Since Demi Payne's 15-3.50 PV at the Drake Relays created some controversy, I'll start with that.
Ekaterina Stefanidi and Payne played Cat and Mouse with passing tactics, but in the end, Stefanidi won, while equaling her National Record of Greece, reaching 15-5.50.
Payne's 15-3.50 is the new OUTdoor Collegiate Record.
Or is it?
According to the NCAA, it's not.
You see, THEY believe the only place you can set a CR is at the NCAA Championships.
Luckily, the USTFCCCA (Coaches Assn) and T&FN have some common sense--that you can get a CR anywhere!
But wait, the NCAA has another rule that USTFCCCA and T&FN disagree with.
The NCAA says that CR's in the PV can only be set if the planting box has a collar around it!
Called a "box collar".
Well, according to a tweet by Payne, a couple of the "elite girls" didn't want one, so they left it off!
Thus, by the NCAA ruling, no CR
Well, luckily too, this blog agrees with the USTFCCCA & T&FN.
She gets the damn record!
(Which she's likely to break again....soon!)
Oh, and she gets the Senior Class record too.
She moves from 2nd A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other, to 1st.
She moves from 9th A-T US, tied with 2 others, to 6th!
She misses the World DDD by just 1.50 inches!!
BTW, she also won the earlier Street Vault with a height of 15-1.50.
I won't detail the moves she made on various lists with that vault, since she soon improved on all of them!
The Drake Men's PV proved interesting too....for different reasons!
Renaud Lavillenie, as expected, won the Street Vault.
But his dominance was tested in the "regular" Drake PV.
For one thing, it was moved INdoors because of bad weather!
Second, the French Master LOST....and lost badly!
Sam Kendricks won, although Shawn Barber returned to "normal" (meaning consistent 19 foot vaults!) and tied Kendricks at 19-1.
This is where things get a bit confusing....at least for me.
You see, since I totally separate the INdoor from the OUTdoor season, and thereto the records and lists, do I list those 19-1's as the Drake Meet Record?
(They bested the 19-0.25 old record.)
Should I make a brand new record.....called the INdoor Drake Relays Meet Record??
T&FN would probably list it as the "absolute" MR!!
Haven't decided yet.
Will let you know when I do!
BTW, Monsieur Lavillenie couldn't go higher than 18-5.25!!
Well, let's move on to another controversy....this one at the venerable Penn Relays.
In the Collegiate Men's 4X1Mile Relay, it was supposed to be a showdown between Villanova and the Ed Cheserek-led Oregon Ducks.
The latter had a team that seemed capable of going sub-16:00....or at least breaking the MR of 16:03 and change!
All was copacetic through the first 3 legs, which found UO in a slight lead over Villanova at about 12:03.
A 4:00 by "King Ches" would get the MR, and a 3:56 or so would get them under the 16 minute barrier!
BUT they started slow---a 65 first lap---then....well, the race turned into a Velodrome Bike Race!
They STOPPED...or at least slowed to the type of crawl associated with bike drafters....or the jog you do between intervals!
This got several teams back into the mix!
Then one of the guys (Oklahoma State??) sprinted ahead....but then HE stopped, waiting for the others to catch up!
Finally, after just over 3 laps of this worse-than-rookie behavior, Jordy Williamz of Villanova took off.
His final 300 of about 38 seconds gave the temporarily-boxed in Ches no chance, and Oregon lost by a few tenths of a second in 16:18.
What a fucked up MESS!
And the most blatant of LOST opportunities!!
IMHO, Ches should be suspended from UO's team for the remainder of the year, and a portion of his scholarship withheld!!
At least, he should be scolded LOUDLY by his coach....and his much more professional teammates!!
Well, besides those 2 controversies, some good----even GREAT---marks were produced this weekend, so let's move on!
Maybe the most shocking was the sudden emergence into WORLD Class territory by 100 Hurdler Jasmin Stowers!
She blasted a 12.40 (1.7 wind) at Drake, leaving Dawn Harper-Nelson, Brianna Rollins and several other A-T greats in the DUST!!
The nearest to her ran 12.71.
This is the Age 23 record.
Also the Drake Relays Meet Record.
She becomes 5th A-T US.
And 13th A-T World.
She was on neither list just 12.40 seconds earlier!!
In the Men's 110H, Omar McLeod turned his INdoor 60H time of 7.45 into a 13.21.
This makes him 5th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other!
(He also left a World Class field---which included WR holder Aries Merritt---far behind!)
Not at Drake, but another 100H person made news.
Kendra Harrison is the top Collegian, running 12.62 for a big PR.
This makes her 6th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other.
And it puts her in 19th place on the US list!
A couple of lesser upsets happened at Drake as well.
Fran McCorory won the 400 easily, running 50.13.
She beat, among others, Sanya Richards-Ross, who nonetheless ran her fastest race of 2015, a 51.09.
Ajee Wilson beat Brenda Martinez and Alysia Montano in the Drake 800, running 2:00.03.
Martinez was coming on strong at the end, but ran out of room.
Montano, of course, is working her way back from giving birth, and ran 2:01.78 in 5th.
My favorite tweeter and blogger, Phoebe Wright---also trying to get back to her 1:58 form---finished a strong 3rd in a GREAT field of all Americans!
Wilson's time is the Drake Relays Meet Record!
The old mark was from 1998---by Suzy Favor Hamilton!!
Yet another Drake MR was broken---with alacrity---by Kirani James, who sprinted the fastest 400 of 2015, a 44.22, for the win, again over a strong field!
Among those in that field was Chris Brown, who continues to break 400 Age Records in almost every race!
This time, he got the Age 36 OUTdoor record with his 44.76!!
Brooke Pleger got a big PR in the HT.
She threw it 225-11, moving her from 18th A-T Collegiate up to 11th!!
She also moved onto the A-T US list, in 21st place!
Rodney Brown threw the Discus out to 213-4, making him 13th A-T Collegiate.
A comebacking Jillian Camarena-Williams got a SP distance of 60-8.50, a solid mark for her first meet of the year.
Or is that TWO years??
But she lost to Tia Brooks's Put of 61-5.
(Two others got past 60 feet!)
A couple of HS girls got good marks in the JT.
Sophia Rivera---who was the INdoor leader in the SP!!--got the spear out to 175-10.
This moves her all the way from 19th A-T HS, tied with 1 other, up to 5th!!
And Madison Wiltrout got a mark of 168-5, making her 11th A-T HS, tied with 1 other!
How good is Joe Kovacs?
Well, a few weeks ago, he got the 2015 leader in the SP, a stunning 73-4.
He won Drake with something over 70 feet.
Doesn't really matter, since no PR's or other records were set.
BUT one of his fouls was measured!
Throwaholics tweeted at first that it had gone 81-8.50---further than Michael Carter threw the TWELVE pound SP in HS back in 1979!
But then they revised that mark, saying he tossed it out to "just" 79-8!
Yes, it was a foul.
(I didn't see the video, so don't know how blatant the foul was.)
But come on, folks---79-8??!!!!
Keep your eyes on this dude!
I think he has some potential!!
Finally, some Marathon news---and not all of it is from London!
In the Dusseldorf race, American (but living in Norway!!) Annie Bersagel took 30 seconds off her PR, running (and winning) in a time of 2:28:29.
She moves from 22nd to 19th on the A-T US list!
In London's race, Mary Keitany, among others, were upset by Ethiopian Tigist Tufa's 2:23:22 fairly even-paced race.
Second was Keitany, in 2:23:40.
The Men's race was a tri-dual (??) between WR holder Dennis Kimetto, former WR holder Wilson Kipsang, and former track star, Eliud Kipchoge.
(Of course, since I honor Boston Marathon times, Kipsang's 2:03:23 was never REALLY the WR!!)
Kipchoge's winning time was 2:04:42, and his margin over Kipsang was 5 seconds.
Kimetto was with them after 30K, but fell off the increased pace, and finished 3rd, in 2:05:50, almost 3 minutes slower than his WR!
Ever hear of Paula Radcliffe?
She ran a halfway decent time in the London Marathon a decade or so ago....something like 2:15:25.
Well, this Queen of the 26.2 ran "just" 2:36:55 in what was widely advertised as her final marathon!
Yes, this 41 year old WR holder is hanging them up!
(Though she didn't wear spikes on the roads!)
We'll see her doing commentating (on the BBC), and maybe running some low key races, but her venerable track and road racing career of more than 20 years is finished!!
She ran the entire distance to unending cheers---and tears!!---relishing every single last step!!
My next post will be a Predictions post, and a Preview post (one post??).
I'll tell you all you need to know about the 2nd World Relays and the always HOT Payton Jordan meet---both of them next weekend!
I WILL say I've seen the list of entrants for the World Relays, and the "accepted entries" list for the Payton Jordan---and both are going to be EXPLOSIVE!!!
Details to follow--probably just a day before the meets start!
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Monday, April 20, 2015
Meb wins....in 8th place!
A tweet from Hilary Dionne:
Not my best time, but by far my most memorable finish. Thanks @runmeb for joining me across the line, an unforgettable moment!
Forget the race!
Who's Caroline Rotich or Lelisa Desisa?
Shalane, Des, Ritz?
Who cares?
Nope, the 2015 Boston Marathon will forever be remembered by what happened as Super Hero Meb Keflizighi crossed the line....in 8th place, time of 2:12:42.
At that time, the 15th place finisher in the Women's race---and surprisingly, the 4th American!!--Ms Hilary Dionne was finishing HER race....in 2:40:42.
As they approached the line, Meb slowed a bit, took Hilary's hand, raised it in a victory pose, and they ran across the finish line---together, and smiling widely!
THAT was a defining moment not only in Boston Marathon history, but in the grand canvas of sweet and humble humanity!
(I'm sure that, even if you didn't SEE it happen when it did, you WILL see the photo--and for sure a YouTube video!----very soon!)
But let's talk about the race!
I don't know why, but Americans have a tendency to raise hopes for victories and fast times, only to see (most of) them splattered like bugs on a windshield when crunch time inevitably comes.
Shalane Flanagan and Meb were almost awarded the laurel wreaths BEFORE the race started, if you believed the almost non-stop hype.
But here's how the race unfolded.
(My version comes from a less-than-perfect webcast by the BAA (with Larry Rawson among the commentators, if that suggests anything!), so I can only tell you what I SAW!)
The Men's race started fast, with miles in the 4:40's, and with Meb and Dathan Ritzenhein among the leading crowd.
Meb tucked in behind 3 or 4 Africans, trying to avoid the 30 MPH winds.
Ritz was a step or two back.
But then, after cutting away for a couple of minutes, they returned, showing RITZ in the lead around 15K, or just past.
And it stayed that way through Sex City---I mean Wellesley!!---giving SOME hope for an American victory two years in a row!
Also, Meb kept looking strong, running at a pace that was promising a BIG PR for him and Ritz, possibly around 2:06.
But the Newton Hills, as ever, slowed the train, and uncoupled a few of the cars, including the top Americans!
While both appeared to be trying to sneak back into contention, you could see it wasn't going to happen, not when the Africans decided to surge after the hills.
So it came down to a race between Atsedu Tsegaye and Lelisa Desisa.
It was Desisa at the end, by 4 seconds, in 2:09:17.
Ritz hung on for first American in 2:11:20 in 7th place.
Then came Meb....with Hilary Dionne....in 8th!
The Women's race was just as thrilling....and enticing....for American fans.
A pack of 10 to 12 women ran in a peanut shell-shaped convoy, with the 3 top Americans---Flanagan, Linden, and Amy (Hastings) Cragg right in there.
But if you watched closely, you could see signs of early stress on Flanagan's face.
While Desiree was striding smoothly, arms hardly working, just floating along, Shalane was grimacing, and seemed to be flailing her arms, as if she were already on the Newton Hills.
Cragg was in the mix, but never a key factor.
After maybe the first 10K, the webcast showed Linden in the lead, albeit by just a foot or two, over the tight pack.
And it stayed that way for quite a long while, giving a strong dose of belief that she could WIN the race!
But after the Hills, a trio of Africans took off, running 5-oh something miles, leaving Linden suddenly 100 meters back.
Flanagan had already disappeared, and Cragg was forgotten.
(Not even sure if Cragg even finished at this point. Will let you know in my next post!)
As with the men, it became a two woman race, between Mare Dibaba and Caroline Rotich....or between Ethiopia and Kenya!
And Kenya won!
Caroline Rotich outsprinted Ms Dibaba by the same 4 seconds as in the Men's race!
Her time was 2:24:55.
Linden held it together, running a solid 2:25:39 for 4th place.
Flanagan also made a comeback, ending in 9th place, time of 2:27:47.
Adrianna Nelson was the 3rd American, with....Hilary Dionne taking the 4th American spot!
And now she and Meb are BFF's!
Well, with the GREAT assistance of the latest issue of T&FN's eTN, and with some of my own research, I have several more marks to report that weren't known to me yesterday.
Plus, I have a few corrections to offer on stuff I posted yesterday!
First, for the corrections.
Sami Spenner scored 6019 points in the Heptathlon, as I noted, but she is NOT a Collegian anymore!
Thus she doesn't improve her Collegiate list place!
And VERY important, Vashti Cunningham's HSR in the HJ has GAINED a quarter inch!
According to Garry Hill, it was measured in English increments only, so the 1.94 metric is 6-4.50, not the 6-4.25 I reported.
So all her marks change, but her place on the A-T US list remains the same--22nd, but without any ties.
And it moves her to within just 0.50 inches of equaling the Age 17 record!
I also have some additional info on some stuff I posted yesterday.
Remember me mentioning seeing a tweet saying Erin Finn ran a 15:41 5000?
Well, she ran 15:41.80 at the Virginia Challenge meet.
But she finished 2nd to Rachele Schulist, who ran 15:36.33.
Finn ran for Michigan, which means she's NOT redshirting, so look for her at the Big 10 Conference meet!
Vernon Norwood's super impressive 44.44 in the 400 became even MORE super impressive!
Why?
Because it was practically a SOLO run, as 2nd place finished 1.90 seconds back!!
I still don't know why Shawn Barber didn't vault his usual 19-plus, but I DO know he missed his 3 tries at 18-2.50, after clearing his paltry 17-6.50.
Andre DeGrasse's windy 9.87 was accompanied by a legal wind 20.16 in the 200.
He equaled the Canada National Record!
We all know Kenya as a distance Disneyland of sorts.
Well, they now have a halfway decent sprinter!
Carvin Nkanata ran the 200 in 20.14 for the National Record of Kenya!
And....that time leads the WORLD (thus far) in 2015!!
Also at the Virginia Challenge, Leah O'Connor returned to the Steeplechase, running a Collegiate-leading time of 9:41.86.
However, it was NOT her PR.
Reese Hoffa broke his own Age 37 Shot Put record with a throw of 69-8.
Elizabeth Herrs improved her Javelin Throw PR by 1 inch, leaving her in 11th place on the A-T Collegiate list!
Bobby Colantonio upset Adam Kelly in the HT, getting a PR of 238-7.
He moves from 14th A-T HS, tied with 1 other, up to 11th.
Ariana Ince improved her JT to 196-4.
She moves from 12th A-T US up to 7th!
Tahryn Montgomery threw the Javelin 164-4, moving her up one spot on the A-T HS list, from 18th to 17th.
Quenisha Burks LJ'ed 21-9.
This misses the A-T Collegiate list by just 1.75 inches.
Finally, Tori Weeks PV'ed 13-10, ending a short streak of poor vaults.
This makes her 11th A-T HS.
(Don't know if her sister also vaulted!)
Well, folks, had enough?
Three posts in 3 or 4 days!
I'll (hopefully!) see you on Sunday, with TONS of great material from the Penn and Drake Relays!
And remember her name----Hilary Dionne!
ADDED a bit later:
There's already a video out about Ms Dionne and Meb, but it's not on YouTube!
Try Flotrack!
It's a few minutes long, and shows the two of them standing side by side indoors somewhere, Meb's arm around her shoulder, answering reporter's questions.
Turns out she's 21 years old, and is a veteran marathoner, this being her 3rd or 4th Boston race!
She's a good one, finishing 4th American today, and she's already qualified for the Olympic Trials race!!
Seek it out!
It's an interview for the ages!!
ADDED today, Tuesday:
I made a HUGE error!
Desisa didn't win by just 4 seconds.
He won by 31 seconds!
Sorry for the error!
But Rotich DID win by just 4 seconds!
ADDED today, a bit later!
Turns our Hilary Dionne is 29 years old, not 21, as I stated earlier.
Or at least that's what one article said!
She probably IS 29---given how many marathons she's run--but she LOOKS to be 21.
By the way, her Marathon PR is 2:35!!!
Not my best time, but by far my most memorable finish. Thanks @runmeb for joining me across the line, an unforgettable moment!
Forget the race!
Who's Caroline Rotich or Lelisa Desisa?
Shalane, Des, Ritz?
Who cares?
Nope, the 2015 Boston Marathon will forever be remembered by what happened as Super Hero Meb Keflizighi crossed the line....in 8th place, time of 2:12:42.
At that time, the 15th place finisher in the Women's race---and surprisingly, the 4th American!!--Ms Hilary Dionne was finishing HER race....in 2:40:42.
As they approached the line, Meb slowed a bit, took Hilary's hand, raised it in a victory pose, and they ran across the finish line---together, and smiling widely!
THAT was a defining moment not only in Boston Marathon history, but in the grand canvas of sweet and humble humanity!
(I'm sure that, even if you didn't SEE it happen when it did, you WILL see the photo--and for sure a YouTube video!----very soon!)
But let's talk about the race!
I don't know why, but Americans have a tendency to raise hopes for victories and fast times, only to see (most of) them splattered like bugs on a windshield when crunch time inevitably comes.
Shalane Flanagan and Meb were almost awarded the laurel wreaths BEFORE the race started, if you believed the almost non-stop hype.
But here's how the race unfolded.
(My version comes from a less-than-perfect webcast by the BAA (with Larry Rawson among the commentators, if that suggests anything!), so I can only tell you what I SAW!)
The Men's race started fast, with miles in the 4:40's, and with Meb and Dathan Ritzenhein among the leading crowd.
Meb tucked in behind 3 or 4 Africans, trying to avoid the 30 MPH winds.
Ritz was a step or two back.
But then, after cutting away for a couple of minutes, they returned, showing RITZ in the lead around 15K, or just past.
And it stayed that way through Sex City---I mean Wellesley!!---giving SOME hope for an American victory two years in a row!
Also, Meb kept looking strong, running at a pace that was promising a BIG PR for him and Ritz, possibly around 2:06.
But the Newton Hills, as ever, slowed the train, and uncoupled a few of the cars, including the top Americans!
While both appeared to be trying to sneak back into contention, you could see it wasn't going to happen, not when the Africans decided to surge after the hills.
So it came down to a race between Atsedu Tsegaye and Lelisa Desisa.
It was Desisa at the end, by 4 seconds, in 2:09:17.
Ritz hung on for first American in 2:11:20 in 7th place.
Then came Meb....with Hilary Dionne....in 8th!
The Women's race was just as thrilling....and enticing....for American fans.
A pack of 10 to 12 women ran in a peanut shell-shaped convoy, with the 3 top Americans---Flanagan, Linden, and Amy (Hastings) Cragg right in there.
But if you watched closely, you could see signs of early stress on Flanagan's face.
While Desiree was striding smoothly, arms hardly working, just floating along, Shalane was grimacing, and seemed to be flailing her arms, as if she were already on the Newton Hills.
Cragg was in the mix, but never a key factor.
After maybe the first 10K, the webcast showed Linden in the lead, albeit by just a foot or two, over the tight pack.
And it stayed that way for quite a long while, giving a strong dose of belief that she could WIN the race!
But after the Hills, a trio of Africans took off, running 5-oh something miles, leaving Linden suddenly 100 meters back.
Flanagan had already disappeared, and Cragg was forgotten.
(Not even sure if Cragg even finished at this point. Will let you know in my next post!)
As with the men, it became a two woman race, between Mare Dibaba and Caroline Rotich....or between Ethiopia and Kenya!
And Kenya won!
Caroline Rotich outsprinted Ms Dibaba by the same 4 seconds as in the Men's race!
Her time was 2:24:55.
Linden held it together, running a solid 2:25:39 for 4th place.
Flanagan also made a comeback, ending in 9th place, time of 2:27:47.
Adrianna Nelson was the 3rd American, with....Hilary Dionne taking the 4th American spot!
And now she and Meb are BFF's!
Well, with the GREAT assistance of the latest issue of T&FN's eTN, and with some of my own research, I have several more marks to report that weren't known to me yesterday.
Plus, I have a few corrections to offer on stuff I posted yesterday!
First, for the corrections.
Sami Spenner scored 6019 points in the Heptathlon, as I noted, but she is NOT a Collegian anymore!
Thus she doesn't improve her Collegiate list place!
And VERY important, Vashti Cunningham's HSR in the HJ has GAINED a quarter inch!
According to Garry Hill, it was measured in English increments only, so the 1.94 metric is 6-4.50, not the 6-4.25 I reported.
So all her marks change, but her place on the A-T US list remains the same--22nd, but without any ties.
And it moves her to within just 0.50 inches of equaling the Age 17 record!
I also have some additional info on some stuff I posted yesterday.
Remember me mentioning seeing a tweet saying Erin Finn ran a 15:41 5000?
Well, she ran 15:41.80 at the Virginia Challenge meet.
But she finished 2nd to Rachele Schulist, who ran 15:36.33.
Finn ran for Michigan, which means she's NOT redshirting, so look for her at the Big 10 Conference meet!
Vernon Norwood's super impressive 44.44 in the 400 became even MORE super impressive!
Why?
Because it was practically a SOLO run, as 2nd place finished 1.90 seconds back!!
I still don't know why Shawn Barber didn't vault his usual 19-plus, but I DO know he missed his 3 tries at 18-2.50, after clearing his paltry 17-6.50.
Andre DeGrasse's windy 9.87 was accompanied by a legal wind 20.16 in the 200.
He equaled the Canada National Record!
We all know Kenya as a distance Disneyland of sorts.
Well, they now have a halfway decent sprinter!
Carvin Nkanata ran the 200 in 20.14 for the National Record of Kenya!
And....that time leads the WORLD (thus far) in 2015!!
Also at the Virginia Challenge, Leah O'Connor returned to the Steeplechase, running a Collegiate-leading time of 9:41.86.
However, it was NOT her PR.
Reese Hoffa broke his own Age 37 Shot Put record with a throw of 69-8.
Elizabeth Herrs improved her Javelin Throw PR by 1 inch, leaving her in 11th place on the A-T Collegiate list!
Bobby Colantonio upset Adam Kelly in the HT, getting a PR of 238-7.
He moves from 14th A-T HS, tied with 1 other, up to 11th.
Ariana Ince improved her JT to 196-4.
She moves from 12th A-T US up to 7th!
Tahryn Montgomery threw the Javelin 164-4, moving her up one spot on the A-T HS list, from 18th to 17th.
Quenisha Burks LJ'ed 21-9.
This misses the A-T Collegiate list by just 1.75 inches.
Finally, Tori Weeks PV'ed 13-10, ending a short streak of poor vaults.
This makes her 11th A-T HS.
(Don't know if her sister also vaulted!)
Well, folks, had enough?
Three posts in 3 or 4 days!
I'll (hopefully!) see you on Sunday, with TONS of great material from the Penn and Drake Relays!
And remember her name----Hilary Dionne!
ADDED a bit later:
There's already a video out about Ms Dionne and Meb, but it's not on YouTube!
Try Flotrack!
It's a few minutes long, and shows the two of them standing side by side indoors somewhere, Meb's arm around her shoulder, answering reporter's questions.
Turns out she's 21 years old, and is a veteran marathoner, this being her 3rd or 4th Boston race!
She's a good one, finishing 4th American today, and she's already qualified for the Olympic Trials race!!
Seek it out!
It's an interview for the ages!!
ADDED today, Tuesday:
I made a HUGE error!
Desisa didn't win by just 4 seconds.
He won by 31 seconds!
Sorry for the error!
But Rotich DID win by just 4 seconds!
ADDED today, a bit later!
Turns our Hilary Dionne is 29 years old, not 21, as I stated earlier.
Or at least that's what one article said!
She probably IS 29---given how many marathons she's run--but she LOOKS to be 21.
By the way, her Marathon PR is 2:35!!!
Sunday, April 19, 2015
A Record-Breaking (& Rust-Busting) Weekend
With the Mt SAC Relays and the Clermont (FL) crew warming things up, lightning struck in more places than just Waco, TX!
And yes, lightning DID strike in Waco (along with tornado warnings!), causing the Michael Johnson meet to end prematurely with 3 or 4 events to go!
One of the POSSIBLE records left hanging there was Demi Payne's march toward a much higher height than the 14-1.25 she'd achieved before lightning struck!
So don't blame Demi for jumping "just" 14-1.25!
As for REAL records, Vashti Cunningham, still a HS Junior, took care of that!
She cleared a HSR of 6-4.25 at Mt SAC!
(And tried 6-6 three times!!)
It's the Junior Class record, adding to her Frosh and Soph Class records!
BTW, she broke Amy Acuff's (and Toni Young's) HS and Class marks.
Acuff at one time held ALL FOUR Class marks!
IF...I say IF...Vashti doesn't turn Pro, she'll have a chance to match Acuff's feat!
She is just 0.75 inches from equaling the Age 17 record!
She moves from 3rd to 1st on the A-T HS list.
More significantly, she becomes 22nd A-T US, tied with 2 others!
Raven Saunders is another young one who moved into territory normally reserved for veterans.
She threw the SP out to 59-9.75 at Mt SAC (finishing 3rd, behind 2 Pros), breaking her own Collegiate Frosh Class record!
And she finally moves onto the OUTdoor A-T Collegiate list.
She's now 12th on that list!
And....she's now 24th on the A-T US list!!
One of the women who beat Saunders was Jeneva Stevens.
Her Put of 61-1.50 is an OUTdoor PR, but she remains 18th A-T US.
Oregon's Jenna Prandini, a Junior Duck, exploded onto the National (World?) sprint scene in a BIG way at Mt SAC.
She doubled in the 100 and 200 (same day!), winning both in 10.92 and 22.42.
Her 100 time is the Collegiate Junior Class record.
It ties the Mt SAC Meet Record, held by the iconic Merlene Ottey, who ran her time in 1985!
Prandini becomes the 2nd fastest Collegiate 100 Woman of All Time!
And she is now 24th A-T US, tied with 2 others!
In the 200, her 22.42 places her 16th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other.
Vernon Norwood ran a great 400 of 44.44!
He's now 9th A-T Collegiate!
Michael Lihrman transferred his WT abilities into the Hammer Throw, getting a big PR of 243-0.
He's now 16th A-T Collegiate.
He misses the A-T US list by just 10 inches!
Dior Hall keeps improving as a Collegiate Frosh.
In fact, her 12.89 in the 100H is the new Collegiate Frosh Class record!
But she still is 0.09 seconds short of the A-T Collegiate list!!
As I briefly mentioned in my "extra" post from yesterday, Erin Teschuk (from that NCAA powerhouse North Dakota State--LOL) won the 3000SC in a great 9:43.83.
She's now 15th A-T Collegiate.
Not sure, but I believe this was her first-ever Steeplechase!!
I don't have lists for HS Relays, but the Great Oak (CA) team of girls, led by superstar Destinny Collins, ran 2 good races at Mt SAC...on different days.
They went after the HSR in the 4XMile (19:56.75).
One problem, however.
They were running the 4X1600!!
So the calculators were brought out, trying to figure what they would need to break that 4XMile record!
I could have saved them the time and trouble.
Guys (or gals), you can NOT break the HSR in the 4XMILE while running the 4X1600!!
Yet those ignorant slaves to the entire 1600-3200 monstrosity told us Great Oak's time of 19:53.81 made them 3rd A-T.
On WHICH list??
(Oh yeah, I forgot---on the 4XMILE list!)
Anyway, "GO" came back the next day to win the DMR in 11:46.92.
Collins ran anchors for both in the low-4:50's.
Jeff Henderson exploded out to 27-10.75 in the LJ.
He moved from 18th A-T US, tied with 1 other, up to 10th.
And he's now 20th A-T World, tied with 1 other!
At the Oregon Relays, HSer Matt Maton finished 4th in his 1500 race (won by Mac Fleet in 3:40+), but his time of 3:42.54 makes him 3rd A-T HS, behind only Alan Webb and Jim Ryun.
One slight "cloud" over that accomplishment.
He just turned 19, an age most connected to Collegiate Frosh!
(Occasionally even a Collegiate Soph!!)
Jack Shepard's great book, HS Track, lists Age records for US HSers.
But he only lists Age records for Ages 14 through 18!
So should Maton's mark be allowed on HS lists?
I'll be listing it, but it definitely weakens the impact of his time.
There were some interesting results that don't make my lists, but they're interesting nonetheless.
For example, HSer Teahna Daniels used the Clermont winds to run the 100 in 11.15.
The wind wasn't much--2.4--but it prevents her from making my list.
She won her heat!
In the final, with the wind stronger at 3.9, she finished 6th in 11.21.
The winner?
How about Dafne Schippers, in 10.90!!
Kaylin Whitney, the new HS Pro, also had a windy race.
She ran 23.25 in the 200 for 6th place, using a wind of just 2.1.
Speaking of HS Professionals, Alexa Efraimson had a good opener to her OUTdoor Pro track career!
She finished 3rd (to winner Sarah Brown and Stephanie Brown) in the Mt SAC race.
Her 4:09.43 isn't a PR (it's 4:07.05 from last year).
However, she counted among her "victims" Collegiate biggies Dominique Scott and Colleen Quigley!!
She remains 2nd on the VERY short HS PRO list, behind Mary Cain!
(As Cain's now in college, Efraimson could get that mark!)
BTW, in her post-race interview, Alexa said her next race will be at Payton Jordan.....in the 5000 meters!!
(Given everything being copacetic--health, weather, pace--I'm predicting Efraimson running UNDER 15:30!! And surely beating Cain's HSR time--even though she won't be eligible to break it!)
And speaking of Miss Mary, HER OUTdoor season opener wasn't too good!
Even though she finished 2nd (to UO's Annie Leblanc), her time of 4:17.91 pales considerably when put against Efraimson's opener!
Different meets, different races, etc etc, but you can't help but wonder what's going on with Cain.
(See my somewhat "controversial" comments in my post from yesterday!!)
Alysia Montano ran....the 400!!
She was 3rd in her race, running 53.01!
(Remember, she went out in 53.83 in her 1:23.59 INdoor 600 a couple of years ago!)
Stephanie Jenks had a good time---in the 1600.
That said, her 4:40.78 was a very good time.
She beat Hannah Long by about 3 seconds!
Add Sami Spenner to the growing list of Collegiate 6000 point scorers (in 2015) in the Heptathlon!
Her total of 6019 points moves her from 21st to 19th on the A-T Collegiate list!
Sophia Rivera threw the Javelin 162-9.
This makes her 19th A-T HS, tied with 1 other.
Sarah Baxter ran her first (??) track 5000 at the Oregon Relays.
But her 7th place finish, and time of 16:40.44, aren't too promising.
Hopefully, she's just in a training build-up phase!
Shawn Barber won the PV.
Nothing shocking, right?
BUT...his winning height of a mere 17-6.50 IS shocking.
I'm sure there must have been a good reason he wasn't going his average height of 19-plus!
I have 4 "old" marks---from a week or so ago.
Tim Glover had a Javelin Throw of 275-10.
It's a 3 inch PR, but he remains 5th A-T US.
Meagan Gray PV'ed 13-9, making her 11th A-T HS, tied with 3 others.
Margaret Ollinger PVed 13-6.25, making her 23rd A-T HS, tied with 2 others!
In the Milan (Italy) Marathon, Ken Mungara of Kenya broke the Age 40 (and over!) record, running 2:08:44.
BTW, he's 41.
I mentioned some "interesting" marks I had to report.
Well, here's a few more.
Andre DeGrasse, that fast-emerging (pun intended!) Canadian sprinter, won a 100 in 9.87.
The wind was a mere 4.0!!
In Jenna Prandini's 10.92 race, veteran Muna Lee showed some comebacking wheels, running a solid 11.02.
She was 3rd in that race.
In a separate race, UO's Jasmine Todd used a wind of 2.3 to run 11.03.
Duane Solomon was advertising an attempt on Johnny Gray's WR in the 600.
But, as most WR attempts go, it fell a bit short.
He won the race, however, in 1:15.41.
Still not bad for a season opener!
You'd think a 4X100 team with Jeneba Tarmoh, Dawn Harper-Nelson, Ginnie Crawford, AND Allyson Felix on it could run faster than 43.59.
Or at least WIN the race!!
But no, they finished just 3rd!
SRR--aka Sanya Richards-Ross--also had a wake-up call in her 400 race at Mt SAC.
But her "alarm clocks" were super Collegians Courtney Okolo and her Texas teammate Kendell Baisden!
They ran 50.99 and 51.22, beating SRR's time of 51.49.
Again, not bad for a "rust-buster".
Brenda Martinez came from behind to easily win the Mt SAC 800, running 2:00.83.
She negative split the race!
In a different meet, Ajee Wilson ran 2:01 something!
I can't find the meet results---or even which meet it was, but I saw on Twitter that coming-back-from-injury/illness Erin Finn ran a 5000 in 15:41.
When I find out the details, I'll post it here (in another blog post!).
In my weekly Kayla Montgomery Update, I'm happy to report that, after a week's "rest" (She still trained!) after her 35:49 10K, she finished 2nd (scoring 8 team points!!) to a Lipscomb teammate in a SLOWWWW 5000, running 18:08.28.
For perspective, in her 10000, she averaged 17:54 for her two 5K's!
I'm sure they were just running for points, not time!
I'll close with a Road Race report!
In the lead-up to tomorrow's Boston Marathon, the BAA held a 5000 meter road race.
And American Records were broken by Ben True and Molly Huddle!
True's 13:22 broke Marc Davis's 13:24, dating from the 90's!
Second, in 13:23, was Stephen Sambu.
But it was Huddle's race that really excited me.
And it wasn't her time of 14:50 (!!) that excited me so much!
After all, she's the track 5K AR holder at 14:42 and change.
But check out the field of WORLD CLASS women she beat!
Sentayehu Ejigu
Mamitu Daska
Gelete Burka
(And 3 other Africans of some renown!)
They weren't exactly crawling, either.
Ejigu was 2nd in 14:51.
Daska was 3rd in 14:52.
And Burka was 4th in 14:57!
Huddle OUTKICKED them!!!
This bodes VERY well for her medal chances (in the 10000!!) in Beijing---and Rio!!
What's next?
Well, like I said earlier, I'll have a post about tomorrow's Boston Marathon.
But next week are the Drake and Penn Relays---among many other meets.
Surely I'll have SOME good records and marks for you then!
And yes, lightning DID strike in Waco (along with tornado warnings!), causing the Michael Johnson meet to end prematurely with 3 or 4 events to go!
One of the POSSIBLE records left hanging there was Demi Payne's march toward a much higher height than the 14-1.25 she'd achieved before lightning struck!
So don't blame Demi for jumping "just" 14-1.25!
As for REAL records, Vashti Cunningham, still a HS Junior, took care of that!
She cleared a HSR of 6-4.25 at Mt SAC!
(And tried 6-6 three times!!)
It's the Junior Class record, adding to her Frosh and Soph Class records!
BTW, she broke Amy Acuff's (and Toni Young's) HS and Class marks.
Acuff at one time held ALL FOUR Class marks!
IF...I say IF...Vashti doesn't turn Pro, she'll have a chance to match Acuff's feat!
She is just 0.75 inches from equaling the Age 17 record!
She moves from 3rd to 1st on the A-T HS list.
More significantly, she becomes 22nd A-T US, tied with 2 others!
Raven Saunders is another young one who moved into territory normally reserved for veterans.
She threw the SP out to 59-9.75 at Mt SAC (finishing 3rd, behind 2 Pros), breaking her own Collegiate Frosh Class record!
And she finally moves onto the OUTdoor A-T Collegiate list.
She's now 12th on that list!
And....she's now 24th on the A-T US list!!
One of the women who beat Saunders was Jeneva Stevens.
Her Put of 61-1.50 is an OUTdoor PR, but she remains 18th A-T US.
Oregon's Jenna Prandini, a Junior Duck, exploded onto the National (World?) sprint scene in a BIG way at Mt SAC.
She doubled in the 100 and 200 (same day!), winning both in 10.92 and 22.42.
Her 100 time is the Collegiate Junior Class record.
It ties the Mt SAC Meet Record, held by the iconic Merlene Ottey, who ran her time in 1985!
Prandini becomes the 2nd fastest Collegiate 100 Woman of All Time!
And she is now 24th A-T US, tied with 2 others!
In the 200, her 22.42 places her 16th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other.
Vernon Norwood ran a great 400 of 44.44!
He's now 9th A-T Collegiate!
Michael Lihrman transferred his WT abilities into the Hammer Throw, getting a big PR of 243-0.
He's now 16th A-T Collegiate.
He misses the A-T US list by just 10 inches!
Dior Hall keeps improving as a Collegiate Frosh.
In fact, her 12.89 in the 100H is the new Collegiate Frosh Class record!
But she still is 0.09 seconds short of the A-T Collegiate list!!
As I briefly mentioned in my "extra" post from yesterday, Erin Teschuk (from that NCAA powerhouse North Dakota State--LOL) won the 3000SC in a great 9:43.83.
She's now 15th A-T Collegiate.
Not sure, but I believe this was her first-ever Steeplechase!!
I don't have lists for HS Relays, but the Great Oak (CA) team of girls, led by superstar Destinny Collins, ran 2 good races at Mt SAC...on different days.
They went after the HSR in the 4XMile (19:56.75).
One problem, however.
They were running the 4X1600!!
So the calculators were brought out, trying to figure what they would need to break that 4XMile record!
I could have saved them the time and trouble.
Guys (or gals), you can NOT break the HSR in the 4XMILE while running the 4X1600!!
Yet those ignorant slaves to the entire 1600-3200 monstrosity told us Great Oak's time of 19:53.81 made them 3rd A-T.
On WHICH list??
(Oh yeah, I forgot---on the 4XMILE list!)
Anyway, "GO" came back the next day to win the DMR in 11:46.92.
Collins ran anchors for both in the low-4:50's.
Jeff Henderson exploded out to 27-10.75 in the LJ.
He moved from 18th A-T US, tied with 1 other, up to 10th.
And he's now 20th A-T World, tied with 1 other!
At the Oregon Relays, HSer Matt Maton finished 4th in his 1500 race (won by Mac Fleet in 3:40+), but his time of 3:42.54 makes him 3rd A-T HS, behind only Alan Webb and Jim Ryun.
One slight "cloud" over that accomplishment.
He just turned 19, an age most connected to Collegiate Frosh!
(Occasionally even a Collegiate Soph!!)
Jack Shepard's great book, HS Track, lists Age records for US HSers.
But he only lists Age records for Ages 14 through 18!
So should Maton's mark be allowed on HS lists?
I'll be listing it, but it definitely weakens the impact of his time.
There were some interesting results that don't make my lists, but they're interesting nonetheless.
For example, HSer Teahna Daniels used the Clermont winds to run the 100 in 11.15.
The wind wasn't much--2.4--but it prevents her from making my list.
She won her heat!
In the final, with the wind stronger at 3.9, she finished 6th in 11.21.
The winner?
How about Dafne Schippers, in 10.90!!
Kaylin Whitney, the new HS Pro, also had a windy race.
She ran 23.25 in the 200 for 6th place, using a wind of just 2.1.
Speaking of HS Professionals, Alexa Efraimson had a good opener to her OUTdoor Pro track career!
She finished 3rd (to winner Sarah Brown and Stephanie Brown) in the Mt SAC race.
Her 4:09.43 isn't a PR (it's 4:07.05 from last year).
However, she counted among her "victims" Collegiate biggies Dominique Scott and Colleen Quigley!!
She remains 2nd on the VERY short HS PRO list, behind Mary Cain!
(As Cain's now in college, Efraimson could get that mark!)
BTW, in her post-race interview, Alexa said her next race will be at Payton Jordan.....in the 5000 meters!!
(Given everything being copacetic--health, weather, pace--I'm predicting Efraimson running UNDER 15:30!! And surely beating Cain's HSR time--even though she won't be eligible to break it!)
And speaking of Miss Mary, HER OUTdoor season opener wasn't too good!
Even though she finished 2nd (to UO's Annie Leblanc), her time of 4:17.91 pales considerably when put against Efraimson's opener!
Different meets, different races, etc etc, but you can't help but wonder what's going on with Cain.
(See my somewhat "controversial" comments in my post from yesterday!!)
Alysia Montano ran....the 400!!
She was 3rd in her race, running 53.01!
(Remember, she went out in 53.83 in her 1:23.59 INdoor 600 a couple of years ago!)
Stephanie Jenks had a good time---in the 1600.
That said, her 4:40.78 was a very good time.
She beat Hannah Long by about 3 seconds!
Add Sami Spenner to the growing list of Collegiate 6000 point scorers (in 2015) in the Heptathlon!
Her total of 6019 points moves her from 21st to 19th on the A-T Collegiate list!
Sophia Rivera threw the Javelin 162-9.
This makes her 19th A-T HS, tied with 1 other.
Sarah Baxter ran her first (??) track 5000 at the Oregon Relays.
But her 7th place finish, and time of 16:40.44, aren't too promising.
Hopefully, she's just in a training build-up phase!
Shawn Barber won the PV.
Nothing shocking, right?
BUT...his winning height of a mere 17-6.50 IS shocking.
I'm sure there must have been a good reason he wasn't going his average height of 19-plus!
I have 4 "old" marks---from a week or so ago.
Tim Glover had a Javelin Throw of 275-10.
It's a 3 inch PR, but he remains 5th A-T US.
Meagan Gray PV'ed 13-9, making her 11th A-T HS, tied with 3 others.
Margaret Ollinger PVed 13-6.25, making her 23rd A-T HS, tied with 2 others!
In the Milan (Italy) Marathon, Ken Mungara of Kenya broke the Age 40 (and over!) record, running 2:08:44.
BTW, he's 41.
I mentioned some "interesting" marks I had to report.
Well, here's a few more.
Andre DeGrasse, that fast-emerging (pun intended!) Canadian sprinter, won a 100 in 9.87.
The wind was a mere 4.0!!
In Jenna Prandini's 10.92 race, veteran Muna Lee showed some comebacking wheels, running a solid 11.02.
She was 3rd in that race.
In a separate race, UO's Jasmine Todd used a wind of 2.3 to run 11.03.
Duane Solomon was advertising an attempt on Johnny Gray's WR in the 600.
But, as most WR attempts go, it fell a bit short.
He won the race, however, in 1:15.41.
Still not bad for a season opener!
You'd think a 4X100 team with Jeneba Tarmoh, Dawn Harper-Nelson, Ginnie Crawford, AND Allyson Felix on it could run faster than 43.59.
Or at least WIN the race!!
But no, they finished just 3rd!
SRR--aka Sanya Richards-Ross--also had a wake-up call in her 400 race at Mt SAC.
But her "alarm clocks" were super Collegians Courtney Okolo and her Texas teammate Kendell Baisden!
They ran 50.99 and 51.22, beating SRR's time of 51.49.
Again, not bad for a "rust-buster".
Brenda Martinez came from behind to easily win the Mt SAC 800, running 2:00.83.
She negative split the race!
In a different meet, Ajee Wilson ran 2:01 something!
I can't find the meet results---or even which meet it was, but I saw on Twitter that coming-back-from-injury/illness Erin Finn ran a 5000 in 15:41.
When I find out the details, I'll post it here (in another blog post!).
In my weekly Kayla Montgomery Update, I'm happy to report that, after a week's "rest" (She still trained!) after her 35:49 10K, she finished 2nd (scoring 8 team points!!) to a Lipscomb teammate in a SLOWWWW 5000, running 18:08.28.
For perspective, in her 10000, she averaged 17:54 for her two 5K's!
I'm sure they were just running for points, not time!
I'll close with a Road Race report!
In the lead-up to tomorrow's Boston Marathon, the BAA held a 5000 meter road race.
And American Records were broken by Ben True and Molly Huddle!
True's 13:22 broke Marc Davis's 13:24, dating from the 90's!
Second, in 13:23, was Stephen Sambu.
But it was Huddle's race that really excited me.
And it wasn't her time of 14:50 (!!) that excited me so much!
After all, she's the track 5K AR holder at 14:42 and change.
But check out the field of WORLD CLASS women she beat!
Sentayehu Ejigu
Mamitu Daska
Gelete Burka
(And 3 other Africans of some renown!)
They weren't exactly crawling, either.
Ejigu was 2nd in 14:51.
Daska was 3rd in 14:52.
And Burka was 4th in 14:57!
Huddle OUTKICKED them!!!
This bodes VERY well for her medal chances (in the 10000!!) in Beijing---and Rio!!
What's next?
Well, like I said earlier, I'll have a post about tomorrow's Boston Marathon.
But next week are the Drake and Penn Relays---among many other meets.
Surely I'll have SOME good records and marks for you then!
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Just a few Observations
I'll have my normal results report tomorrow or Sunday--and a special Boston Marathon report on Monday--but I have a few observations I want to share about our favorite sport.
I gave in to my Evil Twin and bought a month's worth of Flotrack.
I'd done it before, and every time, I vow to NEVER do it again!
You see, they ain't perfect!
Last year's livestream of the Payton Jordan meet WAS perfect!
Visuals, Audio, the meet itself.
And PARTS of other meets have been good.
But that's what's wrong here!
I want ALL of it to be perfect, not just parts!
Some will say it's my computer's fault.
But then why do USATF-TV livestreams---and EuroSport and BBC and Trackie (and even Flotrack sometimes!)---work for me?
By "work", I mean...
1. Don't stop and start every few seconds, jumping ahead 5 to 25 seconds at a time, causing me to miss most of a race!
2. Have an announcer who I can HEAR, meaning who doesn't whisper his ignorance to one and all.
3. Have an announcer who KNOWS what he/she is talking about. TWICE he called the 5K split....but it wasn't at the 5K mark!!
4. If you control the camera, have the visuals aligned with your commentators remarks! During Erin Teschuk's great 3000SC run (See my next post!! LOL), he kept raving (deservedly so!) about Teschuk's run, but the camera kept showing the 2nd & 3rd place runners--even though they finished 20 seconds back. We wanted to see Teschuk, Flotrack!! Listen to your own announcer!!!
Anyway, with Payton Jordan coming up soon (and other meets they say they'll cover), I'm not sure I want to give myself virtual migraines....again!!
Along these lines, my next observation is what's happened to T&F and TV since the Computer Age started.
Before, we had only ABC, NBC, or ESPN to complain to.
Now we have Flotrack, RunnerSpace, MileSplit, and USATF-TV.
Actually, the latter shouldn't be included here, since they offer their livestreams for FREE!!
The others don't.
Want to see a HS meet on MileSplit? Or something else on RunnerSpace or Flotrack?
Well, you have to PAY!
I've never paid for RunnerSpace or MileSplit, so I don't know what there might be to complain about!
(See my Flotrack rant above!)
MileSplit used to be free. All their lists and results and videos---all free.
Now---at least for the "exclusive" stuff---there's a monthly subscription fee!
BTW, if you wait long enough---and don't need or want instant gratification!!--even Flotrack offers their videos....for free! (Race videos, I mean! I think their GREAT Driven series is always Pay-per-view!)
The World Championships are coming to Eugene in 2021.
I lived in Eugene between 1987 and 1998.
Attended LOADS of meets at Hayward Field.
(Even RAN on the track there---in all-comer meets, and just training runs/time trials!)
So I KNOW Eugene pretty well.
It's going to be UNBELIEVABLE in Eugene in 2021----and I mean the entire year!!
Ever see their newspaper, the Register-Guard?
If you're a fan of T&F, there's NO paper like it!
An ENTIRE 10-12 page section is devoted to big meet coverage---the NCAA's, USATF's, OT's, the Pre meet, etc!
Huge color photos, detailed stories on EACH RACE, FULL results---including heats and semis!!
Then you have the TV stations, and even the alternative weekly, and the Daily Emerald!
And the PEOPLE---whose breadth of knowledge of T&F is unsurpassed anywhere else in the USA!
Attending a meet---even a "minor" one---is unlike any experience you've ever had, or heard about anywhere else!!
If you've never gone, GO!!
The youngsters are DOING it!!
(No, I'm NOT talking about THAT---though they're probably doing "that" too!! LOL)
I'll give some examples in my next results report, but the classes of 2013 and 2014 have given our sport some INCREDIBLE athletes!
If you study my post about this decade, and how many Top 24 marks were from 2010 on, you'll see what I'm talking about.
I don't know if any other group has been so dominant in so few years as the current group.
And it's not just the young ones.
Vets such as Jenny Simpson, Shannon Rowbury, and Galen Rupp have reached new levels!
My lists are changing fast, and this dynamism makes for a more dynamic---and talked about---sport!
(Maybe Eugene getting the '21 WC's isn't so mysterious after all!)
Does Mary Cain need to leave her coach?
I'm going to reveal a couple of results now----in order to prove my point.
In the Oregon Relays 1500, Mary Cain finished 2nd in her race, running 4:17.91.
Annie LeBlanc beat her by a second.
In the Mt SAC 1500, Alexa Efraimson finished 3rd, running 4:09.43.
She was beaten by Sarah and Stephanie Brown (no relation), who ran in the 4:08's.
Let's do some comparisons.
Both are students.
Cain is a freshman in college, while Efraimson is a HS senior.
Both are top students, academically.
Both turned Pro in their junior year of HS.
Both run for Nike.
Cain's coach is Alberto Salazar.
Efraimson's coach is Mike Hickey.
To compare THEM, I refer you to (for Salazar) the USATF Indoor meet in 2014, and (for Hickey) to Flotrack's 2-part "Driven" series on Alexa. (You'd have to pay for that, as noted above!)
Salazar was shown to be an angry, out-of-control control freak.
Hickey is shown as what he is---totally laid back and AMAZED by what his athlete has done!
A person on the T&FN MB commented that Salazar might have dictated the pace he wanted Cain to run---and no faster!!
That speaks LOUDLY to the "control freak" label given Salazar....by MANY!!
What about Mr Hickey?
I've never seen or heard anything---from Hickey or Efraimson---that tells me HE is ANYthing like AlSal!!
No way, no how!
So maybe Cain's "rust-buster" wasn't that.
Maybe she ran over 8 seconds slower than Efraimson because---her COACH told her to!
Efraimson felt FREE to run like the wind---freely and joyfully.
Cain felt CONSTRAINED and CONTROLLED---and couldn't produce her fantastic kick she's become known for!
BTW, Efraimson said her next race is the Payton Jordan 5000!!
I'm predicting now that she's going to run MUCH faster than Cain has..maybe well under 15:30!!
Cain?
I'm predicting she is NOT going to make the US team for Beijing!!
Unless she tells Salazar to GO TO HELL!!
About my blog---and me.
I'm just an Old Fart who LOVES T&F, and who wants to share his knowledge of T&F to one and all.
Thus this blog!
But why have my "views" numbers gone down recently?
I'm just 50 or so views from 12,000.
That's a GREAT number!
But recently---the past few weeks---the numbers have slowed.
From over 1000 per month this year, it's down to 500-600.
From 50-100 per day (sometimes), I'm lucky to get over 30.
And why do I have just ONE person who (sometimes) leaves comments?
Surely people who "view" my blog have opinions about it!
Don't you?
Speak up---whether you agree with me or not!
I WELCOME your comments!!
If you "view" the blog, do you READ it??
I'm bragging here, but I've not seen another blog like mine!
There're good ones!
I LOVE the Daily Relay/House of Run....and even the T&FN website!
But NONE present the material like my blog does!!
If you want news and details of the Records broken---and not just WR's, AR's, CR's, and HSR's, but Age, Meet, Class Records too---my blog provides all the details!
If you want to know if a mark makes the All-Time Top 24 Performers Lists---on the World, US, Collegiate, or HS levels---my blog tells you where that mark--and athlete---stands on my lists!
(Others go only 10 deep!)
Want a blog that honors the EXCLUSIVITY of the INdoor and the OUTdoor seasons?
Mine does!
Want a blog that gives equal recognition to a HIGH SCHOOL Record as much as to a WORLD Record?
My blog does!
So please keep on "viewing" it.
But join the discussion!
Leave a comment!
Tell your friends, housemates, fellow athletes about it!
(Bernard Lagat just started following me on Twitter!!)
Anyway, this weekend isn't done yet!
Watch for my next couple of posts!!
I gave in to my Evil Twin and bought a month's worth of Flotrack.
I'd done it before, and every time, I vow to NEVER do it again!
You see, they ain't perfect!
Last year's livestream of the Payton Jordan meet WAS perfect!
Visuals, Audio, the meet itself.
And PARTS of other meets have been good.
But that's what's wrong here!
I want ALL of it to be perfect, not just parts!
Some will say it's my computer's fault.
But then why do USATF-TV livestreams---and EuroSport and BBC and Trackie (and even Flotrack sometimes!)---work for me?
By "work", I mean...
1. Don't stop and start every few seconds, jumping ahead 5 to 25 seconds at a time, causing me to miss most of a race!
2. Have an announcer who I can HEAR, meaning who doesn't whisper his ignorance to one and all.
3. Have an announcer who KNOWS what he/she is talking about. TWICE he called the 5K split....but it wasn't at the 5K mark!!
4. If you control the camera, have the visuals aligned with your commentators remarks! During Erin Teschuk's great 3000SC run (See my next post!! LOL), he kept raving (deservedly so!) about Teschuk's run, but the camera kept showing the 2nd & 3rd place runners--even though they finished 20 seconds back. We wanted to see Teschuk, Flotrack!! Listen to your own announcer!!!
Anyway, with Payton Jordan coming up soon (and other meets they say they'll cover), I'm not sure I want to give myself virtual migraines....again!!
Along these lines, my next observation is what's happened to T&F and TV since the Computer Age started.
Before, we had only ABC, NBC, or ESPN to complain to.
Now we have Flotrack, RunnerSpace, MileSplit, and USATF-TV.
Actually, the latter shouldn't be included here, since they offer their livestreams for FREE!!
The others don't.
Want to see a HS meet on MileSplit? Or something else on RunnerSpace or Flotrack?
Well, you have to PAY!
I've never paid for RunnerSpace or MileSplit, so I don't know what there might be to complain about!
(See my Flotrack rant above!)
MileSplit used to be free. All their lists and results and videos---all free.
Now---at least for the "exclusive" stuff---there's a monthly subscription fee!
BTW, if you wait long enough---and don't need or want instant gratification!!--even Flotrack offers their videos....for free! (Race videos, I mean! I think their GREAT Driven series is always Pay-per-view!)
The World Championships are coming to Eugene in 2021.
I lived in Eugene between 1987 and 1998.
Attended LOADS of meets at Hayward Field.
(Even RAN on the track there---in all-comer meets, and just training runs/time trials!)
So I KNOW Eugene pretty well.
It's going to be UNBELIEVABLE in Eugene in 2021----and I mean the entire year!!
Ever see their newspaper, the Register-Guard?
If you're a fan of T&F, there's NO paper like it!
An ENTIRE 10-12 page section is devoted to big meet coverage---the NCAA's, USATF's, OT's, the Pre meet, etc!
Huge color photos, detailed stories on EACH RACE, FULL results---including heats and semis!!
Then you have the TV stations, and even the alternative weekly, and the Daily Emerald!
And the PEOPLE---whose breadth of knowledge of T&F is unsurpassed anywhere else in the USA!
Attending a meet---even a "minor" one---is unlike any experience you've ever had, or heard about anywhere else!!
If you've never gone, GO!!
The youngsters are DOING it!!
(No, I'm NOT talking about THAT---though they're probably doing "that" too!! LOL)
I'll give some examples in my next results report, but the classes of 2013 and 2014 have given our sport some INCREDIBLE athletes!
If you study my post about this decade, and how many Top 24 marks were from 2010 on, you'll see what I'm talking about.
I don't know if any other group has been so dominant in so few years as the current group.
And it's not just the young ones.
Vets such as Jenny Simpson, Shannon Rowbury, and Galen Rupp have reached new levels!
My lists are changing fast, and this dynamism makes for a more dynamic---and talked about---sport!
(Maybe Eugene getting the '21 WC's isn't so mysterious after all!)
Does Mary Cain need to leave her coach?
I'm going to reveal a couple of results now----in order to prove my point.
In the Oregon Relays 1500, Mary Cain finished 2nd in her race, running 4:17.91.
Annie LeBlanc beat her by a second.
In the Mt SAC 1500, Alexa Efraimson finished 3rd, running 4:09.43.
She was beaten by Sarah and Stephanie Brown (no relation), who ran in the 4:08's.
Let's do some comparisons.
Both are students.
Cain is a freshman in college, while Efraimson is a HS senior.
Both are top students, academically.
Both turned Pro in their junior year of HS.
Both run for Nike.
Cain's coach is Alberto Salazar.
Efraimson's coach is Mike Hickey.
To compare THEM, I refer you to (for Salazar) the USATF Indoor meet in 2014, and (for Hickey) to Flotrack's 2-part "Driven" series on Alexa. (You'd have to pay for that, as noted above!)
Salazar was shown to be an angry, out-of-control control freak.
Hickey is shown as what he is---totally laid back and AMAZED by what his athlete has done!
A person on the T&FN MB commented that Salazar might have dictated the pace he wanted Cain to run---and no faster!!
That speaks LOUDLY to the "control freak" label given Salazar....by MANY!!
What about Mr Hickey?
I've never seen or heard anything---from Hickey or Efraimson---that tells me HE is ANYthing like AlSal!!
No way, no how!
So maybe Cain's "rust-buster" wasn't that.
Maybe she ran over 8 seconds slower than Efraimson because---her COACH told her to!
Efraimson felt FREE to run like the wind---freely and joyfully.
Cain felt CONSTRAINED and CONTROLLED---and couldn't produce her fantastic kick she's become known for!
BTW, Efraimson said her next race is the Payton Jordan 5000!!
I'm predicting now that she's going to run MUCH faster than Cain has..maybe well under 15:30!!
Cain?
I'm predicting she is NOT going to make the US team for Beijing!!
Unless she tells Salazar to GO TO HELL!!
About my blog---and me.
I'm just an Old Fart who LOVES T&F, and who wants to share his knowledge of T&F to one and all.
Thus this blog!
But why have my "views" numbers gone down recently?
I'm just 50 or so views from 12,000.
That's a GREAT number!
But recently---the past few weeks---the numbers have slowed.
From over 1000 per month this year, it's down to 500-600.
From 50-100 per day (sometimes), I'm lucky to get over 30.
And why do I have just ONE person who (sometimes) leaves comments?
Surely people who "view" my blog have opinions about it!
Don't you?
Speak up---whether you agree with me or not!
I WELCOME your comments!!
If you "view" the blog, do you READ it??
I'm bragging here, but I've not seen another blog like mine!
There're good ones!
I LOVE the Daily Relay/House of Run....and even the T&FN website!
But NONE present the material like my blog does!!
If you want news and details of the Records broken---and not just WR's, AR's, CR's, and HSR's, but Age, Meet, Class Records too---my blog provides all the details!
If you want to know if a mark makes the All-Time Top 24 Performers Lists---on the World, US, Collegiate, or HS levels---my blog tells you where that mark--and athlete---stands on my lists!
(Others go only 10 deep!)
Want a blog that honors the EXCLUSIVITY of the INdoor and the OUTdoor seasons?
Mine does!
Want a blog that gives equal recognition to a HIGH SCHOOL Record as much as to a WORLD Record?
My blog does!
So please keep on "viewing" it.
But join the discussion!
Leave a comment!
Tell your friends, housemates, fellow athletes about it!
(Bernard Lagat just started following me on Twitter!!)
Anyway, this weekend isn't done yet!
Watch for my next couple of posts!!
Sunday, April 12, 2015
CR Vault (What else?) trumps Bolt
Here we go again!
Remember that day INdoors when Sandi Morris nabbed the Collegiate Record in the PV, only to be topped by Demi Payne's CR the very next day?
Well, it wasn't quite like that this weekend, but it COULD have been!
Demi competed in Texas, and won with her OUTdoor PR of 14-9.
This moves her from 11th A-T Collegiate, tied with 6 others, up to 5th, tied with 3 others.
She also becomes 19th A-T US, but tied with 5 others.
Anyway, she next tried the OUTdoor CR height of 15-1.75, but missed her 3 attempts.
That left the door open for Morris, who was at the McDonnell meet in Arkansas.
And she came through, topping Tina Sutej's old mark with her 15-1.75.
Besides the CR, she gets the Collegiate Senior Class record too.
She jumps from 4th A-T Collegiate to 1st.
Plus, she moves from 16th A-T US, tied with 1 other, up to 8th!
Who's next?
Well, how about Megan Clark?
She's been steadily improving all this year, PR'ing both INdoors and OUTdoors.
Her latest is at 14-9.
This moves her from 12th A-T Collegiate, tied with 5 others, to 5th, tied with 4 others.
She also becomes 19th A-T US, tied with 6 others.
Clark joined Morris and Payne in trying for the 15-1.75 CR height!
I believe that's the 1st time she's tried a 15 footer!
But how about Carolina Carmichael?
Who?
She gave Morris a little scare (or perhaps just extra motivation?) when she made 14-5.25.
She missed her 3 tries at 14-8.25, but became 21st A-T Collegiate, tied with 6 others!
Let's stick with the PV for another minute.
Lexi Weeks topped 14-1.25, which moves her up one notch on the A-T HS list, from 4th, tied with 4 others, to 3rd, tied with 1 other.
Her twin sister Tori couldn't get past 13-2.25, but she (and Lexi) showed some talent elsewhere.
Tori took 2nd in the McDonnell HS 800, running 2:19.91.
Lexi won the HS 100H with a time of 15.09.
These came the day after they vaulted!
And Deakin Volz got an OUTdoor PR of 17-7.
He's now 16th A-T HS, tied with 2 others!
The Multis tossed some good marks onto the NCAA landscape.
For the Men, Garrett Scantling's 8232 Decathlon ruled the day in Georgia.
He moves from 16th to 9th on the A-T Collegiate list.
And he missed the US list by just 35 points!
At that same meet, Georgia's Quintunya Chapman became the school record holder, ahead of none other than Hyleas Fountain!
Her Heptathlon score of 6146 points makes her 7th on the A-T Collegiate list.
She also became 22nd A-T US!
(This makes Kendell Williams's 6018 score just 3rd on the UGA school list!!)
Competing in Division II of the NCAA, Jamaica's Salcia Slack came close to Chapman, scoring 6141 points in a different meet.
She becomes 9th A-T Collegiate--all divisions!
BTW, that's not the Jamaica National Record!
That's held by Diana Guthrie-Graham, whose 6527 happens to also be the Collegiate Record!
Akela Jones scored 6049 points, making her 15th A-T Collegiate.
The Multi's could challenge the PV as the most competitive event at the NCAA meet on the Women's side!
Keturah Orji had her OUTdoor Day of Days!
She not only won both the LJ and TJ, but she nabbed the University of Georgia School records in both!!
And she's just a Freshman!!
She first LJ'ed 21-8.75.
This leaves her just 2 inches shy of the A-T Collegiate list in what MIGHT be her "secondary" event!!
She came back with an OUTdoor TJ PR of 45-2.25.
She missed the Collegiate Frosh Class record by just one-quarter of an inch!!
She also missed the A-T United States list by just 2.25 inches!
But she does make the A-T Collegiate list, landing in 19th place!
The Throws produced some good early season action.
First, a few "old" marks--meaning a few marks that got left out of my last report!
Jeff Ast threw the Javelin 226-2, for 15th A-T HS.
Katelyn Gochenour (younger sister of Alex!) got a 167-2 JT.
She moves from 13th A-T HS up to 11th, tied with 2 others.
Adam Kelly moved from the INdoor WT to the OUTdoor HT, throwing it 236-7, for 12th A-T HS.
Bobby Colantonio is right behind him, throwing 235-11, for 14th A-T HS, tied with 1 other.
DeAnna Price threw the Hammer 220-8, for 21st A-T Collegiate.
Reese Hoffa started his season with a SP of 69-0.
I THINK that's an Age 37 record.
Or at least it's better than the mark I had before!
But the Shot Put had two shockers also!
Joe Kovacs added a foot onto his 2014 PR, tossing the 16 pounder a massive 73-4!
This moves him from 11th to 8th on the A-T US list.
And from 19th to 12th on the A-T World list!!
At the Arcadia HS meet, Matt Katnik became the longest SP'er since 2011, hitting 71-3.50.
He's now 14th A-T HS.
Also at Arcadia, Jasmyne Graham exploded in the 100H with a great 13.21, making her 6th A-T HS, tied with 2 others!
Another "old" mark comes from Candace Hill, who ran the 100 in 11.30.
She's now 21st A-T HS, tied with 1 other.
While it's not acceptable for records or lists, I have to comment on a VERY unusual race from Alaska!
NXN winner, Allie Ostrander, "won" a 3200 race in Anchorage.
Here's the deal.
There's apparently an arena in Anchorage that has a "bubble" roof.
Inside, there's a 400 meter track.
Which makes this maybe the BIGGEST Oversize INdoor Track in existence!!
Which also makes Ostrander's time of 9:59.33 in NO WAY eligible for my lists---or anyone's!!
But that's just the beginning of my story!
Connor Mantz flew up from the Lower 48 to join Alaska's Levi Thomet in a "race" against Ostrander.
Allie was given a one minute headstart on the guys.
The deal was: Could she STAY ahead of the guys at the end of the 3200?
She did!
Running steady 75's, she hit the 1600 in 5:01, then kicked a bit for her final time of 9:59.33.
Mantz beat Thomet, 8:54 to 8:55, but just missed catching Ostrander.
I SAW the race (on a livestream), and it was.....WEIRD!!!
But damn, that tiny (5 feet even??) girl is GREAT!!
That "event" pushed ALL my buttons!!
OT? Check.
HUGE OT? Check.
Mixed race? Check.
"Handicap" race? Check.
And finally, a 3200? CHECK!!
ADD: (a few hours later)
Forgot to mention one more "button".
For the first 6 or 7 laps, she was paced by a male runner!
Oh, and there were people on the track (off the back curve) who ALMOST collided with Mantz and Thomet...and at another point, with Ostrander and her pacer!!
I dearly hope and pray this is NOT the future of T&F!!!
Back on Earth, I'm delighted to report a series of fast races by honored veterans (and 1 "newcomer"), all early season indications they're going to be MAJOR factors this year.
Kirani James ran 400 meters in 44.31.
Not the fastest ever for April, it's nonetheless an excellent starter to his 2015.
Aries Merritt, who's had some problems since his 12.80 World Record in the 110H, ran a "healthy" early season 13.29.
He said that in 2012, when he ran the 12.80 WR, he began that season with a 13.25!
Both James and Merritt set Sun Angel Meet Records!
Morolake Akinosun beat Natasha Hastings in a quick early season 200.
She ran 22.70 to Hastings's 22.76.
Wind was OK.
Wind was NOT legal (it was 2.1) for Justin Gatlin's 20.10 200.
In this same Florida meet, Kaylin Whitney ran her first individual (non-relay) race as a new HS Pro.
She clocked a good 23.15 for her 200.
Not sure about the wind, but I THINK it was legal!
Finally, in a meet in Jamaica, Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce made their first 2015 appearances victorious ones!
SAFP just nipped Sherone Simpson, 22.96 to 22.97!
But she (and her WILD flowing mane of hair!!) looked VERY good!
Same can be said for Mr Bolt--except about the hair!! LOL
After a photo-op with none other than President Obama, who was visiting Jamaica, he won his 200 over Nesta Carter by a solid 0.4 seconds, running a time of 20.20!
(Which I predicted EXACTLY on the T&FN Message Board a couple of hours before the race! I also predicted SAFP would run 22.80, so I was off by 0.16 seconds there!)
The shocker was a 10.92 100 PR by Jamaica's Elaine Thompson.
Her previous best was 11.09.
She leads the World list for 2015!
Remember my asking of the whereabouts of Sarah Baxter, Mary Cain, and Alexa Efraimson in my last "results" post?
Well, I've got answers for two of the three!
Ms Baxter ran as unattached in the Willamette Invitational (as did a few other UO athletes) 1500.
But if she's going to DO anything this year, she'd better hop to it!
She ran a VERY UNimpressive 4:29.54 (worth maybe 4:48 for the Mile), finishing in 6th place!
(UO's Frida Berge won the race in 4:23 and change.)
Efraimson is listed on the "accepted entries" list for the Mt SAC 1500!
(And the heat sheet for her race shows she'll be the likely winner, IF she runs a good race!)
So that leaves Cain as the only "mystery" unsolved!
See you all soon!
Remember that day INdoors when Sandi Morris nabbed the Collegiate Record in the PV, only to be topped by Demi Payne's CR the very next day?
Well, it wasn't quite like that this weekend, but it COULD have been!
Demi competed in Texas, and won with her OUTdoor PR of 14-9.
This moves her from 11th A-T Collegiate, tied with 6 others, up to 5th, tied with 3 others.
She also becomes 19th A-T US, but tied with 5 others.
Anyway, she next tried the OUTdoor CR height of 15-1.75, but missed her 3 attempts.
That left the door open for Morris, who was at the McDonnell meet in Arkansas.
And she came through, topping Tina Sutej's old mark with her 15-1.75.
Besides the CR, she gets the Collegiate Senior Class record too.
She jumps from 4th A-T Collegiate to 1st.
Plus, she moves from 16th A-T US, tied with 1 other, up to 8th!
Who's next?
Well, how about Megan Clark?
She's been steadily improving all this year, PR'ing both INdoors and OUTdoors.
Her latest is at 14-9.
This moves her from 12th A-T Collegiate, tied with 5 others, to 5th, tied with 4 others.
She also becomes 19th A-T US, tied with 6 others.
Clark joined Morris and Payne in trying for the 15-1.75 CR height!
I believe that's the 1st time she's tried a 15 footer!
But how about Carolina Carmichael?
Who?
She gave Morris a little scare (or perhaps just extra motivation?) when she made 14-5.25.
She missed her 3 tries at 14-8.25, but became 21st A-T Collegiate, tied with 6 others!
Let's stick with the PV for another minute.
Lexi Weeks topped 14-1.25, which moves her up one notch on the A-T HS list, from 4th, tied with 4 others, to 3rd, tied with 1 other.
Her twin sister Tori couldn't get past 13-2.25, but she (and Lexi) showed some talent elsewhere.
Tori took 2nd in the McDonnell HS 800, running 2:19.91.
Lexi won the HS 100H with a time of 15.09.
These came the day after they vaulted!
And Deakin Volz got an OUTdoor PR of 17-7.
He's now 16th A-T HS, tied with 2 others!
The Multis tossed some good marks onto the NCAA landscape.
For the Men, Garrett Scantling's 8232 Decathlon ruled the day in Georgia.
He moves from 16th to 9th on the A-T Collegiate list.
And he missed the US list by just 35 points!
At that same meet, Georgia's Quintunya Chapman became the school record holder, ahead of none other than Hyleas Fountain!
Her Heptathlon score of 6146 points makes her 7th on the A-T Collegiate list.
She also became 22nd A-T US!
(This makes Kendell Williams's 6018 score just 3rd on the UGA school list!!)
Competing in Division II of the NCAA, Jamaica's Salcia Slack came close to Chapman, scoring 6141 points in a different meet.
She becomes 9th A-T Collegiate--all divisions!
BTW, that's not the Jamaica National Record!
That's held by Diana Guthrie-Graham, whose 6527 happens to also be the Collegiate Record!
Akela Jones scored 6049 points, making her 15th A-T Collegiate.
The Multi's could challenge the PV as the most competitive event at the NCAA meet on the Women's side!
Keturah Orji had her OUTdoor Day of Days!
She not only won both the LJ and TJ, but she nabbed the University of Georgia School records in both!!
And she's just a Freshman!!
She first LJ'ed 21-8.75.
This leaves her just 2 inches shy of the A-T Collegiate list in what MIGHT be her "secondary" event!!
She came back with an OUTdoor TJ PR of 45-2.25.
She missed the Collegiate Frosh Class record by just one-quarter of an inch!!
She also missed the A-T United States list by just 2.25 inches!
But she does make the A-T Collegiate list, landing in 19th place!
The Throws produced some good early season action.
First, a few "old" marks--meaning a few marks that got left out of my last report!
Jeff Ast threw the Javelin 226-2, for 15th A-T HS.
Katelyn Gochenour (younger sister of Alex!) got a 167-2 JT.
She moves from 13th A-T HS up to 11th, tied with 2 others.
Adam Kelly moved from the INdoor WT to the OUTdoor HT, throwing it 236-7, for 12th A-T HS.
Bobby Colantonio is right behind him, throwing 235-11, for 14th A-T HS, tied with 1 other.
DeAnna Price threw the Hammer 220-8, for 21st A-T Collegiate.
Reese Hoffa started his season with a SP of 69-0.
I THINK that's an Age 37 record.
Or at least it's better than the mark I had before!
But the Shot Put had two shockers also!
Joe Kovacs added a foot onto his 2014 PR, tossing the 16 pounder a massive 73-4!
This moves him from 11th to 8th on the A-T US list.
And from 19th to 12th on the A-T World list!!
At the Arcadia HS meet, Matt Katnik became the longest SP'er since 2011, hitting 71-3.50.
He's now 14th A-T HS.
Also at Arcadia, Jasmyne Graham exploded in the 100H with a great 13.21, making her 6th A-T HS, tied with 2 others!
Another "old" mark comes from Candace Hill, who ran the 100 in 11.30.
She's now 21st A-T HS, tied with 1 other.
While it's not acceptable for records or lists, I have to comment on a VERY unusual race from Alaska!
NXN winner, Allie Ostrander, "won" a 3200 race in Anchorage.
Here's the deal.
There's apparently an arena in Anchorage that has a "bubble" roof.
Inside, there's a 400 meter track.
Which makes this maybe the BIGGEST Oversize INdoor Track in existence!!
Which also makes Ostrander's time of 9:59.33 in NO WAY eligible for my lists---or anyone's!!
But that's just the beginning of my story!
Connor Mantz flew up from the Lower 48 to join Alaska's Levi Thomet in a "race" against Ostrander.
Allie was given a one minute headstart on the guys.
The deal was: Could she STAY ahead of the guys at the end of the 3200?
She did!
Running steady 75's, she hit the 1600 in 5:01, then kicked a bit for her final time of 9:59.33.
Mantz beat Thomet, 8:54 to 8:55, but just missed catching Ostrander.
I SAW the race (on a livestream), and it was.....WEIRD!!!
But damn, that tiny (5 feet even??) girl is GREAT!!
That "event" pushed ALL my buttons!!
OT? Check.
HUGE OT? Check.
Mixed race? Check.
"Handicap" race? Check.
And finally, a 3200? CHECK!!
ADD: (a few hours later)
Forgot to mention one more "button".
For the first 6 or 7 laps, she was paced by a male runner!
Oh, and there were people on the track (off the back curve) who ALMOST collided with Mantz and Thomet...and at another point, with Ostrander and her pacer!!
I dearly hope and pray this is NOT the future of T&F!!!
Back on Earth, I'm delighted to report a series of fast races by honored veterans (and 1 "newcomer"), all early season indications they're going to be MAJOR factors this year.
Kirani James ran 400 meters in 44.31.
Not the fastest ever for April, it's nonetheless an excellent starter to his 2015.
Aries Merritt, who's had some problems since his 12.80 World Record in the 110H, ran a "healthy" early season 13.29.
He said that in 2012, when he ran the 12.80 WR, he began that season with a 13.25!
Both James and Merritt set Sun Angel Meet Records!
Morolake Akinosun beat Natasha Hastings in a quick early season 200.
She ran 22.70 to Hastings's 22.76.
Wind was OK.
Wind was NOT legal (it was 2.1) for Justin Gatlin's 20.10 200.
In this same Florida meet, Kaylin Whitney ran her first individual (non-relay) race as a new HS Pro.
She clocked a good 23.15 for her 200.
Not sure about the wind, but I THINK it was legal!
Finally, in a meet in Jamaica, Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce made their first 2015 appearances victorious ones!
SAFP just nipped Sherone Simpson, 22.96 to 22.97!
But she (and her WILD flowing mane of hair!!) looked VERY good!
Same can be said for Mr Bolt--except about the hair!! LOL
After a photo-op with none other than President Obama, who was visiting Jamaica, he won his 200 over Nesta Carter by a solid 0.4 seconds, running a time of 20.20!
(Which I predicted EXACTLY on the T&FN Message Board a couple of hours before the race! I also predicted SAFP would run 22.80, so I was off by 0.16 seconds there!)
The shocker was a 10.92 100 PR by Jamaica's Elaine Thompson.
Her previous best was 11.09.
She leads the World list for 2015!
Remember my asking of the whereabouts of Sarah Baxter, Mary Cain, and Alexa Efraimson in my last "results" post?
Well, I've got answers for two of the three!
Ms Baxter ran as unattached in the Willamette Invitational (as did a few other UO athletes) 1500.
But if she's going to DO anything this year, she'd better hop to it!
She ran a VERY UNimpressive 4:29.54 (worth maybe 4:48 for the Mile), finishing in 6th place!
(UO's Frida Berge won the race in 4:23 and change.)
Efraimson is listed on the "accepted entries" list for the Mt SAC 1500!
(And the heat sheet for her race shows she'll be the likely winner, IF she runs a good race!)
So that leaves Cain as the only "mystery" unsolved!
See you all soon!
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Events of the Decade
The past two years have been dubbed the "Year of the High Jump" (2014) and the "Year of the Pole Vault" (2015).
Also, recently there's been lots of talk about how the US women have become a major force in the middle and long distances.
All true?
Or are we merely seeing a very few SUPER-elites getting 1000's of headlines for their spectacular feats---but not really showing any major dominance for the entire event, calling for it to be given a "Year of..." title?
Using my DDD lists---or Top 24 Performers lists----I've taken a look at these questions.
I decided to go back to 2010---the beginning of this decade----to see which events HAVE been dominant in recent years.
Following are each event's numbers for athletes who make my DDD's with marks accomplished beginning with 2010, and going through today!
This is for OUTdoors ONLY!!
(NO INdoor marks are included. For example, Jenny Simpson's 9:18.35 INdoor 2 Mile is NOT included! Nor is Demi Payne's INdoor 15-7 PV!!)
The usual 4 major groups were charted---World, US, Collegiate, HS---for both Men and Women.
100
The World Men lead with 10 marks made from 2010 on.
Following with 9 each are the US Women and HS Men.
The worst are the World Women with just 4.
200
The best are the US Women with 10.
Then, with just 7, come the World Men.
The HS Men and Women follow with 6 each.
The least? The World Women with just 1.
400
The best, with a mere 5 each, are the US and Collegiate Women.
Next in line, with 3 each, are the World Men and Women, and the HS Women.
Least, with one, are the US Men.
800
HS Men lead with 9 marks since 2010.
Then come the World Men with 8.
The World Women are at the bottom with 1.
1000
(These were measured for just the World and US.)
The US Men topped the list with 4.
World Women got ZERO!!
1500
Showing that their recent strength is a reality, the US Women lead the list with 10 marks!
But US Men follow close behind with 9, and the World Men have 8.
The World Women have just 2.
1 Mile
(For the HS DDD's, I include just FULL Miles, no 1600's, or times converted from 1600's!)
Leading the charge--and proving yet again that the noted trend is real!--are the HS Women, who have 11 marks dating from 2010 forward!
US Men follow with 9.
And HS Men follow with 8.
With NONE (0) are World Women and Collegiate Men.
3000
(I'm excluding the Collegiates, as this event is rarely run OUTdoors.)
US Men top the list with 9.
Then come HS Women with 7, and World Women with 6.
Least are the HS Men with just 2.
2 Mile
(Again, the Collegiates are excluded!)
Some VERY interesting numbers here!
The World Women have 14 marks dating from 2010 forward!
HS Women follow with 12.
(NO 3200 marks are included, or marks calculated from 3200's!)
US Women have 11.
High numbers, indeed!
(And a welcome trend, IMO!!)
But now look at the contrasted numbers for the Men!
After those double digit numbers for the Women come these:
3 for the HS Men, 2 for the US Men, and a mere 1 for the World Men!
5000
The Collegiate Women lead with 13!
HS Women follow with 11.
(These are OUTdoors ONLY, so all those HSR's at the NBIN are NOT included here!)
Then come the US Men with 10.
HS Men are at the bottom with 5.
10000
Collegiate Women have 14.
US Men follow with 10.
But HS Men and Women both each have 2.
And at ZERO are the World Women!
Marathon
These were counted for the World and US only!
A massive 22 (of my Top 24) marks date from 2010 forward for the World Men!!
The World Women have 14.
The US Women have 10.
But the US Men have just 3.
3000SC
There's a tie, at 14 each, between the US and Collegiate Women.
Then, with 12, come the World Women, followed, with 11, by the World Men.
Least, with 5 each, are the Collegiate Men and HS Women.
(Note that these lists are for the 3000SC, not the 2000SC, for the HS'ers!)
110H/100H
(HS lists are for the 39 inch hurdles for the Men, with the International height for the HS Women!)
The HS Women lead with 10 marks this decade!
Tied at 9 each are the Collegiate Men and Women.
The World Women are at the bottom with 4.
400H
Tied at the top, with 6 each, are the US and Collegiate Women.
Four groups are tied at 5 each--World Men and Women, and HS Men and Women.
US and Collegiate Men have just 3 each.
HJ
Was 2014 being called the "Year of the HJ" for real?
Can't say, but for this DECADE (so far!!), the World Men lead with 6.
Following, with 5 each, are the World and Collegiate Women.
At the bottom are the US Men with 2, then the HS Men with 1.
LJ
US Women lead this decade with 9 marks!
Collegiate Women are next with 7.
At the nadir are the World Women with just one!
TJ
Are the US Women WAYYY behind in the TJ?
Maybe when compared to the 48's and 49's and even 50's of the World Women, but on THIS chart, they RULE!
Yep, the US Women have the most DDD marks this decade with 7!
And next are the Collegiate Women with 6.
The Collegiate Men and HS Women have 2 each.
But the HS Men get the "You're a BUM!" Award with their mere 1.
PV
Aah!
2015 is the Year of the Vault!
(And IMO, so was 2014!!)
And the numbers, in many ways, agree!
With the 2nd highest total on this survey--behind the World Men in the Marathon--are the Collegiate Women with a massive 21 marks dating from 2010 forward.
Way behind are the World Women, whose 13 is still an impressive number!
Next, with 10 each, come the US and HS Women!!
Renaud Lavillenie notwithstanding, the World Men have the least, with just 2.
SP
(My HS Men's list is for the 12 pound SP!! HS Women use the International weight!)
The US and HS Women lead the charge, with 9 each.
Collegiate Women are next with 7.
At the bottom are the World Women, with just 1.
(Guess who SHE is!!)
DT
(Ditto on the HS Men's DT, which list uses the US HS weighted platter!)
There's a 3-way tie, at 5 each, between the US Women, the Collegiate Women, and the HS Women!
This chart's Anchor Award goes to the World Women, who have one.
(And yes, guess who SHE is!!)
JT
The US and HS Women lead the way, with 13 apiece!
Next, with 11 each, are the Collegiate Women and HS Men.
There's a 3-way tie for last, at 5 each, between the World Men, US Men, and Collegiate Men.
HT
(The HS Men's list is for the US HS poundage!)
The HS Women lead with 15!
Next, at 13 apiece, are the US and Collegiate Women.
The HS Men have 12.
But the World Men have a measly ONE!!
Decathlon/Heptathlon
The HS Women have 11 marks dating from 2010 onward.
Then come the Collegiate Women with 10.
But at the bottom, with just 2 each, are the World Men, US Men, and HS Men!
Now for some Totals!
The Men lead the Women--for ALL the above events--in just the World category.
They're ahead, 135 to 122, for this decade.
But the Women have CLEAR leads in the other 3 groups!
They lead the US DDD's, 192 to 116.
They lead the Collegiates, 174 to 104.
And the Women lead the Men on the HS DDD's by a 163 to 112 margin!!
The Grand totals, for all 4 groups, are 651 for the Women, and 467 for the Men!
Breaking it down by Track or Field, we see the following:
The Men's World Marathon has the highest number--22.
For the Women, it's the Collegiate Women's PV, with 21.
Those numbers not only lead the overall chart, but each is dominant on the Track (Yes, I include the Marathon with Track events!!) or the Field!
And yes, that idea that the US Women are getting stronger and stronger vis a vis the World, is proven by the fact that the highest number for any group is from the US Women.
They have 192 marks dating from 2010 forward!
Next are the Collegiate Women, with 174 total.
Then come the HS Women (another American trend!!) with 163.
Collegiate Men bring up the rear with just 104 marks!
HS Men aren't much better, with 112.
And US Men aren't much better than that, with 116.
Of course, we're barely into the second half of the "10's" decade.
We have the rest of 2015, then all of 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 left to add to and change these numbers!!
And in the end, it comes down to the athletes themselves!
WHO will be the next to be added to these lists?
And in which event?
Also, recently there's been lots of talk about how the US women have become a major force in the middle and long distances.
All true?
Or are we merely seeing a very few SUPER-elites getting 1000's of headlines for their spectacular feats---but not really showing any major dominance for the entire event, calling for it to be given a "Year of..." title?
Using my DDD lists---or Top 24 Performers lists----I've taken a look at these questions.
I decided to go back to 2010---the beginning of this decade----to see which events HAVE been dominant in recent years.
Following are each event's numbers for athletes who make my DDD's with marks accomplished beginning with 2010, and going through today!
This is for OUTdoors ONLY!!
(NO INdoor marks are included. For example, Jenny Simpson's 9:18.35 INdoor 2 Mile is NOT included! Nor is Demi Payne's INdoor 15-7 PV!!)
The usual 4 major groups were charted---World, US, Collegiate, HS---for both Men and Women.
100
The World Men lead with 10 marks made from 2010 on.
Following with 9 each are the US Women and HS Men.
The worst are the World Women with just 4.
200
The best are the US Women with 10.
Then, with just 7, come the World Men.
The HS Men and Women follow with 6 each.
The least? The World Women with just 1.
400
The best, with a mere 5 each, are the US and Collegiate Women.
Next in line, with 3 each, are the World Men and Women, and the HS Women.
Least, with one, are the US Men.
800
HS Men lead with 9 marks since 2010.
Then come the World Men with 8.
The World Women are at the bottom with 1.
1000
(These were measured for just the World and US.)
The US Men topped the list with 4.
World Women got ZERO!!
1500
Showing that their recent strength is a reality, the US Women lead the list with 10 marks!
But US Men follow close behind with 9, and the World Men have 8.
The World Women have just 2.
1 Mile
(For the HS DDD's, I include just FULL Miles, no 1600's, or times converted from 1600's!)
Leading the charge--and proving yet again that the noted trend is real!--are the HS Women, who have 11 marks dating from 2010 forward!
US Men follow with 9.
And HS Men follow with 8.
With NONE (0) are World Women and Collegiate Men.
3000
(I'm excluding the Collegiates, as this event is rarely run OUTdoors.)
US Men top the list with 9.
Then come HS Women with 7, and World Women with 6.
Least are the HS Men with just 2.
2 Mile
(Again, the Collegiates are excluded!)
Some VERY interesting numbers here!
The World Women have 14 marks dating from 2010 forward!
HS Women follow with 12.
(NO 3200 marks are included, or marks calculated from 3200's!)
US Women have 11.
High numbers, indeed!
(And a welcome trend, IMO!!)
But now look at the contrasted numbers for the Men!
After those double digit numbers for the Women come these:
3 for the HS Men, 2 for the US Men, and a mere 1 for the World Men!
5000
The Collegiate Women lead with 13!
HS Women follow with 11.
(These are OUTdoors ONLY, so all those HSR's at the NBIN are NOT included here!)
Then come the US Men with 10.
HS Men are at the bottom with 5.
10000
Collegiate Women have 14.
US Men follow with 10.
But HS Men and Women both each have 2.
And at ZERO are the World Women!
Marathon
These were counted for the World and US only!
A massive 22 (of my Top 24) marks date from 2010 forward for the World Men!!
The World Women have 14.
The US Women have 10.
But the US Men have just 3.
3000SC
There's a tie, at 14 each, between the US and Collegiate Women.
Then, with 12, come the World Women, followed, with 11, by the World Men.
Least, with 5 each, are the Collegiate Men and HS Women.
(Note that these lists are for the 3000SC, not the 2000SC, for the HS'ers!)
110H/100H
(HS lists are for the 39 inch hurdles for the Men, with the International height for the HS Women!)
The HS Women lead with 10 marks this decade!
Tied at 9 each are the Collegiate Men and Women.
The World Women are at the bottom with 4.
400H
Tied at the top, with 6 each, are the US and Collegiate Women.
Four groups are tied at 5 each--World Men and Women, and HS Men and Women.
US and Collegiate Men have just 3 each.
HJ
Was 2014 being called the "Year of the HJ" for real?
Can't say, but for this DECADE (so far!!), the World Men lead with 6.
Following, with 5 each, are the World and Collegiate Women.
At the bottom are the US Men with 2, then the HS Men with 1.
LJ
US Women lead this decade with 9 marks!
Collegiate Women are next with 7.
At the nadir are the World Women with just one!
TJ
Are the US Women WAYYY behind in the TJ?
Maybe when compared to the 48's and 49's and even 50's of the World Women, but on THIS chart, they RULE!
Yep, the US Women have the most DDD marks this decade with 7!
And next are the Collegiate Women with 6.
The Collegiate Men and HS Women have 2 each.
But the HS Men get the "You're a BUM!" Award with their mere 1.
PV
Aah!
2015 is the Year of the Vault!
(And IMO, so was 2014!!)
And the numbers, in many ways, agree!
With the 2nd highest total on this survey--behind the World Men in the Marathon--are the Collegiate Women with a massive 21 marks dating from 2010 forward.
Way behind are the World Women, whose 13 is still an impressive number!
Next, with 10 each, come the US and HS Women!!
Renaud Lavillenie notwithstanding, the World Men have the least, with just 2.
SP
(My HS Men's list is for the 12 pound SP!! HS Women use the International weight!)
The US and HS Women lead the charge, with 9 each.
Collegiate Women are next with 7.
At the bottom are the World Women, with just 1.
(Guess who SHE is!!)
DT
(Ditto on the HS Men's DT, which list uses the US HS weighted platter!)
There's a 3-way tie, at 5 each, between the US Women, the Collegiate Women, and the HS Women!
This chart's Anchor Award goes to the World Women, who have one.
(And yes, guess who SHE is!!)
JT
The US and HS Women lead the way, with 13 apiece!
Next, with 11 each, are the Collegiate Women and HS Men.
There's a 3-way tie for last, at 5 each, between the World Men, US Men, and Collegiate Men.
HT
(The HS Men's list is for the US HS poundage!)
The HS Women lead with 15!
Next, at 13 apiece, are the US and Collegiate Women.
The HS Men have 12.
But the World Men have a measly ONE!!
Decathlon/Heptathlon
The HS Women have 11 marks dating from 2010 onward.
Then come the Collegiate Women with 10.
But at the bottom, with just 2 each, are the World Men, US Men, and HS Men!
Now for some Totals!
The Men lead the Women--for ALL the above events--in just the World category.
They're ahead, 135 to 122, for this decade.
But the Women have CLEAR leads in the other 3 groups!
They lead the US DDD's, 192 to 116.
They lead the Collegiates, 174 to 104.
And the Women lead the Men on the HS DDD's by a 163 to 112 margin!!
The Grand totals, for all 4 groups, are 651 for the Women, and 467 for the Men!
Breaking it down by Track or Field, we see the following:
The Men's World Marathon has the highest number--22.
For the Women, it's the Collegiate Women's PV, with 21.
Those numbers not only lead the overall chart, but each is dominant on the Track (Yes, I include the Marathon with Track events!!) or the Field!
And yes, that idea that the US Women are getting stronger and stronger vis a vis the World, is proven by the fact that the highest number for any group is from the US Women.
They have 192 marks dating from 2010 forward!
Next are the Collegiate Women, with 174 total.
Then come the HS Women (another American trend!!) with 163.
Collegiate Men bring up the rear with just 104 marks!
HS Men aren't much better, with 112.
And US Men aren't much better than that, with 116.
Of course, we're barely into the second half of the "10's" decade.
We have the rest of 2015, then all of 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 left to add to and change these numbers!!
And in the end, it comes down to the athletes themselves!
WHO will be the next to be added to these lists?
And in which event?
Sunday, April 5, 2015
An April Shower of Solid Marks
While nothing super ridiculous (and thereby unbelievable!) happened this weekend, there WERE some good marks....and even some surprises!
Look again at the beginning of my 1st sentence--"nothing super ridiculous (and thereby unbelievable!)".
Then check this out!
Michelle-Lee Ahye sprinted the 100 at the always-speedy Florida Relays in a good 10.97.
Now look at the wind reading.
MINUS 2.5!!!
THAT definitely borders on the unbelievable.
But every listing I've seen for it has the same time and wind reading.
So unless or until I learn otherwise, that has to be the best mark of the weekend!
It's the Florida Relays Meet Record.
Also in Florida, Chanelle Price got a Meet Record with her 2:00.62 opener.
Natoya Goule was about one second back for a good early Collegiate time.
While we're on the 800, the Men's Florida Relays Meet Record was snatched by Alex Amankwah's 1:45.91.
A Men's team--the USA "A" squad--broke the Florida Relays Meet Record in the 4X100 Relay with a great time of 38.18.
Justin Gatlin was the anchor!
Kaylin Whitney ran the opening leg on a 4X200 Relay team called Star Athletics.
But they didn't have the fastest time, running 1:33.08.
(The winners ran about 1:31.4.)
Have no idea what Whitney's split was!
Florida's Men got the Meet Record for the Sprint Medley Relay (400, 200, 200, 800).
They ran a solid 3:13.96.
The HJ produced a couple of good marks--one for each gender!
Jeannelle Scheper jumped 6-4.75.
This moves her from 20th A-T Collegiate, tied with 2 others, up to 6th, tied with 5 others!
At the Stanford Invitational---mostly known for its distance races--China's Guo Zhang got the Meet Record, jumping 7-7.75!!
And yes, the Stanford meet DID come through on the distance side!
Warming up for her next Boston Marathon race (just 2 weeks away!!), Shalane Flanagan led Ethiopian superstar Geleta Burka--running her 1st-ever track 10K!--through the first 9600 meters.
Then Burka's superior 1500 speed came through for her, pushing her past Flanagan for the win.
Their times were 31:08.16 and 31:09.20.
BTW, Burka is also running Boston!!
The fastest Collegian was, surprisingly, a woman known more as a 1500-3000 person.
Dominique Scott ran 32:11.60 to become 6th A-T Collegiate!
So what will she run at NCAA's?
Two other Collegians ran strongly.
Tennessee's Chelsea Blaase ran 32:28.39, moving into 16th A-T Collegiate.
She was closely followed by Margo Malone, whose 32:29.89 makes her 18th A-T Collegiate!
Pushed OFF my Collegiate DDD list were two iconic names.
Molly Huddle---Yes, Molly Huddle!!---is now off the list, her time dating from 2006.
The other name calls for a bit of info-rattling.
Does the name Kathy Ormsby ring any bells?
It should!
In 1986, Ormsby broke the Collegiate 10000 record with her 32:36.2.
But she had a great rival in Wisconsin's Stephanie Herbst.
At the NCAA meet, they were neck and neck through the first several laps, and were going at CR pace.
Then Ormsby ran off the track--and out of the stadium, baffling everyone.
While Herbst was winning in a new CR time of 32:32.75, Ormsby ran to a nearby bridge and jumped over the railing onto solid ground below.
She became paralyzed, but has survived to live a productive life.
Herbst was devastated --although she didn't find out about Ormsby until the next morning.
An EXCELLENT book was written about Ormsby and Herbst---and that race---and is strongly recommended as maybe the best book written about women distance runners---their psychological and emotional make-up, plus a comprehensive history of women's middle and long distance running (circa the 80's).
It was published in 2000, so has a lot on what happened AFTER that 1986 race, including some material on Suzy Favor Hamilton!
It's called "The Silence of Great Distance", and it's by Frank Murphy.
It's available very cheaply on Amazon.
Sorry for going on about this, but Ormsby's story is still indelibly imprinted on my everyday thoughts.
Anyway, her 32:36.2 is also now OFF my Collegiate DDD.
The 5000 was won by Gabe Grunewald, who in her Flotrack interview after the race, spoke eloquently about that day being the 6th anniversary of her first being diagnosed with cancer!!
She won with a great 50 meter kick, time of 15:19.01.
Back a ways was Kate Avery.
Her 15:25.63 moves her from 20th to 18th on the A-T Collegiate list.
Courtney Frerichs ran the 3000SC in 9:49.06, making her 23rd A-T Collegiate.
Nattily dressed Maggie Vessey got the Stanford Meet Record with her 800 time of 2:01.58.
She gave a great Flotrack interview afterward!
Kayla Montgomery--another young woman with a great life story--ran the 10000 at the Eastern Illinois meet.
Two of her Lipscomb teammates finished 1st and 2nd, but Kayla ran a solid 35:49.63. for 3rd--and 6 team points!
This was a shock to me.
I was thinking that because of her MS--and her past running history!--that the 10K would be beyond her range.
But her time is maybe her best-ever--at least in terms of comparing it with her 5K best of 17:16 (INdoors).
I don't know what her splits were, but she averaged 17:54.8 for her 5K's.
Considering that her best 5000 in 2015 was just 17:33, to run TWO of them back-to-back just 21 seconds slower tells me her MS is LOSING the war!
I can't wait to see what's next for this incredible young lady!
Back to the field events!
Irena Sedeva improved her JT to 190-4, after opening last week at 188-2.
It's the Collegiate Soph Class record!
(The old mark was by Rachel Yurkovich in 2007!)
Sedeva moves from 14th to 10th on the A-T Collegiate list.
Jonathan Jones threw the SP out to 67-11.
He's now 22nd A-T Collegiate.
In that same Eastern Illinois meet, there was a GREAT Women's SP.
Two Pro's got OUTdoor PR's, beating that Collegiate Wonder Girl, Raven Saunders, like she was a Kindergartener!!
Brittany Smith threw the ball 61-11.50.
This moved her from 17th to 9th (tied with 1 other) on the A-T US list.
Behind her with another PR was Geneva Stevens.
Her mark of 60-10.50 moves her from 19th to 18th on the A-T US list.
Raven?
She threw just 55-5, with 4 fouls!!
(Was she unnerved throwing against Professionals??)
I have another SP mark to report.
From INdoors!
Seems that Illinois had a late March High School INdoor meet---I believe it was March 27th!
Kathleen Young threw the ball 49-1.25.
Doesn't sound good enough to report??
Well, would you change your mind if you knew this makes her the Soph Class INdoor record holder?!
I'm going to end this post with 3 questions.
Where the F--K is Sarah Baxter?
(She's listed on the UO roster---and NOT as a redshirt!)
Where are Mary Cain and Alexa Efraimson?
Look again at the beginning of my 1st sentence--"nothing super ridiculous (and thereby unbelievable!)".
Then check this out!
Michelle-Lee Ahye sprinted the 100 at the always-speedy Florida Relays in a good 10.97.
Now look at the wind reading.
MINUS 2.5!!!
THAT definitely borders on the unbelievable.
But every listing I've seen for it has the same time and wind reading.
So unless or until I learn otherwise, that has to be the best mark of the weekend!
It's the Florida Relays Meet Record.
Also in Florida, Chanelle Price got a Meet Record with her 2:00.62 opener.
Natoya Goule was about one second back for a good early Collegiate time.
While we're on the 800, the Men's Florida Relays Meet Record was snatched by Alex Amankwah's 1:45.91.
A Men's team--the USA "A" squad--broke the Florida Relays Meet Record in the 4X100 Relay with a great time of 38.18.
Justin Gatlin was the anchor!
Kaylin Whitney ran the opening leg on a 4X200 Relay team called Star Athletics.
But they didn't have the fastest time, running 1:33.08.
(The winners ran about 1:31.4.)
Have no idea what Whitney's split was!
Florida's Men got the Meet Record for the Sprint Medley Relay (400, 200, 200, 800).
They ran a solid 3:13.96.
The HJ produced a couple of good marks--one for each gender!
Jeannelle Scheper jumped 6-4.75.
This moves her from 20th A-T Collegiate, tied with 2 others, up to 6th, tied with 5 others!
At the Stanford Invitational---mostly known for its distance races--China's Guo Zhang got the Meet Record, jumping 7-7.75!!
And yes, the Stanford meet DID come through on the distance side!
Warming up for her next Boston Marathon race (just 2 weeks away!!), Shalane Flanagan led Ethiopian superstar Geleta Burka--running her 1st-ever track 10K!--through the first 9600 meters.
Then Burka's superior 1500 speed came through for her, pushing her past Flanagan for the win.
Their times were 31:08.16 and 31:09.20.
BTW, Burka is also running Boston!!
The fastest Collegian was, surprisingly, a woman known more as a 1500-3000 person.
Dominique Scott ran 32:11.60 to become 6th A-T Collegiate!
So what will she run at NCAA's?
Two other Collegians ran strongly.
Tennessee's Chelsea Blaase ran 32:28.39, moving into 16th A-T Collegiate.
She was closely followed by Margo Malone, whose 32:29.89 makes her 18th A-T Collegiate!
Pushed OFF my Collegiate DDD list were two iconic names.
Molly Huddle---Yes, Molly Huddle!!---is now off the list, her time dating from 2006.
The other name calls for a bit of info-rattling.
Does the name Kathy Ormsby ring any bells?
It should!
In 1986, Ormsby broke the Collegiate 10000 record with her 32:36.2.
But she had a great rival in Wisconsin's Stephanie Herbst.
At the NCAA meet, they were neck and neck through the first several laps, and were going at CR pace.
Then Ormsby ran off the track--and out of the stadium, baffling everyone.
While Herbst was winning in a new CR time of 32:32.75, Ormsby ran to a nearby bridge and jumped over the railing onto solid ground below.
She became paralyzed, but has survived to live a productive life.
Herbst was devastated --although she didn't find out about Ormsby until the next morning.
An EXCELLENT book was written about Ormsby and Herbst---and that race---and is strongly recommended as maybe the best book written about women distance runners---their psychological and emotional make-up, plus a comprehensive history of women's middle and long distance running (circa the 80's).
It was published in 2000, so has a lot on what happened AFTER that 1986 race, including some material on Suzy Favor Hamilton!
It's called "The Silence of Great Distance", and it's by Frank Murphy.
It's available very cheaply on Amazon.
Sorry for going on about this, but Ormsby's story is still indelibly imprinted on my everyday thoughts.
Anyway, her 32:36.2 is also now OFF my Collegiate DDD.
The 5000 was won by Gabe Grunewald, who in her Flotrack interview after the race, spoke eloquently about that day being the 6th anniversary of her first being diagnosed with cancer!!
She won with a great 50 meter kick, time of 15:19.01.
Back a ways was Kate Avery.
Her 15:25.63 moves her from 20th to 18th on the A-T Collegiate list.
Courtney Frerichs ran the 3000SC in 9:49.06, making her 23rd A-T Collegiate.
Nattily dressed Maggie Vessey got the Stanford Meet Record with her 800 time of 2:01.58.
She gave a great Flotrack interview afterward!
Kayla Montgomery--another young woman with a great life story--ran the 10000 at the Eastern Illinois meet.
Two of her Lipscomb teammates finished 1st and 2nd, but Kayla ran a solid 35:49.63. for 3rd--and 6 team points!
This was a shock to me.
I was thinking that because of her MS--and her past running history!--that the 10K would be beyond her range.
But her time is maybe her best-ever--at least in terms of comparing it with her 5K best of 17:16 (INdoors).
I don't know what her splits were, but she averaged 17:54.8 for her 5K's.
Considering that her best 5000 in 2015 was just 17:33, to run TWO of them back-to-back just 21 seconds slower tells me her MS is LOSING the war!
I can't wait to see what's next for this incredible young lady!
Back to the field events!
Irena Sedeva improved her JT to 190-4, after opening last week at 188-2.
It's the Collegiate Soph Class record!
(The old mark was by Rachel Yurkovich in 2007!)
Sedeva moves from 14th to 10th on the A-T Collegiate list.
Jonathan Jones threw the SP out to 67-11.
He's now 22nd A-T Collegiate.
In that same Eastern Illinois meet, there was a GREAT Women's SP.
Two Pro's got OUTdoor PR's, beating that Collegiate Wonder Girl, Raven Saunders, like she was a Kindergartener!!
Brittany Smith threw the ball 61-11.50.
This moved her from 17th to 9th (tied with 1 other) on the A-T US list.
Behind her with another PR was Geneva Stevens.
Her mark of 60-10.50 moves her from 19th to 18th on the A-T US list.
Raven?
She threw just 55-5, with 4 fouls!!
(Was she unnerved throwing against Professionals??)
I have another SP mark to report.
From INdoors!
Seems that Illinois had a late March High School INdoor meet---I believe it was March 27th!
Kathleen Young threw the ball 49-1.25.
Doesn't sound good enough to report??
Well, would you change your mind if you knew this makes her the Soph Class INdoor record holder?!
I'm going to end this post with 3 questions.
Where the F--K is Sarah Baxter?
(She's listed on the UO roster---and NOT as a redshirt!)
Where are Mary Cain and Alexa Efraimson?
Friday, April 3, 2015
Record Predictions--2015 OUTdoors
Okay, so it's a bit late to be predicting records for a season that's already begun.
(If you take into consideration the NZ and Australian summer seasons, you could say the OUTdoor season began January 1st!)
But with only the Texas Relays behind us (among true potentially record-producing meets), and with the added excuse of my being ill for 2 weeks just when I was planning to do this post, I hope you'll accept this belated attempt.
I'll do the 4 groups I deal with here--World, US, Collegiate, and HS--Men first, then Women.
World--Men
Usain Bolt seems to be planning more competitions this year than last.
However, I just don't see him breaking his own records.
(Forget anyone else!)
I think Kirani James and LaShawn Merritt can go sub-43.50, but neither will get MJ's 43.18.
All the middle distance records--800, 1000, 1500, 1 Mile--are safe.
Mo Farah and a HOT group of Africans are going to race the 3000 in the Doha DL.
Based on Farah's 3:28.81 1500, I think he CAN break Daniel Komen's iconic 7:20.67 WR over 3000 meters.
But EVERYthing will have to be PERFECT!
Weather, pacing, and most of all, the athletes ALL going for it---no strategic racing--just balls out RUNNING!
The 5K and 10K are safe, but the Marathon mark could go--in the spring or in the fall.
The 110H and 400H records won't go.
Will Bondarenko and Barshim take down Sotomayor's HJ standard?
I'd give it 50-50 odds.
Too many over-hyped failures last year!
The LJ and TJ records will remain the same.
Yes, Renaud Lavillenie WILL get the OUTdoor WR in the Pole Vault.in 2015.
All of the Throwing WR's will continue to defy all attempts by drug-free athletes to break them!
Ashton Eaton CAN break his own Decathlon WR this year.
But WILL he?
Watch for any serious attempt at the USATF meet or the WC's itself.
I'm giving it 60-40 as a Yes!
With the World Relays coming in just 4 weeks, I can see some Relay records falling.
I just don't know which ones!
US--Men
The 100, 200, and 400 AR's will be the same come next January 1st!
Johnny Gray's 1:42.60 in the 800 could go, but who's going to do it?
Solomon or Symmonds?
Or Sowinski or Loxsom?
Same goes for the 1000!
Rick Wohlhuter's 2:13.9 dates from 1974!!
If Matt Centrowitz raced like Jenny Simpson, I'd give him a fair chance to break the 1500 AR.
But he races like....a guy we call Centro!
Any of the track distance records could fall to Galen Rupp--the 3000, 2 Mile, 5000 and 10000.
But will the opportunity arise?
Evan Jager WILL break his own SC record---and I'll give him 70-30 odds of taking it below 8 minutes!
Both Hurdles records are safe!
Will Eric Kynard get the AR in the HJ--and finish in 4th place??
Nothing from the Horizontal jumps!
Despite this being the Year of the Vault, Brad Walker's AR is safe.
See my "World" predictions about the Throws!
Same goes for the Dec!
Ditto for the Relays.
Collegiate--Men
9.89 and 19.69 are damn good CR's.
But Trayvon Bromell and Trentavis Friday are damn good athletes!
50-50 on both!
Despite Deon Lendore, that 44.00 in the 400 is too good!
All of the CR's from the 1500 through the 10000 could fall--to Edward Cheserek (or Eric Jenkins?).
But will they CHASE them?
Henry Rono's 8:05.4 SC dates from 1978!
Put your erasers away on that one!
Can Omar McLeod transfer his 7.45 60H time to a sub-13.00 for 110H?
Yes!
Renaldo Nehemiah--it's been a nice long ride!
Michael Stigler ran 48.44 in his first OUTdoor race this year.
But 47.56 may be too much to wish for.
Put him at 30-70 odds to get it.
The HJ and LJ records are safe.
But Marquis Dendy looks like a possibility for the TJ mark!
The only question about Shawn Barber getting the CR is----How high will he go?
John Godina's SP mark is 20 years old.
Can Stipe Zunic or Ryan Crouser take it down?
45-55 odds for both.
The DT record isn't that strong---but I see it as outside the abilities of current throwers.
The JT?
Forget it!
As for the HT, I can't wait to see how the three 80 footers in the INdoor WT fare OUTdoors.
I can see them reaching 250 feet, but 268-10??
The Decathlon CR is safe.
The 4X400 record ALMOST fell last year.
It's going down this year!
HS--Men
Trentavis Friday's 10.00 is safe.
But can Noah Lyles be this year's Kaylin Whitney in the 200?
(If he gets the record, he'll turn Pro before his Senior year!)
The 400 and 800 records are safe.
Is Grant Fisher another Jim Ryun or Alan Webb?
I think he WILL break 4:00, but unless Fisher gets an invite to the Pre Mile, Webb's mark will live another year.
Fisher COULD get the 3000 and 2 Mile records, but will he get the opportunity?
Or will his time be negated by the 1600-3200 abomination?
Rupp's 5K mark is safe.
As for the now-39 year old 10K mark?
Nah!
Bailey Roth graduated, so no new SC mark!
The Hurdle records are safe.
So are the HJ, LJ, and TJ records!
Shawn Barber's 18-3.50 PV mark is on Death Row!
But who will have the honor?
None of the Throwing marks will fall.
Neither will the Decathlon.
It's almost impossible to know enough about the Relays on the HS level to be able to predict which HSR's will fall, if any!
World--Women
The 100, 200, 400, 800, 1000, and 1500 WR's will survive any 2015 attacks!
But the Mile mark of 4:12.56 is worth a 3:55 or 3:56 1500.
And Genzebe Dibaba ran 3:55.17 INdoors in 2014.
Again, opportunity and willingness to TRY for it will determine if she (or anyone!) gets it!
30-70 against!
The 3000 mark is safe, but the 2 Mile is available!
If the Top Tier runs a Deuce like they did the 3K in Doha last year, it can go.
(It's worth about 8:25 for 3K, and a few ran that fast last year!!)
Genzebe D has stated she's going to chase the 5000 WR at the Prefontaine Classic.
If she gets it, she'd be breaking her SISTER's record!
I firmly believe that Chinese 10000 record is vulnerable.
But will all the stars align?
Paula's WR is safe for another year.
(Although we may see a 2:17:00 this year!)
The SC record CAN go, but it won't!
40-60 odds!
The 100H and 400H marks are safe--despite Michelle Jenneke's vast improvement this year! LOL
The HJ, LJ, and TJ records will remain the same.
And yes, so will the PV!!
The SP and DT reign from the 80's. Enough said!
However, I can see both the JT and HT records falling.
JJK's Heptathlon WR will survive.
But can KJT reach 7000 points?
I'd give THAT 70-30 chances!
Some Relay marks will fall, but which ones?
US--Women
Forget Flojo's 100 or 200 going down any time soon!
But the AR in the 400 CAN go--to Allyson Felix!
Given all the negatives, however, it won't!
That 1:56.40 800 mark can go.
Alysia Montano is back, but watch for Brenda Martinez and Ajee Wilson too!
Same goes for the 1000 mark.
Jenny Simpson WILL finally get Mary Slaney's 1500 AR.
And if she gets in a good Mile race, Slaney's Mile record will fall too!!
Both Simpson and Shannon Rowbury came within 5 seconds of Slaney's 3K mark.
If they go for it, it's gone!
Ditto for Regina Jacobs's 9:11.97 Two Mile AR!
Molly Huddle (or Rowbury or Simpson) could break the 5000 AR.
The 10K is unlikely to go.
I'm one who believes Emma Coburn's 9:11.42 IS the AR, despite USATF rules!
But it doesn't matter, as she'll destroy that mark in 2015!
Forget the 100H and 400H records.
Ditto with the HJ and LJ.
But will Keturah Orji or Ciarra Brewer take the TJ in America to a new level?
The OUTdoor PV record is "just" 16-1.75.
I'd give that mark a 50-50 shot at survival!
Raven Saunders is improving by FEET at a time, but 66-5 may be just a bit too much---even for her!
Can Gia Lewis-Smallwood break her own DT mark?
60-40.
The JT mark will remain the same, despite Kara Winger's great start!
The HT record WILL fall---to possibly 2 or 3 different Throwers!!
JJK's Hept mark is VERY safe!
Which Relay records will go----and where?
Collegiate--Women
Dawn Sowell's 100 and 200 records are safe--despite some excellent Collegiate sprinters this year!!
However, since Courtney Okolo is back, her 50.03 in the 400 could fall.
Natoya Goule seems in great shape, so that 1:59.11 800 could fall.
Forget Jenny's 3:59.90!
But the Mile mark of 4:29.04 SHOULD go!
Only deterrent will be that ubiquitous nemesis--opportunity!
Don't forget that TWO women ran faster INdoors!
With several good distance runners around, the 3000, 5000, and 10000 all could fall.
Best chance would be in the 5000.
The SC mark of Ms Barringer (Simpson!) can go.
I'm predicting neither Hurdles record will go.
The HJ should remain intact.
But can the Horizontal Jumps fall?
I'd give both a 40-60 shot!
Demi Payne has already taken a shot at Tina Sutej's 15-1.50 PV mark from 2011.
With her and Sandi Morris (and...and...and...!!!) going at it, it WILL fall!
Sixteen feet??
Meg Ritchie's 62-3.75 SP record is GONE!!
Only question is---How far can Raven take it??
That other Ritchie CR--her 221-5 DT---can go.
Shelbi Vaughn has started strong.
The JT mark will remain the same.
And so will the HT--though I'd give that one a 30-70 shot!
Can Kendell Williams add over 500 points to her PR in the Hept?
Yes, she CAN--but she won't!
Watch the Penn Relays to see a CR (or 2) fall in the Relays!
HS--Women
With Kaylin Whitney turning Pro, the 100 and 200 HSR's are safe!
Ditto with the 400.
Mary Cain's marks in the 800 and 1500 are good for another year!
But that Mile mark of Polly Plumer has NOT fallen--despite Alexa Efraimson's 4:33 1600 last year!!
With the Adidas DL in NY, the Brooks PR meet, and the NBN, they'll have 3 venues to take their shots!
Lynn Bjorklund's 9:08.6 3000 is out there for the taking.
So is Bethan Knights's Two Mile mark.
Mary Cain's 5000 mark is possible.
The 10K and 3000SC will survive.
Dior Hall's 12.92 will remain on the books, but with Sydney McLaughlin around, Leslie Maxie's 55.20 from 1984 is going to crash!!
Vashti Cunningham has already had 3 or 4 OUTdoor meets at 6-2 or 6-2.50!
6-4 isn't outside her abilities!
60-40 odds!
The LJ and TJ records are safe.
But the PV mark of Desiree Freier--14-7.25--is not!
Still, even Lexi Weeks is 4 inches away, so give it 50-50!
All of the Throws HSR's are safe---with the JT given the best chance---but just with 30-70 odds!
No one's going to touch the Heptathlon record!
Relays, as always, are unpredictable!
Here's one more prediction!
MOST of the above predictions will be WRONG!!
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