That "clever" title is slightly misleading---as the following includes a couple of events from the Weltklasse DL in Zurich also!
But the four distance events were so startling---for different reasons---and so fascinating---that I think you'll agree that we perhaps were witness to a new and brighter future for the distances---and that, yes, at least a couple of them "sprouted" in the Brussels Van Damme Memorial DL!
It began with the Zurich Men's 3000SC, where Consesius Kipruto (and maybe Evan Jager) were once again thinking sub-8's!
But losing a shoe wasn't on the agenda!
(Remember Jenny Simpson losing a shoe in that 1500!)
So when Kipruto's shoe went flying off him (with over 2000 meters left to race!), he was left with 2 choices---DNF or keep going!
He kept going, but no one thought he had any chance to go sub-8 or to win!
(Simpson had finished far back with her 1 shoe!)
Yet there he was!
They even showed an official removing the shoe from the track!
He was down a few meters coming off the final water jump!
He was behind Soufiane El Bakkali, but then he moved into 5th gear!
With just one shoe, he outkicked El Bakkali off the final hurdle, timing 8:10.15 to El Bakkali's 8:10.19.
Jager was another 3 seconds back!
Not sure, but I believe Kipruto's final 400 was a sub-60!
With 4 hurdles and a water pit to clear!
With ONE shoe!!
The other Zurich event was the Women's 5000.
It was a strong field, and a fast time was expected.
Sifan Hassan planned to run the 5000, then DRIVE 7 hours to Brussels, and race the 1500 there!
But she was facing a strong field, who knew of her plans, with the idea to make her go fast here!
Yes, it was fast---for awhile.
Then they jogged a couple of 73-74 second laps, defeating their plan!
A 14:20-ish time was out the window!
And maybe Hassan didn't think Helen Obiri could outkick her!
But then Obiri sped past her like she was standing still.
Unable to immediately react, she had some ground to make up.
Hassan, however, was faster over 1500 meters!
Tell that to Obiri!
Arms pumping, face a grimace, she outlasted Hassan, 14:38.39 to 14:38.77!
Back in 6th came Genzebe Dibaba, timed in 14:50.24.
G-D kept falling off the pace, then regrouping.
That probably wore her out more than if she'd kept pace up front!!
Then we move to Belgium, where Beatrice Chepkoech was thinking a possible WR in the 3000SC---to beat her own!---or at least something VERY fast!
The first K went past in 2:52----UNDER World Record pace!
But Steeple splits aren't too accurate---especially for the first kilometer--so that probably wasn't the correct split!
Chepkoech was well ahead of everyone, including the 2 fastest Americans--Courtney Frerichs and Emma Coburn.
(Their goal of a sub-9 was gone by the halfway point!)
Chepkoech glided across the line in 8:55.10, smashing the Meet Record by over 10 seconds!
Norah Tanui (aka Jeruto!) ran 8:59.62 in 2nd!
She broke her own Age 22 record!
She moved from 8th A-T World to 5th!
On my World Combined Events list for the 3000 & 3000SC, her times of 8:37.09 and 8:59.62 adds to 17:36.71.
But she remains 4th on that list!
She also nabbed the best 2nd Place mark!!
Hyvin Jepkemoi ran 9:01.60 for the best 3rd Place mark!!
Coburn's 9:06.51 gave her 4th!
Celiphine Chespol's 9:06.75 gave her the best 5th Place mark!
Frerichs's 9:07.07 gave her the best 6th Place time!
Finishing 8th, Aisha Praught-Leer's 9:14.09 broke her own National Record of Jamaica!
Then came the Men's 5000!
So let me begin by telling you what this race did NOT produce!!
It did NOT break the Van Damme Meet Record!
There was no MASS breaking of Place Records!
Just ONE Age Record was broken!
Pre-race, the NBC talkers were saying no sub-13:00 clockings had happened in 2018.
They added that, due to Championship race strategy, it probably wouldn't happen here!
(Even though 3 rabbits were to take them through halfway in sub-13 pace!)
They hit the first K in just under 2:32.
This wasn't just sub-13 pace--it was 12:40 pace!!!
But the shadowy MoBot bugs were seen lurking about!
So when they slowed to 63 and 64 seconds---and a 2nd K in 2:39--that sub-13 seemed FAR removed from reality!!
Yet that 5:11.97 split at 2000 was still the correct split for a 12:59!!
Yomif Kejelcha---who had run a fast 3K a few days earlier (See my NEXT post!!)--decided to go for it!
Taking the lead with a 60 second split, he kept that pace going---timing in the 60 to 61 second range for the next 4 laps!!
Seleman Barega followed, as did Hagos Gebrhiwet!
The 3000 mark was passed in 7:41 & change!
That 4:02-ish "mile" by this trio had brought them not only to sub-13 pace, but to the precipice of a sub-12:50---a time rarely seen (or even thought of!!) in this decade!!
And then Kejelcha upped the ante to a 56!!
Yes, the previous 2000 meters had been run at sub-4 Mile pace!!
And he still had the two taggers right there!!
Barega---a REALLY 18 year old from Ethiopia (In fact, all three were from Ethiopia!!)--used his youth-charged kick to speed away--crossing the line in a startling, amazing, thrilling, unbelievable etc etc 12:43.02!!
Only Ken Bekele, Haile Gebrsellassie, and Daniel Komen have run faster---all sub-12:40's!
But that was in the "00" decade---or even in the previous CENTURY!!
Sub 13's had become so rare (except in the Paris DL 5000 from 2012!) that seeing one or two guys run high-12:50's left the observers with a "high" that lasted for days!
The numbers---
Barega gets the Age 18 Record!
(Think about this---an 18 year old in the US is normally a High School Senior!! Galen Rupp holds the US High School Record with his 13:37.91!!)
He's now 4th A-T World!
His final K was approximately 2:27!!
Gebrhiwet ran 12:45.82 in 2nd.
This makes him 5th A-T World!
Kejelcha's leading tired him enough that he finished "only" 3rd in "just" 12:46.79!
His 1500 and 5000 times of 3:32.94 and 12:46.79 adds to 16:19.73.
On my World C-E list for those events, he's now 6th A-T, tied with one Eliud Kipchoge!!
Oh yes, he's 7th A-T World, and he gets the best 3rd Place mark!!
WAY back came 5 more who got under 13:00!!
Muktar Edris's 12:55.18 took 4th.
Abadi Hadis's 12:56.27 finished 5th!
But in 6th came Paul Chelimo's 12:57.55!
He moved from 11th A-T US to 4th!!
Richard Yator and Geteneh Molla also dipped under--in the 12:59's!
Mo Ahmed and Ben True ran good--13:03 & 13:04---close to their PR's!
But in THIS race, low-13's just didn't cut it!!
So what does all this MEAN??
Why do these results possibly predict a new Distance Age??
Think about it!
These races were part of the dual Diamond League Finals---points & cash to be won!
Who's thinking time??
And coming off the Mo Farah Era---when Championship races were almost all jog & kick affairs---no one expected anything different in Zurich or Brussels---despite the rabbits and the trash talk!!
(Even those idiots at NBC were downplaying the possibility of anything fast in the distance races!)
Kipruto's losing a shoe---and still being able to run 8:10 & have a hard sprint finish---gives future Steeplers little room for alibi's and excuses if they choose the strategic route to DL glory & cash!
Hassan's road to a possible double---with 7 hours drive time between---calls for a new definition of tough!
(See my NEXT post for what happened in that 1500!)
Those sub-9 SC's makes the 9:05 to 9:10 speeds seem ancient---despite the event's relatively brief history!
To reach the ELITE elite level, you'll need to run in the 8's from now on!!
As for that Men's 5000, it once and for all removed MoBot from ANY consideration for being the G.O.A.T!!!
Medals?
Points?
DL Champ?
Give me a break!!
Unless you can run in the 12-FORTIES---you can't even THINK of entering the history books!!
Does this mean we'll see a total turnabout in the way distance races are run?
Will the jog & kick crowd go the way of dial phones & printed & bound books??
Doubtful!
But these races---and the Men and Women who ran them---DO give SOME credence to the IDEA of a new Distance Age!
And I've NEVER eaten brussel sprouts!!
LOL
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