Why was Eamonn Coghlan so good indoors? 3:49 in 1983 on plywood track??!!!!

malmo wrote:

Main Lion wrote:

I have heard tales that Villanova once had a banked track set up in a parking lot so the team could practice the turns. I don't know if this is fake news or not.

Yes Nova trained on an outdoor board track. They were always in tune with the flow and tactics of board tracks.

Did you scrap with Coghlan in college?

steve k wrote:

Did you scrap with Coghlan in college?

Not a chance. Except in cross country, then Eamonn didnt have a chance.

Star, are not you an older person? 1976 Olympics, Coughlan was 23, a few months short of his 24th birthday. Coughlan was a 1500m/one mile man outdoors then. Coughlan was an outdoor 1500m/one mile man through 1979. I believe Coughlan was in one mile race when S. Coe first raced sub-3:50 one mile 3:48.95 rounded to 3:49, 1979. Coughlan switched to 5000m as his primary outdoor event, 1980. Coughlan had plenty of outdoor 1500m/one mile opportunities in his twenties. Coughlan shouldn't have switch to 5000m prior to 1980 Olympics. I am sure Coughlan would have been 4th place in 1980 Olympics 1500m, but he would have been closer to the top three in 1500m.

malmo wrote:

steve k wrote:

Did you scrap with Coghlan in college?

Not a chance. Except in cross country, then Eamonn didnt have a chance.

Back in the 70s, milers often ran cross-country to prepare for mile racing. Perhaps you were taking the opposite approach.

He was faster indoors because he knew how to use the banks to turn efficiently and take advantage of the opportunity for higher cadence. It's all in the physics.

A lot of runners after him have been faster indoors, too.

Damn dat crowd tho. We need to bring back track like that.

Dat crowd tho wrote:

Damn dat crowd tho. We need to bring back track like that.

That's his secret.

Eamonn was crowd-doping.

160m? wrote:

I believe it was 10 laps to the mile as well; but someone might fact check on that. I'm getting old, and facts are getting a bit more fuzzy.

11 laps to the mile! 160 yards.

The Meadowlands track was 10 laps to the mile, not 11 like most wooden indoor tracks.

1978 European Championships 1500m

1 Steve Ovett Great Britain 3:35.59 CR

2 Eamonn Coghlan Ireland 3:36.57

3 David Moorcroft Great Britain 3:36.70

4 Thomas Wessinghage West Germany 3:37.19

5 Antti Loikkanen Finland 3:37.54

6 José Marajo France 3:38.20

7 Jürgen Straub East Germany 3:38.88

8 John Robson Great Britain 3:39.6

9 Olaf Beyer East Germany 3:39.7

10 Francis Gonzalez France 3:40.1

11 Rolf Gysin Switzerland 3:41.0

12 Jozef Plachý Czechoslovakia 3:42.2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lOCqNF5570

Coghlan came from a long way back in the last 150m to snatch silver

He was a better runner than a singer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JT_0qXQeADU

Sir Bastion Newbold wrote:

1978 European Championships 1500m

1 Steve Ovett Great Britain 3:35.59 CR

2 Eamonn Coghlan Ireland 3:36.57

3 David Moorcroft Great Britain 3:36.70

4 Thomas Wessinghage West Germany 3:37.19

5 Antti Loikkanen Finland 3:37.54

6 José Marajo France 3:38.20

7 Jürgen Straub East Germany 3:38.88

8 John Robson Great Britain 3:39.6

9 Olaf Beyer East Germany 3:39.7

10 Francis Gonzalez France 3:40.1

11 Rolf Gysin Switzerland 3:41.0

12 Jozef Plachý Czechoslovakia 3:42.2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lOCqNF5570

OK!! Listen to him CALL THE RACE! I wish all the commentators today would watch and listen to this over and over and call the freaking race when they announce!

Someone asked about what spikes they wore. In those days, most every company had a model with a covered spike plate, so the entire shoe bottom was rubber, but you could still screw in the spikes through a hole in the rubber. No plastic exposed. I actually found them more comfortable and choose to wear them outdoors as well. Nike model was called Zoom I. Their Zoom D was the same shoe but with external plastic spike plate for more grip outdoors.

Coghlan was all over the place in the '78 Euro 1500m. At one point, with about a lap to go, he sneaks up past a bunch on the rail, but then is boxed and falls way back to 200m to go, and then there he is free and 2nd in the end to arrogance personified.

The crowds back then were fantastic because, first, there was a running boom and everyone was running a lot, but second, the best Americans and Europeans in middle distance and distance were among the best in the world and competitive for medals and world records, with their share of them, which is what you really need to grow the sport. When Kenyans and Ethiopians began to dominate, rather than merely being contenders along with the rest, the crowds went away with the local rooting interest, although the occasional great one with personality and staying power can bring them out, Geb, Bekele, and Kipchoge being among the few.

zxcvzxcv wrote:

The crowds back then were fantastic because, first, there was a running boom and everyone was running a lot,.

Missed the target completely. Indoor track (and outdoors) brought huge crowds long before the so-called "running boom" began.

malmo wrote:

zxcvzxcv wrote:

The crowds back then were fantastic because, first, there was a running boom and everyone was running a lot,.

Missed the target completely. Indoor track (and outdoors) brought huge crowds long before the so-called "running boom" began.

True. Very few of the running boomers paid a wit of attention to the sport of track & field.

The Fokus wrote:

malmo wrote:

Missed the target completely. Indoor track (and outdoors) brought huge crowds long before the so-called "running boom" began.

True. Very few of the running boomers paid a wit of attention to the sport of track & field.

Track and Field was on TV frequently. Was carried in newspapers and Sports Ill. Guys like Jim Ryun and Marty Liquori were household names and could not walk through airports without being noticed.