Lawi Lalang 4:13.61 mi for 4th @ UAB 1/11/20

What people don't realize Is ...

Its difficult to stay fast inspite of talent !!

Lawi was successful in college in spite of coach Li , not because of him

His talent won him a lot of races !!

That guy (Li) Is a perfect example of an idiot who who got lucky.!!! ( landing a coaching job)

I know 25 coaches who could coach him under-the-table

If you're reading this you could probably coach him under-the-table:)

LAWI is one of the hardest working talented guys I've ever seen .

But you also need to understand there is NO SUPPORT IN THE ARMY PROGRAM

SIMS IS An ABSOLUTE MORON !!!!

Foolish training

Exact same workouts every week all year long !!!!

No insight

No direction

No support from a well paid staff

These athletes are on their own

They only have each other

But they have a lot of talented guys in that program

Because it offers a unique opportunity!!!

Lawi is on the comeback trail !!

8 flat in a 3k

And a tactical 4:13 to follow in a system that treats everyone like a slow marathoner

Is a solid start to a season!

I hope you guys watch like I am with eager anticipation

I see Lawi really coming along this season and being a force outdoors and making the Olympic team

Remember this was just a start !!

Great story, AngryJ, thanks.

Why would you say Li isn't a good coach? Do you think Lagat would have had a better, longer carrier with greater range had he worked with someone else?

if Lawi had a bad coach before and has a bad coach now, but he's so talented, why isn't he still running 13:00?

also...pretty sure that if a pro runs a mile one day and a 3k the next day at nearly the same speed...and all the teammates are very close together...then it was more of a workout than a race. these guys are probably doing US XC

Nice - well done! I'll be tracking your results next weekend too, good luck. The indoor 5k is,

not surprisingly, a different animal than the mile. You can really get twisted up with the laps and the splits but I think (and hope) you'll enjoy it.

Depending on your goals and interests I'll mention an opportunity to travel and race at a nice outdoor meet this summer - World Masters are being hosted in Toronto and that'd be a heck of a place to

The banking definitely makes the toll on your body less severe. I find that the shorter events are more painful too b/c you're going at a faster speed around the tight turns. For your 5k I doubt you'll feel much different than after a road race (unless you're wearing spikes). Your local facility is indeed world class. I've only been on a three banked tracks for a total of 4 races over 15+ years so most of my experience is on flat tracks (OceanBreeze on Staten Island, The Armory, and York university in Toronto).

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Initially when I started the thread the 4:13 mile for Lalang seemed a little surprising and perhaps concerning. At the time I didn't realize that he was in the WCAP (with Rotich and Bor) and that they had all also raced a more impressive time in the 3k the night before. Seems like the mile time is neither surprising nor concerning.

I'd disagree with the above poster that both Li and Simmons are not good coaches. Either way hopefully Lalang gets back to the level he once had.

Thanks, Did. I will look at Toronto, but between London, Chicago, and maybe X-C Club Nats in San Fran my 2020 running travel plans are pretty much booked already. Not sure I can get clearance from control tower for another one.

Shoot me an email if you're going to be in Birmingham and would like someone to run with. I've got a good group of like-minded hobby joggers who train daily. My email address is

johnmarkgoodman@gmail.com

.

The times were all slow, including the winner. Tactical race. The times mean nothing. If Lalang was doubling back, even less reason to go fast.

angryjohnny wrote:

I was told by a reliable source that UAB did the back to back meets to satisfy the NCAA requirements for number of meets participated in.

And here I thought the big U of Alabama was the only Alabama school that cheats the system for athletic gain.

That said, I know many college XC teams that do easy runs at invitationals to satisfy the requirement.

reed wrote:

if Lawi had a bad coach before and has a bad coach now, but he's so talented, why isn't he still running 13:00?

also...pretty sure that if a pro runs a mile one day and a 3k the next day at nearly the same speed...and all the teammates are very close together...then it was more of a workout than a race. these guys are probably doing US XC

Ummm... Voice of reason. Just getting some work in.

Who has Li really developed and really helped

.......

Lagat ..... mega talented beyond belief !!! Could have been the greatest distance of all time !!!

What did Li do..... give credit here ...

He didnt break him and didnt burn him out

Ok....

Who else

Lawi and Steven

....

Again... Mega talented .. He didnt break them and didnt burn them out ...

Who else .......

A few more med guys ....

And how many years of coaching did Li have to build and develop hungry hopeful talent ...

How many decades ????

And how many athletes walked away never reaching their potential

.....

Well all of those nameless athletes because we dont know them because they never did anything BECAUSE THEIR COACH SUCKED !!!!

and

The culture was never hopeful or encouraging .

Eventually everyone has to get back to what made them great in the first place !!!

Eventually not being broken and not burned out isn't enough to advance

You need great training and hope

This Trump runner cracks me the hell up this kid thinks he’s elite who is he to put down pro runners and call them hobby joggers when he is one himself

4:13 to Tucson wrote:

I feel bad for Lawi. Something must have happened with Li for him to have left the way he did. Something big changed for him to go from 13:00 the summer after he graduated to where he is now.

got off the juice

Thanks for the write up, great story. And congrats on the PR.

Lagat has had an essentially perfect, storybook career that has spanned 25 years. The only thing missing from his accomplishments is an olympic gold medal. He is knocking on the door of qualifying for his 6th olympic games. It is disingenuous to call Li a terrible coach. Li might not be the right coach for Lalang, but you certainly cannot call Li an outright idiot coach.

I certainly can call Li an idiot coach !

Have you been coached by him?

Everyone looks at the top end of talent and the top end of success but, what about the rest of us athletes who have been through the program!!!

If you are at all close to the program as I have been you would see athlete after athlete falling to the wayside without being developed without care for their best interest, without insight, without intelligent training, no speed, barely any volume, without belief in us athletes !

Many or most feeling unvalued and frustrated with the coaching and the program .

The true test of a coach isn't the top end athlete although that can be telling , it's the masses , it's in the volume of guys and ladies who invest their futures their hope's and their dreams in someone who makes promises and doesnt, back it up!

There is so much more than you know unless you've been through it !!!

So ya I can indeed say

James Li as a coach is an idiot !!!!!

Angry Johnny, Thanks dude.

Does that mean that Carlos Villarreal is also a hyper-talent? He seems to be succeeding under Li

Titus is a great young man and part of the running Winders family. His older brother runs for the same school and his younger brother Silas (just signed with Southern Indiana) is a two time Footlocker CC National Finalist and sub 9 3200 kid. Looking forward to following Titus the rest of the season. Keep hammering young man !