THAT 1500 SUCKED

There was clear strategy and coordination between the two Kenyan runners. It's obvious why Cheriuyot ran as a he did. But Kwemoi? Why would he immediately bolt across many lanes to join his country-man and follow him through 400 below World-Record pace, despite a Seasons Best to that point of only 3:33.99? Consider... * 1st and 2nd in Men's 3000 Steeple came down to .01 seconds. * In 1500 semi, we saw LEMI go down and out, from dirty Ingrebretsen running * In the 5000 final, we saw Ahmed stumble an almost fall from dirty Ingrebretsen running The best strategy is what we saw.... Cheriuyot get clear and Kwemoi ride his shoulder to keep him safe as long as he could.

Sorry, Centro, better luck in Tokyo.

Taro wrote:

Nah, it was a beautiful, moving race by Timothy C.

He used every one of those 1,500 meters to "put crap in their legs," as Pre said he wanted to do all those years ago.

I enjoyed this 1,500 more than any other championship 1,500 I've ever seen, with the possible exception of Filbert Bayi's masterpiece at the 1974 Commonwealth Games.

Bravo, Mr. Cheruiyot. Hope to see you do the same in Tokyo next year.

Bayi, indeed! Nice one.

As a former All-Conference scorer in the 1500m that wasn't a 1500m runner, that was the best freaking race I wanted to see. Come and get me, I'm worth a 3:28-3:29, let's see what you can do. Boom.

wejo wrote:

I don’t see how kwemoi being there helped with anything. Team tactics would be 1) let’s alternate the lead

Not always. It's simply easier knowing and having a teammate with you than being out in front with no one near you.

Instead of running completely alone, Kwemoi sat on TC and kept pushing the pace with him. When you run alone the tendency is to slow down because you have no one near you to gauge off between splits. I'd be willing to bet Kwemoi was also telling him if he was slowing.

Mahavishnu1500 wrote:

Javman wrote:

Great race. Kept the pace HONEST from the beginning instead of the BORING "jog 3 laps and sprint" CRAP that all too many races have become. Congrats to the Kenyans.

There is nothing HONEST about taking loads of EPO and doing a solo training workout 5 sec ahead of the next best in the world. Worst championships race since Rudisha ruined all those 800s. No fan enjoyment for watching someone tempo by themselves.

I’m sure that everyone felt the same way about Herb Elliot.

Taro wrote:

Nah, it was a beautiful, moving race by Timothy C.

He used every one of those 1,500 meters to "put crap in their legs," as Pre said he wanted to do all those years ago.

I enjoyed this 1,500 more than any other championship 1,500 I've ever seen, with the possible exception of Filbert Bayi's masterpiece at the 1974 Commonwealth Games.

Bravo, Mr. Cheruiyot. Hope to see you do the same in Tokyo next year.

The Bayi race was one of the best I've ever seen. His tactics were audacious - no one had set out to win a championship middle distance race in that fashion, by trying to building up an unbridgeable 20 metre lead in the first two laps, and there was the incredible suspense of whether he could sustain it or if the following pack would reel him in. We saw them whittle his lead in the last lap and an incredible late charge - but too late - by the rising star in John Walker, who finished within a metre of Bayi. The Tanzanian destroyed Ryun's great record and he pulled three other athletes - Walker, Jipcho and Dixon - under that time. Incredible race.

It's going back into distant memory but Elliot's world record mile at Cardiff in '58 must have been up there as an extraordinary race. He carved an incredible 3.4secs of the then world record and also pulled four other runners under the record. Murray Halberg, who was one of the competitors in that race, was in a virtual state of shock, and said afterwards, "I beat the world record - and I finished 5th!" That race would have been something to see.

It was a different kind of race but Ryun's world record run at the Colosseum Relays in '67 was similarly astonishing. After a relatively slow first lap we saw Keino try to run the legs off Ryun over the next 2 and a half but the American's kick over the last 250m was unbelievable. He put four seconds between himself and Keino and destroyed Elliot's world record set at the Rome '60 Olympics. And it was all done in the last half lap.

Mahavishnu1500 wrote:

Was beatable wrote:

Cheruiyot was not unbeatable.

3:29.46 is not beyond the capabilities of Makhloufi and Jakob I.

In fact, with Cheruiyot and Kwemoi effectively acting as pacers, 3:31 plus for each of those guys is under-achieving.

Jakob I has run 3:30.16 this year and Makloufhi -- who seems to be running at his best -- has a pr in the 3:28.

You are not taking into account the TWO fast races they ran on Thursday and Friday prior. You cannot be expected to run a PR or sub 3:30 after heroic efforts just to make the final. That is unless you are doping like El G, Moricelli, Mak, etc.

You're right. Without the fast earlier rounds the race would likely have been won in 3.28. But still by TC. And what a gutsy effort. He wasn't going to let himself get mugged in an alley by the kickers.

I know those races by Bayi and Ryun are on YouTube (what a treasure trove), but I haven't seen Elliot's. That would indeed be a cool.

Bayi 'sand Cheruiyot's races were very similar in that they were both wire-to-wire victories. But have things ever changed in 45 years. Bayi LOOKED like he was running fast, while Cheruiyot looked like he was jogging -- even at 54-55 pace. Only the clock -- and the desperate looks on the faces of those in his wake -- told the true story. Incredible.

I think that may be why some people found the race boring. It was like watching Cheruiyot go through his warmup.