CRAZY or GENIUS? Alberto Salazar Says Kejelcha is Going for BOTH 1500 AND Mile records at same time

Ok, Weldon texted me about this and I immediately thought, "Has Salazar lost his mind?"

For starters.

In that dyestat article, Salazar talks about them needing to run 28.3 per lap. "We want it to be as even as possible, 28.3 seconds for each 200.”" Well there's one big problem with that.

Official, memo to the Nike intern that is paid to read these forums. Please pass the following message on to Alberto. 28.3 per lap won't get you the 1500 WR. You need to average 28.14 per lap to get the 1500 WR.

Secondly, if he's going to pull this off, and I certainly think it's not impossible, he'd need to be in way better than 3:31.04 shape to do it. John Kellogg says that for Kejelcha to be able to run under 3:31.04 and then keep going in another 109.345 meters even slowing down a lot (3:31.04 is 3:46.43 mile pace so he could run that next bit over 2 seconds slower and still get the mile WR) that Kejelcha would likely need to be in 3:29 low to mid shape.

If Kejelcha wants the 1500 WR, let him go for that. It's the superior mark (equal to 3:47.98 in our minds). This double WR thing could lead to zero WRs. He's going to need to really drive for the 1500 WR and then to keep going for another 109+ is going to be awkward as hell.

I once started a race on the track where you could run 10,000 or 5,000. I wasn't sure what I was going to do so I ended up running like barely faster than 10k pace and dropping out at 5k. Total disaster.

I though that was Doc Brown for a second.

My reaction: This is probably just talking up the event to get bums in seats, eyes on screens. The article does include a link to the live webcast. The more viewers the better. And a potential double world record may just catch the main stream media's attention.

Please edit this foolish mistake:

The mile world record is 3:31.04

LRC note: Thanks. We fixed it

hes referring to the mile world record pace at 1500m

Yes he can do both, continuing on 109 meters isn't that much. Subconsciously he knows he's got to run to the mile finish, so he'll keep a tiny bit extra to get to the mile finish even though he's 'racing' to the 1500 finish.

Back in the day they would often run a extra if they were on pace for the next record too.

rojo wrote:

I once started a race on the track where you could run 10,000 or 5,000. I wasn't sure what I was going to do so I ended up running like barely faster than 10k pace and dropping out at 5k. Total disaster.

A lot of dumb things said in your post but this is the dumbest. Who cares? You're a JV high schooler compared to Kejelcha. AND not knowing if you're running 5k or 10k is nothing like running 1500/mile in one race.

You almost got it from the outset. Not “or” but... Going for BOTH the 1500 AND the mile records is BOTH crazy AND genius in fact. There’s a parallel there. I went to a HS 10 miles from Salazar’s, graduated the same year. Watched him run something like 9:44 2-mile in HS as a freshman and two years later saw him run by my house on a training run. Later the match race with Rono at 10k on the track, the Boston duel in the sun, the Falmouth race where he collapsed. He’s the epitome of crazy AND genius.

Both records are soft. Salazar knows that a well-prepped indoor effort on a quality banked track can easily exceed your outdoor performances. Even Rupp can run a blazing mile that way.The only reason they still usually don't is it's the off season and few runners make a well-prepped, serious effort.

Kejecha clearly is, and if he is in 3:30 outdoor shape, then believe it or not he could blow your minds with a 3:28 indoors.

This was my thought. The only thing I wonder about is if he'll have the legs left for the last 109m. People tend to come through the 1500 mark in a mile race about 1% slower than their 1500 pace. If he has to run a 1500 WR, I'm not sure he'll have enough left for the extra 109.

If he runs a 3:31 flat 1500, he has to cover the last 109.344 in 17.4 or 4:16 mile pace. Which isn't a huge pace demand for someone like him, but after a PR, people tend to be pretty knackered. Granted that is a lot of cushion there, but I wonder how much that will matter when his form starts to go, legs tie up, etc.

I think he could definitely break 3:30 indoors. However, he definitely should run more conservatively for this double WR attempt. I don't think there's any way he's going to run a 3:29 or faster en route to the mile WR. He was tying up in the last 50-ish meters of his 1500m attempt. So unless he wasn't fully peaked for that, call me skeptical

I think it’s exciting and cool to try it. I don’t think he’ll do either, but power to him anyway.

So with Tefera hot on his tail then passing him, he was unable to get the record, but now he will do it on his own and continue without much slowdown for 106m.

Yeah.

Genius. It will be legendary if he pulls it off.

Ask JK how many seconds the magic of the BU track is worth

Just run a 3:46 flat mile and come through the 1500 a tick under 3:31 flat.

rojo wrote:

I once started a race on the track where you could run 10,000 or 5,000. I wasn't sure what I was going to do so I ended up running like barely faster than 10k pace and dropping out at 5k. Total disaster.

Haha, I love it!

I think Kejelcha could run 3:46 as crazy as it sounds. That Milrose mile was far from ideal with pacing and I think he was still a bit tired from that effort and the workout before heading into Birmingham.

Add a BU spring track and 2 more weeks of sharpening up and I think he's ready to roll. I don't think he was peaked going into Milrose anyway, it wouldn't make any sense if Alberto had this or a 3000 attempt planned already before Milrose.

Salazar might well have him going 28.3/lap, knowing that is 3:32 pace, with the expectation that he maintain that pace until 1209 (2:51.07) and then run 291m to 1500m at 26.77 200m pace, and he just gets the 1500m wr, though it would be soft enough to be broken quickly again, and then he runs 17.41 for the last 109.344m, which is just 63.69 second 400m pace, to get the wr (at 3:48.44, right?). There's a reason people don't try to do this. Even those trying to get 1500m qualifiers in a mile race usually don't succeed. Salazar must know that Kejelcha is in 3:30 1500m shape, and even then it's no sure thing he can hold on, but considering that while he makes mistakes Salazar usually has a firm mathematical grasp of the records his athletes are going for and their capacity for getting them based on workouts and previous races. I say that he doesn't get the 1500m record but does get the mile record by a second.