Dreams become reality: Guy that ran 9:59 in HS was just named to 2019 US World Championships marathon team

Jack Daniels converts a 2:13 marathon to a 13:51 5000m and 63 Half Marathon and 28:48 10,000m.

I believe the story of Andrew Epperson shows that very few runners continue running post collegiately. Art Siemers hiring him as an assistant coach gave him the opportunity to keep training without sponsorship. This year alone well over 100 college athletes ran faster than Andrew's college times (he has not improved 5k, 10k marks post collegiately). Imagine if we had post collegiate groups around the country, maybe then we would have 5-10 sun 2:10 marathoners every year as we should.

I ran 10:13 3200 in high school and have qualified for the trials. Pick me.

Wow what a negative thread. 9:59 to a 2:13 is incredible. Running 2:14 as a full-time engineer is also highly impressive. Most people who run those times work part-time in a running store or as a coach.

Mahavishnu1500 wrote:

Jack Daniels converts a 2:13 marathon to a 13:51 5000m and 63 Half Marathon and 28:48 10,000m.

I believe the story of Andrew Epperson shows that very few runners continue running post collegiately. Art Siemers hiring him as an assistant coach gave him the opportunity to keep training without sponsorship. This year alone well over 100 college athletes ran faster than Andrew's college times (he has not improved 5k, 10k marks post collegiately). Imagine if we had post collegiate groups around the country, maybe then we would have 5-10 sun 2:10 marathoners every year as we should.

Epperson has the benefit of living at altitude and working a job where he can run with the team at practice. It's not like he's running at 5am in the morning or 7pm at night due to his work schedule. He even had someone coaching him for free.

This Jonas Hampton guy is an awesome story. Coaching himself, running 100+ mile weeks despite working 50 hours a week, and sticking with it is incredibly impressive. Much better story than Epperson in my opinion.

Mahavishnu1500 wrote:

Jack Daniels converts a 2:13 marathon to a 13:51 5000m and 63 Half Marathon and 28:48 10,000m.

I believe the story of Andrew Epperson shows that very few runners continue running post collegiately. Art Siemers hiring him as an assistant coach gave him the opportunity to keep training without sponsorship. This year alone well over 100 college athletes ran faster than Andrew's college times (he has not improved 5k, 10k marks post collegiately). Imagine if we had post collegiate groups around the country, maybe then we would have 5-10 sun 2:10 marathoners every year as we should.

Yes we lose a ton of runners right after college. If your a 13:50-14:20 type guy there is a a very good chance you can run a 2:15 marathon in 4 years. But finding a situation where you can put in that time is pretty rare. A lot of guys strugle to train without the structure of a team and dedicating your life to running 2:15 just isn't worth it. In some ways these guys (and the notch above them) have the tough choices to make. If you just ran 13:20, deciding to put in 4 years to max out your potential is one thing. Your dreams of taking the next step and being an olympian is unlikely but possible. If your a 13:50 guy you are looking at 2 or 3 steps to becoming an olympian. Nowhere near as many people do that.

Very well put

For those wondering if he ran all four years of high school, luckily we have the internet:

Yes, yes he did.

Looking at the current 2020 trials qualifier list there are 26 guys between 2:11:51 and 2:13:52. Maybe if more of them got opportunities like this and some positive support from the community and sponsors we might see some more sub-2:10 results.

Hope to see a good race in the fall, keep up the good work dad!

Except it helps nobody else, is an end unto itself. Epperson is part of a group, which includes Jerrell Mock and others, that confers the benefits of group training for almost any who partake. Hopefully they draw some of the ex-Buffs who aren't getting significant sponsorship deals out of college. You know Epperson's 2019 has other guys he trains with fired up to go to the marathon. It makes the most sense to anyone who wasn't a national champion multiple times in college. That's what will inch the US closer to Japan's 2018 marathon performance list, and get guys away from toiling away as also-rans at USATF Outdoors on the track for 3-4 straight years.

joedirt wrote:

Art has done a fantastic job of developing runners both at Mines and now at CSU. Mines was an after thought before he got there and CSU is now a national contender (if only their top peg would stop cratering at XC nationals). They’ve gone top 10 two years in a row with their best runner (usually a top 15 level guy) contributing zero points). And he’s doing it with a lot of in state talent.

?

The second coming of the Ponytailed Guru to the south. Won't be long before CSU is finishing ahead of CU at regionals and nationals. Good for those fine folks up in FC, nothing but respect here in the Boulder Valley.

Congratulations to him!

Interestingly the criticism is coming from people who cannot run 2:13 not even in their wildest dreams to save their own lives, in other words, sore losers.

Mines has had some great success with slow HS kids:

2:04 800m runner to 1:47

10:01 3200m to 3:39 1500m

9:40 guy go 13:44 5000m

10:02 guy go 2:18 marathon

and 9:59 guy to 2:13 and World team

Wild outliers exist, but are.... wild outliers. Usually an astounding rise in athletic prowess is one of the following:

A. They did almost no training in HS so their talent did not shine until later (probably this guy).

B. The other possibility that it is not due to hard work at all.

I knew a guy in HS who ran about 10:05 for 2mi. He went on to run about 28:30 10k and 1:02:xx Half. He did about 30mi/wk in HS at practice only. Never ran on the weekends or in the summer. In College he started running 75/wk = 30:30, moved up to 100/wk and ran 29:00.

The sad but true thing about such stories is that not only are they rare even for those who try, but the opportunity is almost zero now for a near 10min HS 2 miler to even run in college. Most schools would turn them away and the ones that won't probably have terrible coaches and programs. Forget about getting on a team that will grow him as a runner. Makes a great story when it happens to the 1 in 10 million guy, though. Thanks for sharing.

the real moral to this sad story is the US is sending a 2:13 guy to the world championships. Even considering it's not really the world championship of marathons, only the marathon at the world championship of track, it should make all fans of US running gloomy.

means nothing wrote:

Jonas Hampton has run fast by sheer force of will. Mad respect for that.

Nobody runs fast by sheer force of will. You whiffed on that one.

Bad Wigins wrote:

the real moral to this sad story is the US is sending a 2:13 guy to the world championships. Even considering it's not really the world championship of marathons, only the marathon at the world championship of track, it should make all fans of US running gloomy.

You’re very gloomy, but that’s your issue. I’m on the side of this kid than a Rupp-type; Sell ran twice under 2:11, plus made the team in 2008, was 4:28/10:06 with the same hard work ethic saw his dreams become reality.