Thursday Thoughts

Besides reporting Records & Top 24 Marks, this blog (& blogger!) occasionally comments on various matters affecting our sport--or just things on his (MY!) mind!!
Over the past few days & weeks, a number of these thoughts have been traipsing through my brain--for good or for evil!!
While I don't plan on having such a post for each day of the week (Like, um, panties! LOL), here's my Thursday Thoughts!

Where is Mary Cain?
When I began my blog on December 9, 2013, I took the time to review the 2013 INdoor season--even if about 9 months in the past!
Of course, that was the INdoor season when Cain broke SIX High School Records--then added 4 more OUTdoors!!
She ran some great times INdoors in 2014, and some okay races OUTdoors that year--even though not up to her 2013 standards!
I blamed it on her coach--Alberto Salazar--and still do!
That thought aside, her 2015 season (BOTH of them!!) was just short of disastrous!
And 2016 was even worse!

Last fall (September or October), she went on Facebook to say she'd divorced NOP and Salazar, and would henceforth train with John Henwood (a Salazar assistant!) in NY, where she apparently is living!
I say "apparently" because I have NO IDEA where she is, whether she's training, or whether she plans to race anytime in 2017!
She enrolled as a student at Fordham University in the Bronx (near where I lived for a year MANY years ago!), and MIGHT still be there!
(She'd be a college Junior now, I believe!)

So, Mary, wherefore art thou??
You WERE a great athlete--for several years (2011-2014)--but now approaching Age 21, you've not only declined in your speed, but have DISAPPEARED!!
I hope you are doing what you want & need to do!
I also hope you return to our favorite sport!
You were a class act--on the track and off!!

In the same arena, who is the best HS PRO--All-Time?
The field of candidates numbers SEVEN--Cain, Alexa Efraimson, Alana Hadley, Kaylin Whitney, Candace Hill, Drew Hunter, and Vashti Cunningham!
Only Hill is still active (as a HS PRO!).

Cain holds 3 HS PRO records--2:35.80, 4:06.63 & 4:24.11 for the INdoor 1000, 1500, and Mile!
As noted, her final OUTdoor HS PRO season wasn't so good!

Efraimson ran 2:01.11 and 4:03.39 for her pair of HS PRO records!

Whitney and Hill are almost a tie, as their HS PRO times in the 100 & 200 almost match!

Vashti Cunningham had a limited HS PRO career, as she didn't turn Pro until the INdoor season of her Senior year!

Drew Hunter turned Pro late in his Senior year, but given the August 31st deadline for HS Seniors, he ran 3:57.15 for the Mile in 2016!

Hadley had 2 great Marathon races since turning Pro--but has been an abject failure ever since--DNF'ing most of her races since then!
(Of course, her HS PRO years ended on August 31, 2015!)

So here's my current ranking--with INdoors & OUTdoors combined!

1. Candace Hill (Her INdoor season this year was her best!)
2. Alexa Efraimson (Her fast times her final summer of HS PRO eligibility were enough!)
3. Mary Cain (Can't ignore her fast 2014 INdoor times!)
4. Vashti Cunningham  (Had a fantastic--and BRIEF--HS PRO career!)
5. Drew Hunter (Had just one big race--albeit a very fast time!)
6. Kaylin Whitney (Mostly for her Relay legs on National teams!)
7. Alana Hadley (Two good times in an event rarely contested by HS'ers!)

Will the IAAF and the IOC eliminate the 50,000 meter Walk from the Olympics!
That's what they're talking about!
A petition signed by 50 of the World's top Walkers is being delivered to IAAF, urging them to retain the event in the OG!
I totally agree!!

I've become a Walks fan these past few years!
And as an advocate of Women's Rights, I not only want the 50K Walk to be retained, I want them to ADD a 50K for Women in the Olympics & World Championships--and other major Championships!
I find it kind of weird that the IAAF only recently began ratification of Women's 50K WR's--and now they want to ban the event (for Men!) from the OG's & WC's!
If I were a Professional Walker, I would definitely sign that petition!!

The World Relays will be contested soon!
But its schedule of events has changed!
The longest Relay this year will be the 4X800's!
NO 4X1500's, DMR's, or 4XMile's!!
WHY??
While I like ALL Relays, I find distance Relays fascinating!
I hope some "domestic" Relay meets (Penn, Drake, Kansas, Mt SAC) will hold these longer distance Relays---and produce some FAST times!!

Along the same lines, the 10000 Track race is becoming like an unwanted & unloved foster child!!
The most egregious example comes from the UNlikeliest of places--the STEVE PREFONTAINE Classic!!
Pre ran some very fast 10K races--especially when compared to times run 40+ years ago!
And this legacy has been continued at the Friday night sessions at the Pre DL!
They even had a 30K track race there one year---AND a 10K!!---so 40K of track racing in one evening session!!
Not this year!
No 10K's are scheduled--the longest races being over 5000 meters!

In a criticism of DL's sometime ago, I noted that the Bislett Games in Oslo used to hold a 10K--FAST races all!!
No more!
Why?
Because of TV time constraints?
Because of MEET time constraints??
Easy solution, folks!
Hold the 10000 either PRIOR TO--or AFTER--the "main" part of the schedule!!
Especially on Friday's at Pre--when it's FREE, and is livestreamed for all distance fans to savor---and does NOT interfere with normal TV or meet schedules--and in fact (especially in distance-mad Eugene!!) is WELCOMED by all!!

Keeping with the program, let's talk about a 10K on the track for HS'ers!
Especially the Women!!
My Top 24 Performers lists (OUTdoors, of course!!) end with times of 30:30 (Men) and 36:19 (Women)!
While I think the Men HS'ers would have a difficult time getting on that list--although I think a few could have done it these past few years!--the Women HS'ers would have it easy, relatively speaking!
Here's how my "slow-down rate" sees things!

Take a 4:55 Miler--a time run by LOTS of HS girls these days!!
Slow them down 20 seconds per mile (although some could have 15 second slowdowns!!)!
You get a Two Mile of 10:30!
Have that 10:30 runner pass 2 Miles (or 3200, if you insist!!) in 10:50 enroute to her 5000!
She'd run 16:15 for 3 Miles, with her 5000 time being approximately 16:55!
Take that 16:55 girl, and slow her down by one minute per 5K in a 10K race!
Her 10000 time would be 35:50---and 20th A-T HS!!
She'd make the DDD--with room to spare!!
It CAN be done!!
It SHOULD be given the chance!!
I strongly urge meet organizers (NBN, Brooks PR??) to invite the Top 15 or 20 HS Women distance runners in the nation to race the 10000 on a track---when they're in top shape!!
I guarantee you that my list (Not just "my" list, but THE All-Time list!!!) would be drastically revised!!
If someone who runs "just" 16:55 for 5000 can make the list, think what a Brie Oakley--who ran 15:55 INdoors this year!!--could do!!

Now for maybe my most CONTROVERSIAL Thursday Thought!
I speak of the modern day tendency for Africans--mainly Kenyans and Ethiopians--to become "citizens" of another nation--so as to make it easier to become an Olympian--OR for monetary reasons!
But this "problem" isn't limited to Africans--or to such nations as Bahrain and Qatar!
Right now--on the T&FN Message Board--there's a dynamic and argumentative "discussion" about Mondo Duplantis competing for Sweden--even though he apparently can't speak or understand Swedish, and only visits the country during the summer--if then!!
His mother has Swedish blood--thus his "affiliation" with the country!
He continues to live and train in the United States!!

Too, this tendency became headline news (at least in our little world of T&F!!) recently when the top 4 male Americans in the World XC meet were US Army members--all Kenyan-born!

This began, I believe, when Sydney Maree came to America (and to UTEP) to compete!
Becoming a US citizen, he held the US Mile record at one point---and still ranks 2nd on the A-T US list in the 1500, and 4th A-T in the Mile (both OUTdoors!).
Who ranks FIRST on the 1500 list??
ANOTHER Kenyan-born runner--Bernard Lagat!

Lagat perhaps is THE prime example of what's right--AND wrong--with this nation-switching!
Lagat is a SUPER popular guy!
I personally LOVE the dude!!
But he became a citizen in 2005---having lived here since the 90's, when he attended Washington State!
So his path to citizenship was "proper".
But he came here with credentials of having run the 1500 in 3:26 and change--while still a Kenyan!
It became almost a total certainty that he would break the American Record---which he did!!
No American-born Miler has surpassed that time!!

How far should we go in accepting this situation?
Not just here, but for other nations---Bahrain, Qatar, Sweden!
(Alexi Pappas used her Greek bloodline to compete as a Greek in Rio--and now holds the National Record there in the 10K--even though she still lives and trains HERE!!
Same with David Torrence, who has Peruvian blood in him!
Or Aisha Praught, who now competes for Jamaica!!)

Here's my suggestion--at least in regards to Records & Lists!
As does T&FN with altitude-aided marks, place a letter symbol next to marks made by NON-US born athletes!
Have TWO records--when the best is held by a foreign-born athlete!
Thus, the US Men's 1500 Record listing would be---
Bernard Lagat----3:29.30.
Matt Centrowitz-3:30.40 (USB) (For US-Born!)
(Again, T&FN does this right!
They have "American Collegiate" records--when THE CR is held by a foreigner!
With the number of foreigners on US Collegiate teams--many at the very top!!--I see this separate record as acceptable!)

Same would apply in Denmark, where former Kenyan Wilson Kipketer holds the "Danish" NR in the 800.
Or in Spain, where former Cuban Orlando Ortega now holds Spain's NR in the 110H!
Or--as noted above, Mondo Duplantis now holds Sweden's NR in the PV!!  (For INdoors AND OUTdoors!!)

Americans are getting better, but in the distances especially, Africans still dominate!!
So even "2nd tier" Africans can come here--become Citizens--and break OUR records!!
Not fair, IMHO!

Okay, just a few more items!!
I ADDED to my T&F Record Book!!
I now have Records & Top 24 lists for the Half-Marathon!!
I have lists for the US and the World, for both Men & Women!
I also added AGE Records for this event!!
(And will of course note National Records for the event as well!!)

I recently posted on the T&FN Message Board my list of Collegiate Class records--both genders!
I did this as part of my thread about Collegiate Class Records--which I have found to be VERY confusing!
For example, what to do when an athlete red-shirts?
What to do when an athlete attends a university for 5--or even 6--years??
In the latter case, WHEN are they a Senior?

HS Class Records are simple!
Only in the rarest of cases (being left back??) does a HS kid take more than 4 yesrs to complete his or her HS education!!
So the CR's are easy to detect & compute!
Not so with Collegiates!!

In the latest eTN (T&FN's Track Newsletter online!), Anna Rohrer is designated a Freshman!
Huh?
Didn't she graduate HS in 2015, thus becoming a Notre Dame Frosh in 2016--and thus becoming a Soph this year??
Did she redshirt last year?
Same with Allie Ostrander!!
And why was Conor McCullough allowed to be called a Senior in his SIXTH year of college??

I would LOVE to see the state of Collegiate Class Records the same as for HS'ers!
1-2-3-4 years & you're done!!
Each Class Record easily marked & recorded!!

Finally--
"Olorin"--THE expert on the Multi's on the T&FN MB--thanked me for posting the records, but pointed out a HUGE error I made!
He noted that Lindon Victor's 8446 Decathlon mark from 2016 should be the Junior Class record, NOT Ashton Eaton's 8240--which I had in my Record Book!!
HAD being the operative word--as it's now changed to Victor's mark!!

See you in a few days with this coming weekend's results!!