A Simple, Common-Sense Solution To The Potential 1,500 Controversy At The 2014 USA Indoor Track And Field Championships
Brooks Beasts’ Riley Masters Belongs In Fast Heat
by LetsRun.com
February 21, 2014
Much is currently being made of the fact that USATF has set up the 1,500 finals at this weekend’s USA Indoor Track and Field championships to be a two section final. A few thoughts.
1) The article by Jon Gugala is incorrect. The slow heat is not an exhibition. The meet is going to be run as a timed final.
2) We have an easy solution. Use common sense.
Much of the “controversy” has arisen from the fact that the IAAF’s World Indoor qualifying process allows you to use times from last year to qualify for World Indoors (You can see a list of the Americans with the World standard here). USATF only allows times from this season to qualify for USAs but grants anyone with a Worlds Qualifier an automatic entry. To us, that’s not controversial.
i) We have no problem with the “auto entries” – we think the studs like David Torrence, Galen Rupp, etc. should be placed in the fast heats even if they haven’t run the qualifying time so far this year. That’s where they should be.
ii) That being said, USATF needs to be consistent. On the men’s side, they’ve put most of the men with the auto times in the fast heat, but not all. In the women’s ,1500, they’ve done the opposite. Shannon Rowbury is in the slow heat.
iii) Here is how it should work on the men’s side – it’s very simple – put all of the Worlds qualifiers in the fast heat, everyone else in the slow heat.
The current men’s heats make no sense. Here’s how USATF has it set up. What looks odd to you? Note, a runner in bold means they have the World Indoors qualifier.
1,500 (Worlds Qualifier is 3:58.00 indoors or 3:34 outdoors) | |||
Name | Affiliation | 2014 Mark | Comment |
Slow Heat | |||
Travis Burkstrand | Team USA Minnesota | 4:00.15 | |
Josh McAlary | 4:00.83 | ||
Donald Cabral | Nike / (NY/NJ) | 4:01.17 | |
Robert Sandlin Jr | Bellarmine | 4:01.20 | |
Jack Bolas | New Balance | 3:59.35 | |
Jacob Edwards | Columbus Running Company | 3:59.47 | |
Riley Masters | Brooks | 3:58.35 | Ran 3:56 last year, which means he’s Auto. Should be in fast heat based on this year’s time and last. |
Fast Heat | |||
Garrett Heath | Brooks | 3:38.89 | |
William Leer | Nike | 3:52.47 | |
Leonel Manzano | 3:56.73 | ||
Craig Miller | New Balance | 3:57.69 | |
Pat Casey | 3:58.06 | 3:56 last year means he’s Auto | |
Lopez Lomong | Nike | 3:58.52 | 3:51 last year indoors means he’s Auto |
Ryan Hill | Nike | 3:59.00 | 3:54 last year indoors mean’s he’s Auto |
Galen Rupp | Nike | NT | 3:50 for mile last year means he’s an Auto for miles |
David Torrence | Nike | NT | 3:33 in September means he’s an auto for Worlds. |
Duncan Phillips | 3:58.01 | ||
Taylor Gilland | New Balance | 3:58.77 | |
Daniel Quigley | Oregon TC Elite | 3:59.59 |

What is obvious there?
It makes no sense – based on last year’s time or this year’s time – why Riley Masters is in the slow heat. Zero. He’s got the Worlds qualifier and he’s run faster than many of the guys in the fast heat this year (Note: Masters’ times this year and Quigley’s are both on oversized tracks which we don’t think are supposed to count but you could just move Masters to NT).
The simple solution is to put all of the guys with the “Worlds Qualifier” in the fast heat. Everyone else in the slow heat.
At altitude, the guys without the time aren’t going to get it anyway. Thus, you have 10 guys in the fast heat. With 1-2 scratches after the 3,000, you like end up with 8 or 9 – a perfect amount. The slow heat also ends up with 9.
iv) On the women’s side, put Shannon Rowbury in the fast heat.
Women 1,500m (4:14/4:31.00 indoors/4:03.50 outdoors) | |||
Name | Affiliation | Mark | |
Slow heat | |||
Melissa Agnew | Twin Cities Track Club | 4:38.05 | |
Rebecca Friday | Adidas/RogueAC | 4:38.24 | |
Laura Thweatt | Boulder Track Club | 4:38.26 | |
Clerc Simpson | Brooks | 4:41.72 | |
Lindsey Drake | Bowerman Athletic Club | 4:42.32 | |
Dana Mecke | 4:42.79 | ||
Brigitte Mania | Connecticut | 4:43.68 | |
Shannon Rowbury | Nike | 4:43.71 | 4:01.28 last year outdoors |
Carmen Graves | Roanoke Valley Elite | 4:45.98 | |
Fast Heat | |||
Sarah Brown | New Balance | 4:11.27 | |
Gabriele Grunewald | Brooks / Team USA Minnesota | 4:12.76 | |
Mary Cain | Nike | 4:24.11 | |
Amanda Winslow | Oiselle / New Jersey New York Track Club | 4:26.28 | |
Jordan Hasay | Nike | 4:28.37 | |
Treniere Moser | Nike | 4:28.86 | |
Heather Kampf | Asics / Team USA Minnesota | 4:30.14 | |
Morgan Uceny | adidas | 4:30.57 | |
Stephanie Charnigo | New Jersey New York Track Club | 4:33.87 | |
Katherine Mackey | Brooks | 4:34.99 | |
Sara Vaughn | Brooks | 4:35.07 | |
Rebecca Tracy | 4:35.36 | ||
Amanda Mergaert | Oiselle | 4:35.90 |
You are welcome.