Strongest American distance record

Hurdling wrote:

Bad Wigins wrote:

8 flat is not even close to the strongest! That is beaten by at least a couple runners worldwide most years.

Even if Lagat counts, both his 3:27 and his 12:53 have been beaten since he ran them.

But 26:44 has not been bettered in the 5 years since Rupp ran it! Even the Ethiopians can't touch it, and they've been trying. He's the only US distance runner to have done this recently.

Jager is #12 all time in the steeple; probably would have been #10 without the fall

Webb is actually #8 all time in the mile

Lagat’s 3:27 is 4th best all time by a performer, although Lagat as a Kenyan always s one of the three above him

I tend to discount Lagat due to the nationality change

Therefore Webb and Jager are the logical choices but I like hurdles so Jager gets my vote

Using the all time position as a measurement. It took the greatest 800m ever for us to get two guys in the 1:42 range.

Webb solo's himself to #8

Lagats World Finals 5000m race gets him #38

Rupps perfectly paced 10000 puts him at #15 If I remember stephen Sambu paced like over 9000m or something crazy. I just remember he finished the race and ran sub 27

Which record is most under threat?

Lagtat’s 3:29.30 was a goal for Centro.

Now that the record was retro bumped down to 3:27.40 it is much safer.

Webb’s mile record is more gettable.

26:44 seems very safe.

Gray’s 800 record may go next.

Jager may have another PR in him.

When Lagat ran 3:29.30 he was given the record on the spot , pretty much.

3:27.40 was retro active by years.

Maybe we will find out that Bekele was also secretly a citizen and can give him some American Records.

Star wrote:

Which record is most under threat?

Lagtat’s 3:29.30 was a goal for Centro.

Now that the record was retro bumped down to 3:27.40 it is much safer.

Webb’s mile record is more gettable.

26:44 seems very safe.

Gray’s 800 record may go next.

Jager may have another PR in him.

When Lagat ran 3:29.30 he was given the record on the spot , pretty much.

3:27.40 was retro active by years.

Maybe we will find out that Bekele was also secretly a citizen and can give him some American Records.

Regarding the mile record. Alan Webb was a dangerous combo of speed and strength. That mile is going to be tough for our current crop of elite runners.

In a span of 2 years he ran:1:43

3:30

3:46

13:10(I believe he couldve went faster)

27:34(in his only 10,000)

He was probably worth a bit more in the 5/10k honestly.

Our current fastest milers are

Gregorek:

3:49

1:47

14:12

Engels :

3:51

1:44

14:20

blankenship

1:47

3:52

13:33

Centro-we know he is a championship racer

I can't think of anyone else honestly that is a a citizen. CLayton murphy and Brazier dont have the strength.

The only way this record gets broken soon is if Cheserek becomes a citizen in my opinion. I know he is worth more than the 1:49 and he has been proven to run 3:49 indoors and has run faster than webb in the 5000.

Definitely Rupps 10k record, no one in sight who can touch that time, plus the 10k on the track is a dying event.

Juice Springsteen wrote:

Definitely Rupps 10k record, no one in sight who can touch that time, plus the 10k on the track is a dying event.

I think this might be one of the safest records but I can not say for sure that it is the strongest. The 800 is run way more and only 2 other guys have even run under 1:43.

Also another thought. Is 26:44 closer to 26:17 than 1:42.6 and 1:40.91?

Also another thought. Is 26:44 closer to 26:17 than 1:42.6 and 1:40.91?

26:44 is 101.7% of 26:17

1:42.6 is 101.6% of 1:40.91

Mary Slaney is 8th all-time in the womens mile with a 4:16.71. she also has a 8:25 in the outdoor 3k which only Simpson and Rowbury were close to in their prime. The men's 10k and 1500m are the other 2 strongest ones since we have a pretty weak US team in those events.

Webb ran 1:43, 3:30, 3:46 all in a span of ~ 3-5 weeks ... Never to run in that realm again. Me thinks that he took some dope and felt guilty AF ... couldn’t live with his own lies and deception.

UkrainianHunk wrote:

Mary Slaney is 8th all-time in the womens mile with a 4:16.71. she also has a 8:25 in the outdoor 3k which only Simpson and Rowbury were close to in their prime. The men's 10k and 1500m are the other 2 strongest ones since we have a pretty weak US team in those events.

I think you are on to something with that 4:16.7 but I would argue that Rowbury's 3:56.29 is superior. then we get reminded that Simpson Hamilton,Slaney, and Houlihan have all run 3:57.

Ajee WIlsons 1:55.6 to me is the the most superior womens record. Maybe even the most superior even including the mens.

Basing this purely off of the fact that she was close to caster

Both the men's 800m & 1500m AR were the closest to their (1:41:73 & 3:26.00) respective world records at the time Gray & Lagat ran them, than any other distance records we have.

Star wrote:

But is 3:27 the American record?

Lagat ran that time competing for Kenya.

TNFN has Lagat's 3:29.30 as number one on their all time US list but somehow has his 3:27.40 as the American record.

https://trackandfieldnews.com/tfn-lists/u-s-all-time-list-men/https://trackandfieldnews.com/records/mens-american-records/

Bizarre

And he ran 3:26 as an American resident

Lagat's a mercenary doper. He was let off on a "technicality". If he had been anything but African or from certain Latin American or Caribbean countries, he'd have been hung out to dry.

Rodgers' hour record from 1977.

It's been over 42 years, and all you have to do is go down to your local high school track and run a bit faster than Bill Rodgers did in 1977. With officials there, of course.

Best distance record is either Mike Powell - Long Jump 8.95 m (29 ft 4 1⁄4 in) (1991) or Michael Carters National High School record in the Shot Put, 81'3 1/2" (24.78 meters). Both went a long distance!

I know it’s (ultra) distance, but Stu Mittelman’s 1000-mile WR from ‘86 is still an AR, I believe. A prophet without much honor in his own land.

Halls half record of 59:43

Rupp will get the half marathon and the marathon.

Jager could break his 8:00 (but I doubt it). I don't see anyone else breaking it.

I see 1:42, 3:27, 3:46, 7:29, 12:53, and 26:44 being unbreakable by any living American.

Short of another Kenyan re-writing the books, those records are very safe. And even if another great future Kenyan-American attacks them, Lagat is one of the all-time great Kenyan born runners...it would take a generational athlete to break any of those records.

I don't know anything about the women's records to comment.

Star wrote:

But is 3:27 the American record?

Lagat ran that time competing for Kenya.

TNFN has Lagat's 3:29.30 as number one on their all time US list but somehow has his 3:27.40 as the American record.

Lagat was an American citizen when he ran 3:27.40. The USATF morans couldn't process paperwork fast enough and told Lagat he could compete for Kenyan while being an American citizen until he USATF spun its wheels with the paperwork. That is very idiotic. Once someone is a citizen they should be able to compete for that country regardless of other paperwork requirements.

The problem the USATF was trying to deal with, and failed, even to this day, is mercenary runners; this granted temporary citizenship by a country. The solution should have been allowing an athlete to compete for their primary country of citizenship (pick one if you have dual), and require that they must remain as citizens of that country for Olympic purposes for some number of years (10?).

westsouthrunner wrote:

Star wrote:

But is 3:27 the American record?

Lagat ran that time competing for Kenya.

TNFN has Lagat's 3:29.30 as number one on their all time US list but somehow has his 3:27.40 as the American record.

https://trackandfieldnews.com/tfn-lists/u-s-all-time-list-men/https://trackandfieldnews.com/records/mens-american-records/

Bizarre

And he ran 3:26 as an American resident

Weird I know but he WAS a citizen at the time. We do have dual citizenships here right? kinda gray area stuff

No, he was told by the USATF to run for Kenya because they chose not to process the paperwork in a timely fashion.

kalkdfl wrote:

26:44 for sure

Nope. Not when that time needed three rabbits to achieve.