It's official: Bernard Lagat the #5 Pick for Trials, Jim Walmsley #6

Big question now.

Lagat or Walmsey?

[quote]wejo wrote:

We'll release a more complete tally tomorrow with tallies but are keeping those secret for now. Below is a sneak peak at the Top 10 from the voting in the LRC Running Warehouse/ HOKA ONE ONE Preidiction Contest.

Contest is still open, give us your top 5 now.

1. Galen Rupp

2. Jared Ward

3. Leonard Korir

4. Scott Fauble

5. Bernard Lagat

6. Jim Walmsley

7. Jacob Riley

8. Andrew Bumbalough

9. Abdi Abdirahman

10. Chris Derrick

?????

I can't remember the exact order, except for the top three, but I think this was my pick--and I'm glad to know that my top five were 5 of the top 6:

1) Jim Walmsley

2) Galen Rupp

3) Jared Ward

4) Bernard Lagat

5) Scott Fauble

Hmmm. I think I had Korir in there somewhere.

It's something of a longshot--and in retrospect it may be a fool's shot--but I picked Walmsley FTW because Atlanta is an unusually hilly course and thus strongly favors a strength runner, somebody with an endless capacity to regroup and attack the slope. That's JW.

wejo wrote:

-- RANKINGS --

No offense, but why wouldnt you weight the rankings? A tally doesnt render the right result of the votes.

Also, the only type of Olympian Jordan Hasay was meant to be was Alexi Pappas' co-star in one of her weird indie films.

Lagat needs to LOSE so he can focus on running the 45 year old sub 4 mile. If he wins he will do marathon training all year and maybe never run a sub 4.

Ritz wasn't a choice?

This contest may be the best chance ever to get a perfect ballot. Still very low probability but better than XC nationals and track prediction contest.

Men

1. Galen Rupp

2. Leonard Korir

3. Jared Ward

4. Scott Fauble

5. Bernard Lagat/Jim Walmsley

Woman

1. Desi Linden

2. Emily Sisson

3. Jordan Hasay

4. Sara Hall

5. Molly Huddle

Wyco Loco wrote:

Ritz wasn't a choice?

I don't think so. I had to put him down as OTHER. Wejo, you know some of us will always want to vote for him. Can't he be on the list with his fast recent half-marathon time? Walmsley was.

Bad Wigins wrote:

Lagat needs to LOSE so he can focus on running the 45 year old sub 4 mile. If he wins he will do marathon training all year and maybe never run a sub 4.

He's saving that for when he's 50.

How come UCSD Aztec hasn't piped up on this thread yet? "6th" for Walmsley? We all know Aztec thinks that true road marathoners and their fans think Walmsley even breaking into the top 20 is a long-shot. What say you Aztec?

Jerry Maguire wrote:

Big question now.

Lagat or Walmsey?

Wejo, can you please IP ban this poster for life? This is blasphemy of the highest order.

But I am glad that more posters are understanding that Bernard Lagat and Sara Hall are locks to make the team. The only question is which place they take on the podium. Sara Hall is about 50/50 to outright win. Lagat will not beat Rupp under any circumstances. Rupp would literally rather die than lose another race to Lagat. When they race each other at charity events in their 50s and 60s, Rupp will grind even harder than he did in the 2012 Olympic 10k.

I’m surprised Abdi isn’t getting more respect.

I picked him in my 5th spot, but - just like Lagat - I think both have legit shots to sneak in with a very tactical race.

FWIW, I picked Lagat to get 2nd!!

I’ve got Jared Ward winning simply because he’s a hot piece of ass. Rupp nor Hasey qualify.

1 Korir

2 Rupp

3 Fauble

4 Ward

5 Lagat

Korir is really underated, the dude ran sub 2h08 without any specific training.

Women’s top 10 is correct in close to the correct order.

For the men, Mock and Connor McMillan will be top 10. I think McMillan is getting really overlooked. You guys realize he ran faster at NYC 2019 than Ward and Fauble did in 2018?

Maybe the weather was better in 2019 though, I can’t remember...

Obviously not saying he’ll beat Ward or Fauble. But after the “big 4” I’ve got - in this order - Abdi, Walmsley, Mock, McMillan. Then maybe Riley and Lagat.

Just my opinion!

Nell Rojas will be in the top ten, picking up the pieces over the last miles of the over excited other runners who get a little anxious.

Jerell Mock will do the same with a top ten finish .

Bad Wigins wrote:

Lagat needs to LOSE so he can focus on running the 45 year old sub 4 mile. If he wins he will do marathon training all year and maybe never run a sub 4.

Are you the same Bad Wiggins who is always claiming that the mile is totally irrelevant and nobody cares about it anymore?

I picked her for top ten also and she was 9th. I had Abdi for top seven but jeez, five teams....

Coevett wrote:

Bad Wigins wrote:

Lagat needs to LOSE so he can focus on running the 45 year old sub 4 mile. If he wins he will do marathon training all year and maybe never run a sub 4.

Are you the same Bad Wiggins who is always claiming that the mile is totally irrelevant and nobody cares about it anymore?

Except for 45 year olds. Sub 4 is old news otherwise and no, nobody cares. When Lagat runs the 45 sub 4 it will be a big deal, then never again until a 50 year old does it. That's how it works.