote:

Trucjdjjrjr wrote:

No one has ever moved up successfully to 10000M after starting as a 1500M runner let alone an 800M runner. Shelby is very talented but the 1500m will be her best event forever. 14:34 will get you an AR but you need a sub 14:20 to medal in this day and age.

Siffan Hissan...originally 800/1500, moved up to 5000m and had a super impressive half debut with the European record

plenty of 1500m runners move up to the 10k and beyond (Grete Waitz, Rod Dixon, Ryan Hall, Bernard Lagat, etc.). That said, Houlihan's talents seem perfectly suited to the 1500m so while she probably could move and have success as a 5000m/10000m runner, why would she? The same could be asked about Silfan Hassan I suppose. My guess is that her move to 10000m is just a way point on the way to the marathon where the money is.