You want beautiful beaches, exotic foods, unreal music, and HAPPY people?
Then you came to the right place--if you went to Nassau, The Bahamas for the 2nd edition (but not annual!) of the IAAF World Relays.
Or is your taste merely for the elegance and thrills our sport provides?
Again, you came where you'll find just that--and more.
Like, for instance, the amazing incredible unbelievable INSANELY maddening INCOMPETENCE of United States sprint relay teams, whether they be Men's or Women's.
Two prime examples came in the 4X200 Relays.
(Or, as the British announcers labeled them, the "two lap" relays!)
Let's take the Men first.
You had what might have been a (or THE) classic showdown of the entire meet.
It was going to be Jamaica (with Usain Bolt anchoring) against the US, with Justin Gatlin anchoring.
But it was announced that Bolt wouldn't be running.
Rumor was that he was tired (or hurt?) from running 2 legs--heat and final--of the 4X100 the previous day!
Anyway, the race began.
When it came to the 3rd hand-off, Gatlin took off, but without the baton.
The attempt(s) to get it into his hand all failed, with it finally dropping to the track--in Jamaica's lane!
So Gatlin moves over to get it, and finally does, then returns to his lane (I THINK!!), and takes off.
Granted, he sped down the final straight like a bat out of Hell, but he couldn't catch Jamaica.
Then, of course, he got the news the US was DQ'ed!
The Women's foul-up (I'd LOVE to use that "other" F word, but I'm trying to keep my blog relatively clean!) was worse!
I mean it!
It was worse.
Oh heck, I'm going to say it.
The pass (attempt) from Jeneba Tarmoh to Allyson Felix was a total FUCK-UP!!!
(Whew!!)
Tarmoh comes sprinting toward Felix, well ahead of everybody else, the US a sure winner.
But either Felix waited too long to take off, or took off too early.
I couldn't figure it out.
Whatever the case, the stick either (A) wasn't released into Felix's hand properly, or (B) Felix hadn't grabbed it tightly enough.
Whose fault it was doesn't really matter.
What happened immediately after this failed pass attempt made the Three Stooges slapstick routines look (Heh!) like child's play!!
Or, if you want to be "nice", you could say it looked like a botched ballet routine with a couple of VERY stoned people!!
Watch the replay---which I'm sure have already gone viral on YouTube!--and tell me what YOU think!
(I couldn't help but be reminded of that OTHER Tarmoh-Felix controversy, when they allegedly tied for 3rd place in the 2012 Olympic Trials 200!)
Well, enough of the F-ups!
Let's get to the professional track portion of the meet.
The distance events provided us with 2 World Records, and 3 American Records!
The 4X800's, run last year, were faster, but were somewhat less competitive.
The Women's race came on Saturday, and it didn't disappoint.
From the gun, the US led, with Chanelle Price running 2:01.30.
It looked like she played it safe the first 400 or more, before taking control.
Then Maggie Vessey, Track's Fashionista (but wearing the more conservative USA uniform!) took off, running a strong looking 2:00.92.
I think she ran even paced laps, doing two 60's.
She handed off to Molly Ludlow , who tore through a 1:59.50, before handing off to new Mom Alysia Montano!
She's BAAAACCCKKKK!!!
Mama ran like the Alysia of old!
Not sure, but I think her first lap was close to 56, which in the "olden days" (pre-pregnancy), was normal for Track's Flower Girl.
Her split was a fine 1:58.90, and the US's winning WR and AR and MR time was 8:00.62.
With better competition---heck, with ANY competition!!--they almost certainly would've dipped under 8 minutes!
But 2nd place, Poland, finished 11 seconds back!!
But they did set a National Record of 8:11.36.
As did Cuba, with their time of 8:15.84.
And so did Jamaica, running 8:16.04.
Where was Kenya?
They ran 8:33 and change!
Why, I'll never know!
The American Men won their race almost as easily, by 4 or 5 seconds, in 7:04.84, which is a Meet Record.
The time was just 2 seconds off the AR, but averaging 1:46.21 in early May, while running basically alone, is pretty good.
It's sort of unfair to add the Meet Records to the list of records broken in the DMR's, since they didn't run them last year, so these became automatic MR's.
That said, you CAN be proud to say that WORLD and American Records were broken--by both genders!
Let's start with the Men.
Their record breaking was unexpected, unlike the Women.
Look at my preview, where I said the US Men would win, but would NOT get the WR.
Thankfully, I was wrong on the latter point.
It started slower than was needed for a WR, as Kyle Merber ran just 2:53.6 for his 1200.
Brycen Spratling did his 400 in a pedestrian (for a relay leg!) 46.0.
But Brandon Johnson ripped his 800 in a great 1:44.8.
Then the fun began!
Remember the Penn Relays Men's 4X1Mile Relay, when Ed Cheserek and Jordan Williamz came to a STOP, daring the other to take the lead, thus killing any chance of an American and Collegiate Record?
Well, right after the hand-off, Kenya's Tim Cheruiyot was caught by US anchor Ben Blankenship.
Then Blankenship stared over at Cheruiyot---and practically STOPPED--nodding his head at Tim to take the lead.
Finally, Cheruiyot blinked, and took off.
I mean, he TOOK OFF!!
His first lap (of the 1600 leg) was reportedly timed in 51.9.
That's right, I said 51.9!!!
Whatever the real numbers, he opened up a 50 meter gap.
But Blankenship remained calm, before catching Cheruiyot on the 3rd lap.
His leg was timed in a FAST 3:51.2, reportedly the fastest 1600 relay leg EVER!!
The US ran 9:15.50, nipping Kenya's old WR by just 0.06 seconds!
Kenya didn't run slow, as their time was 9:17.20.
(And this was without the "big guns" of either team--such as Asbel Kiprop or Matt Centrowitz!)
Australia finished 3rd in 9:21.52, also a decent time, getting good legs from Ryan Gregson and the Penn Relays hero, Jordan Williamz.
In last place, a full 1:26 behind Germany, came Papua New Guinea, who ran 10:50.63, a time that the Villanova Women's team beat with their former WR and CR time of 10:48.38 back in 1988!!
The Women's DMR ran 10:36.50.
I'm thinking about writing a post on possible relay times--maybe soon, maybe not--so I won't go into why I think their time, while GREAT, COULD be a whole lot faster!!
Whatever the case, their time beat Villanova's (see above) OUTdoor WR by almost 12 full seconds.
And it beat the NB-US team's INdoor WR, set a few months ago, by about 6 seconds.
Treniere Moser led off with a 1200 of 3:18.38.
SRR, running like the SRR of old, ran the 400 in 50.12.
Ajee Wilson reliably ran her 800 in 2:00.08, before giving the baton to Moser's NOP teammate, Shannon Rowbury, who jogged her 1600 in 4:27.92.
They got the Meet Record, of course, as well as the other 2 records!
(Not to mention a $50,000 bonus check!!)
Behind them came 3 teams who also got National Records.
Kenya's NR was 10:43.35.
Poland's was 10:45.32.
And Australia's (minus Zoe Buckman!) was 10:46.94.
I said SRR was back.
Yes, she is!!
In the Women's 4X400 final, she ran the 3rd leg in a blazing 48.79!!
She handed off to Fran McCorory, who went almost as fast with her 49.27.
Phyllis Francis started things off with a 51.3, and Natasha Hastings also got under 50 with her 49.93.
Final time--a Meet Record--was 3:19.39!!
(A bit different team ran 3:24.05 in the heats!)
The "B" race of the Women's 4X100 was interesting.
Especially the final leg.
It pitted 39 year old Bahaman veteran Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie against 19 year old 2014 World Junior Championships star for Ecuador, Angela Tenorio.
It LOOKED like an easy win for the home team, as F-M had a 4 or 5 meter gap on Tenorio at the hand-off.
But Tenorio sped down the track, just nipping the superstar by a hair--or less!!
The teams were both given times of 44.14, but the slo-mo replay of the finish showed Tenorio HAD beat her!
In the "A" race, Jamaica beat the US fairly easily, although in a slow time (42.14), relatively speaking.
Last year's MR was 41.88!
This also came down to a solid match-up on the last leg.
Or what was HOPED to be solid!
Jamaica ran without Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (all weekend!!), while the US had a solid foursome.
(Although this race came AFTER that 4X200 fiasco, so US fans were sweating buckets!!)
Anyway, that leg pitted two all-star vets against each other, Veronica Campbell Brown and Carmelita Jeter.
And VCB won.
By a few tenths of a second!!
(And already, people are talking about Jeter being washed up!! We'll see, I guess!)
The Men had a featured duel too.
Usain Bolt against Justin Gatlin.
Or I should say, that piece of paper you just threw in the trash had a "featured duel" on it!
In actuality, the US was too far ahead for even Mr Bolt to put a dent in their lead.
The US beat Jamaica with a Meet Record time of 37.38.
BTW, that Women's 4X200 talked about earlier?
Nigeria beat Jamaica, even though the latter had the services of VCB!
In the heats for the Men's 4X100, Barbados broke their National Record, running 38.85.
They then broke that record in the final, time of 38.70.
However, that latter time does NOT make my Top 24 list!!
The Dominican Republic also got a National Record, time of 38.94., also in a heat.
The final race of the 2 day affair (And I have little doubt there were some "affairs" going down in this beautiful island nation this weekend!!) was the Men's 4X400.
And it was a doozie!
The US won with the time of 2:58.43.
Second was the Bahamas, who ran 2:58.91.
Belgium--with the 3 Borlee brothers!--broke their National Record with their time of 2:59.33.
What gave US fans more pleasure than the win was seeing the strong leg run by none other than the much besieged (by critics!) vet of the 400 wars, Jeremy Wariner.
He ran a reported 44.80.
Not as fast as Tony McQuay's 2nd leg of 44.00, but still indicative of a possibly good strong year by this always-shades wearing dude!
David Verburg led off with 44.91, then came McQuay and Wariner, who handed off to LaShawn Merritt, who ran a slow (for him!) 44.72 on the anchor!
All in all, this meet is one I hope to see become an ANNUAL affair (sorry!).
They're not holding it next year, but will return (to the Bahamas again!!) in 2017.
Not only do I hope it becomes a meet held every year, I'd like to see it become like the World Marathon Majors (sort of), meaning that they would have FOUR (or 3 is okay) meets a year, with teams competing in all 3, with points allotted and everything.
I don't really have the details of my idea, but I definitely think this fabulous meet MUST become a mainstay of the Track World's schedule!
I LOVE IT!!!
Sunday, May 3, 2015
The Good (and Bad) of Payton Jordan
There's good news....and there's bad news.
It was the best of times, and the worst of times.
Those two (probably mis-quoted) statements pretty much sum up what happened at the latest Payton Jordan distance festival.
You had some GREAT results, and then you had some (more than expected!) people would rather forget.
So let's see what happened yesterday, shall we?
The Women's races were far more productive than the Men's, at least as far as top marks went.
For example, 15 women went sub-15:20 in the 5000, and 15
went sub-32:00 in the 10000.
Sally Kipyego, as expected, won the 5000 in 14:57 and change.
Not a PR--not even close!--but an easy win against a deep field.
Betsy Saina PR'ed, just missing the 14's.
But how about Nicole Tully!
Remember her 4:28 INdoor DMR leg that Brenda Martinez barely beat?
Well, now she's a 5000 woman, as her 15:05.58 places her 22nd A-T US!!
Another who impressed was the mostly unsung Jessica Tonn of Stanford, who mostly has been in the shadow of Aisling Cuffe.
But with Cuffe sidelined this year, Tonn roared forward with the 9th A-T Collegiate mark of 15:18.85!
That cut her best by 14 seconds!
She's a Pro now, but Marielle Hall got a PR also, with her 15:09.90.
Further back, with mixed results, were the following:
Dominique Scott ran 15:32.55 in 18th place!
It's a PR, but after a GREAT season, INdoors and OUT so far, more was expected.
That said, she missed the Collegiate DDD by just 1.52 seconds!
Erin Finn ran her 2015 fastest, a 15:32.88.
Her previous 2015 best was 15:41.
But her PR is 15:26.08 from last year.
She has a good excuse--she's returning from injury!
But what about Abbey D'Agostino?
You COULD say the same about her as was said about Finn.
But she's been a Pro for almost a full year now, and while this was her "Pro rust-buster", it surely left Abbey D fans disappointed!
She was just 21st in the race!
Lisa Uhl's first race in awhile wasn't exactly hot!
She ran just 16:31.38 in 11th place in her section.
But she tweeted later that she was satisfied, and was looking forward to faster times!
Then there's Alexa Efraimson.
Talk about good AND bad--or best AND worst!
She was in a different section than the ones just mentioned.
But most races had rabbits, so Alexa followed right behind her.
They were going at 5:00 mile pace, and Alexa looked like she was just loping, and was on her way to a FAST time.
She passed 3200 meters in about 10:01.
Then, as happened in a couple of road races she ran last fall, she faded BADLY towards the end.
Her final time was 16:09.44, which means her final mile was about 5:30.
Word is she was VERY wobbly after crossing the line!
That said, on the OVERALL HS list (meaning the combined amateur-pro list!), her time is the 7th best ever!!
She DOES get the HS PRO record, but she's the ONLY HS Pro who's run the distance on the track, soooo....!!
She finished in 19th place!! (Remember, she was LEADING through 2 miles!!)
The Women's 3000SC changed the Collegiate list in big ways!
Courtney Frerichs, who had run 9:49 a week or 2 ago, improved that by about 17 seconds, running a great 9:32.12.
She moves from 24th A-T Collegiate all the way into 3rd!!
Only Jenny (Barringer) Simpson and Emma Coburn are ahead of her!
And she's now 12th A-T US!!
Right behind her came Colleen Quigley's 9:33.63.
That was a 5 second improvement on her PR.
She moves up one spot on the A-T Collegiate list, from 5th to 4th!
She also moves from 16th to 13th on the A-T US list!!
Jessica Furlan's 9:39.20 makes her 18th A-T US!!
(Aisha Praught, who I deemed the favorite in my preview post, ran 9:40+, not a PR!)
The Women's 10000 was deep and fast--although not as fast as last year!
Susan Kuijken won the main section in 31:31 and change.
It was her first track 10K!!
And she beat 14:50 5K gal Buze Diriba!!
There were TWO "races within races" here!
The one I did NOT expect was the chase for the Canadian National Record of 31:44.
Well, I DID expect Lanni Marchant to go after it, as i stated in my preview post.
And she ran a great time of 31:46+, which missed the record by 2 seconds!
But not to worry.
Another fast Canadian, Natasha Wodak, took care of it!
She ran 31:41.59 for the record!
Apparently, they worked together most of the way, before turning it into a RACE!
(Now THAT is the way to get a record!!)
The other "race within a race" was for the Collegiate Record!
Alas, the 3 main contenders didn't even try!!
They stayed with the slowish pace of 15:50 at the half, before deciding to start running.
In the end, Lisa Uhl's CR remained on the books, but it was Emily Sisson (Natch!) who led the Collegiate trio.
Her 31:38.03 is now 4th A-T Collegiate!
And she moves into 21st place on the US list!
Next in line came Brit Kate Avery, an Iona senior, whose 31:41.44 gives her the 5th slot on the Collegiate list.
Then we have Emma Bates, who most loudly proclaimed her intentions to go after the record.
She did improve her PR by a few seconds, running 32:13.28.
This moved her from 12th to 8th on the A-T Collegiate list.
But she finished just 18th in the race!
She tweeted today that she fell in the shower before the race, which slowed her down!
Emily Infeld finished right behind the other Emily (Sisson!), running a solid 31:38.71.
This makes her 23rd A-T US!!
Alexi Pappas had a good first track 10K, running 32:02.22, although she finished just 16th in the big race!
Natosha Rogers's comeback race wasn't too promising, although she too is apparently satisfied with it!
She ran just 33:42.11, and finished in 33rd place!!
I touted Megan Goethals as the favorite in her 10K section.
Well, she had problems too!
She finished just 24th, running 33:20.01.
(She too tweeted she was OK with her race!)
Before I turn to the Men, let's look at the Women's 1500.
The best result came from a High School Junior!
And it was NOT Katie Rainsberger, as I said in my preview!
It was Christine Aragon, from Montana, who ran 4:16.36 from basically out of nowhere--although she ran a 4:42 in the 1600 last year!
This makes her 5th A-T HS!!
The first 4 are Mary Cain, Alexa Efraimson, Elise Cranny, and Jordan Hasay!!
She's in EXCELLENT company!!
Katie ran a good race, however, time of 4:23.28, but finished just 11th in her section!
Speaking of Cranny, remember I said in the preview that she's been hot and cold this year?
Well, here she was COLD!
She ran just 4:16.22 for 11th in her race.
Phoebe Wright was 2nd in her race, but ran a good 4:14.80.
Her PR of 4:08 is from 2011, and she's mainly an 800 runner, so this wasn't bad!
The 2 Steeplers ran good in their speed tests over 1500 meters!
In fact, Shalaya Kipp WON her section, hitting an okay 4:14.34 PR.
Bridget Franek finished 5th in her race, running 4:16.68.
Lauren Wallace won her section, running 4:14.67.
Oh, and Collier Lawrence won her Steeplechase section in 9:50.37.
I brought in Lawrence here, instead of placing her with the other SC women, for a reason.
She's with Oiselle.
And so are Lauren Wallace and Shalaya Kipp!!
So that makes THREE Oiselle women who WON their races!!
Not bad for a "small" company catering to women in a hippie-ish sort of way!!
Well, the men weren't entirely inert at Payton Jordan.
Just a bit less overwhelming than the women were!
As with Aragon's race (See above!), maybe the best result came from a HS'er!
Grant Fisher (Who else?) ran the 1500 in 3:42.89.
While he was a few places behind the winner, his time makes him 5th A-T HS!!
The previous week, he'd run 3:46.15, which was then his OUTdoor PR, and which missed the A-T list by just 0.06 seconds!
Well, no need to worry about THAT anymore!!
The other 1500 guys?
Well, let's just say that 3:38's are okay, but not earthquake material, especially in a meet like the PJ!
(The "fast" section was actually a wee bit slower than the 2nd section, which is supposed to be slower!!)
Nick Symmonds ran only 3:44 in his first OUTdoor outing, after a winter of beer miles and other silly stuff (like getting his memoir published---which I've read and highly recommend!!).
Kemoy Campbell didn't win the main section of the 5000, but his 13:20.39 is good for 11th A-T Collegiate.
(I'll have to do some research to find out if that is the National Record of Jamaica also!)
Lopez Lomong didn't win either, his 13:21.32 giving him 9th place!
Nor did highly touted (by yours truly!) Norwegian Henrik Ingebrigtsen.
His 13:27.10 gave him just 11th place!
Jason Witt's 27:54.25 in the 10000 makes him 20th A-T Collegiate!
Stanley Kebenai beat Dan Huling in the 3000SC, running 8:23.93.
He moves up a notch on the Collegiate list, from 18th to 17th.
But more important, he gets the Meet Record!
Tabor Stevens also makes the Collegiate list, in 23rd!
He ran 8:26.81.
Removed FROM the list was former star Brian Diemer, whose mark dated from 1983!
Another Meet Record was set by 800 runner Boris Berian.
He ran 1:45.30 for the win.
Brannon Kidder ran 1:45.58, missing the Collegiate list by 0.27 seconds!
The Women's 800 was won by Chrishuna Williams of Arkansas in 2:01.61.
She misses the A-T Collegiate list by just 0.18 seconds!!
I'm saving the first day results from the World Relays for my post on that meet, coming later today (after the second day's races end!).
But I have several marks from other meets, both from this weekend and from a week or so ago to report.
Here they are!
Shawn Barber's done it AGAIN!!
He's now vaulted 19-4.75, up a half-inch on his former OUTdoor PR.
This of course is a new National Record of Canada!
(Quite a productive day for Canada, eh? See the report on Natasha Wodak above!)
It's also the Collegiate Soph Class record, surpassing his own!
And while it doesn't move him up the Collegiate list, it does....in a way!
You see, his previous mark was tied with 1 other.
Now he stands alone in 2nd place on the list!
Oh yes, forgot to mention his mark leaves him just 0.75 inches from making the World list!!
Mondo Duplantis continues to break his own HS Frosh Class record!
His latest upped his old best by 3 inches, as he flew over 17-4.
This leaves him just 2 inches away from making the A-T HS list!
Remember, he's in the 9th grade!!
Tori Bliss went past Raven Saunders on the OUTdoor Collegiate list, tossing the SP out to 60-8!
She's now 7th A-T Collegiate!
And 20th A-T US!!
Cut OFF my Top 24 list?
Raven Saunders!
(Small world!)
Also in the SP, Jeneva Stevens hit 61-3.
This moves her up one spot on the US list, from 18th to 17th.
Darrell Hill threw the ball out to 68-2.50, making him 21st A-T Collegiate!
DeAnna Price got her Hammer out 222-2, moving her from 21st to 19th on the A-T Collegiate list!
John Amponah threw the Javelin 267-8, for 11th on the A-T Collegiate list.
It's also the National Record of Ghana!
Carlos Davis got a DT of 214-4, moving him from 18th to 13th on the A-T HS list!
I don't include any Shuttle Hurdle Relay records in my Record Book.
Maybe I should, because BOTH World Records were broken last week!!
The Men's 4X110H Relay WR is now 52.94.
It's also the American Record, as the team was called USA Blue.
Who was on it?
Oh, just Jason Richardson, Aleec Harris, Aries Merritt, and David Oliver!
That's an average of 13.23+ per leg!!
The Women's team was also called USA Blue.
Brianna Rollins, Dawn Harper-Nelson, Queen Harrison, and Kristi Castlin ran their 4X100H race in the World (and American) Record time of 50.50.
They averaged about 12.62 per leg!!
Both races took place at the Drake Relays!
Wilson Kipsang's London Marathon time of 2:04:47 is the Age 33 record!!
It's not often that HS'ers run track 5000's outside of the New Balance meets (INdoors or OUT!).
So it was a welcome sight seeing a good time out of Audrey Belf in April!
She ran it in 16:29.68, making her 17th A-T HS!
I'll end this tome with more Women's 1500 results---but not from Payton Jordan!
Destiny Collins, the main stud on the stud Great Oaks girl's distance factory, finished 2nd in a race against Collegians and Pro's at the Steve Scott meet.
Her time was 4:23.85, very close to what Katie Rainsberger ran at PJ. (See above!)
Leah O'Connor, who ran that 4:27.18 mile INdoors, now has a 1500 time that pretty much matches it in quality!
She ran 4:11.04 in a meet in Ohio, beating the 2nd place girl by about 10 seconds.
So it was basically a solo time trial!
She misses the Collegiate list by just 0.25 seconds!
BTW, this time was faster than anything run at Payton Jordan!!
Last but certainly not least, Mary Cain was suddenly (and unexpectedly!) entered in the Oregon State University High Performance meet, held Friday.
And she WON!!
That's the good news.
The "bad" news is that she ran just 4:15.42!
I don't know what her final 100 or 150 was like, but her last 400 was just 66.96.
Definitely NOT a "Mary Cain" finish!!
She was paced for the first 1200 by Geena Lara!
Shortly afterwards, she ran the first 10 minutes of the 5000.
I have no idea if this was an intentional DNF, or planned.
(Keep in mind her coach's penchant for having his athletes do double duty--running either 2 races a few minutes apart, or giving them torturous workouts minutes after they break some record or other!!)
To be fair, Mr Salazar said in an interview after the meet that she was training hard, it was windy, and that she would be "in 4:07 shape" by June!
Well, that's nice, Al, but 4:07 AIN'T gonna get you too far when it comes to the WC Trials!!
Not sure, but I believe she (and NOP) will be at the Oxy meet in 2 weeks!
(Or is that next week??)
Almost forgot!
Mary turned 19 years old today!
Happy Birthday, Ms Cain!!
Before I close, here's my Kayla Montgomery report!
And like this post's title states, there's both good and bad stuff!
She (and several Lipscomb teammates!) flew west to run in the aforementioned meet at Oregon State.
Two Lipscomb girls ran in the mid-16:20's in the 5000, finished just 14 or so seconds behind winner Waverly Neer of UO!!
But Kayla had a slight hip problem---nothing serious---which caused her coaches to pull her out of the 10K just past the halfway point!
She was off the pace she wanted also, so they decided to save her for Conference in a couple of weeks.
Before the meet, the coaches said she was ready to run in the 34's!!
Remember, she ran her first 10K recently in 35:49!!
So she's apparently in GREAT shape!!
BTW, her race started just 85 minutes after Mary Cain's race.
There were the 2 5000's in between.
So I'm wondering if Kayla and Mary met---maybe even jogged together a bit!!
Well, as noted above, I'll have my complete and detailed account of all the World Relays action later today!
See you then!
It was the best of times, and the worst of times.
Those two (probably mis-quoted) statements pretty much sum up what happened at the latest Payton Jordan distance festival.
You had some GREAT results, and then you had some (more than expected!) people would rather forget.
So let's see what happened yesterday, shall we?
The Women's races were far more productive than the Men's, at least as far as top marks went.
For example, 15 women went sub-15:20 in the 5000, and 15
went sub-32:00 in the 10000.
Sally Kipyego, as expected, won the 5000 in 14:57 and change.
Not a PR--not even close!--but an easy win against a deep field.
Betsy Saina PR'ed, just missing the 14's.
But how about Nicole Tully!
Remember her 4:28 INdoor DMR leg that Brenda Martinez barely beat?
Well, now she's a 5000 woman, as her 15:05.58 places her 22nd A-T US!!
Another who impressed was the mostly unsung Jessica Tonn of Stanford, who mostly has been in the shadow of Aisling Cuffe.
But with Cuffe sidelined this year, Tonn roared forward with the 9th A-T Collegiate mark of 15:18.85!
That cut her best by 14 seconds!
She's a Pro now, but Marielle Hall got a PR also, with her 15:09.90.
Further back, with mixed results, were the following:
Dominique Scott ran 15:32.55 in 18th place!
It's a PR, but after a GREAT season, INdoors and OUT so far, more was expected.
That said, she missed the Collegiate DDD by just 1.52 seconds!
Erin Finn ran her 2015 fastest, a 15:32.88.
Her previous 2015 best was 15:41.
But her PR is 15:26.08 from last year.
She has a good excuse--she's returning from injury!
But what about Abbey D'Agostino?
You COULD say the same about her as was said about Finn.
But she's been a Pro for almost a full year now, and while this was her "Pro rust-buster", it surely left Abbey D fans disappointed!
She was just 21st in the race!
Lisa Uhl's first race in awhile wasn't exactly hot!
She ran just 16:31.38 in 11th place in her section.
But she tweeted later that she was satisfied, and was looking forward to faster times!
Then there's Alexa Efraimson.
Talk about good AND bad--or best AND worst!
She was in a different section than the ones just mentioned.
But most races had rabbits, so Alexa followed right behind her.
They were going at 5:00 mile pace, and Alexa looked like she was just loping, and was on her way to a FAST time.
She passed 3200 meters in about 10:01.
Then, as happened in a couple of road races she ran last fall, she faded BADLY towards the end.
Her final time was 16:09.44, which means her final mile was about 5:30.
Word is she was VERY wobbly after crossing the line!
That said, on the OVERALL HS list (meaning the combined amateur-pro list!), her time is the 7th best ever!!
She DOES get the HS PRO record, but she's the ONLY HS Pro who's run the distance on the track, soooo....!!
She finished in 19th place!! (Remember, she was LEADING through 2 miles!!)
The Women's 3000SC changed the Collegiate list in big ways!
Courtney Frerichs, who had run 9:49 a week or 2 ago, improved that by about 17 seconds, running a great 9:32.12.
She moves from 24th A-T Collegiate all the way into 3rd!!
Only Jenny (Barringer) Simpson and Emma Coburn are ahead of her!
And she's now 12th A-T US!!
Right behind her came Colleen Quigley's 9:33.63.
That was a 5 second improvement on her PR.
She moves up one spot on the A-T Collegiate list, from 5th to 4th!
She also moves from 16th to 13th on the A-T US list!!
Jessica Furlan's 9:39.20 makes her 18th A-T US!!
(Aisha Praught, who I deemed the favorite in my preview post, ran 9:40+, not a PR!)
The Women's 10000 was deep and fast--although not as fast as last year!
Susan Kuijken won the main section in 31:31 and change.
It was her first track 10K!!
And she beat 14:50 5K gal Buze Diriba!!
There were TWO "races within races" here!
The one I did NOT expect was the chase for the Canadian National Record of 31:44.
Well, I DID expect Lanni Marchant to go after it, as i stated in my preview post.
And she ran a great time of 31:46+, which missed the record by 2 seconds!
But not to worry.
Another fast Canadian, Natasha Wodak, took care of it!
She ran 31:41.59 for the record!
Apparently, they worked together most of the way, before turning it into a RACE!
(Now THAT is the way to get a record!!)
The other "race within a race" was for the Collegiate Record!
Alas, the 3 main contenders didn't even try!!
They stayed with the slowish pace of 15:50 at the half, before deciding to start running.
In the end, Lisa Uhl's CR remained on the books, but it was Emily Sisson (Natch!) who led the Collegiate trio.
Her 31:38.03 is now 4th A-T Collegiate!
And she moves into 21st place on the US list!
Next in line came Brit Kate Avery, an Iona senior, whose 31:41.44 gives her the 5th slot on the Collegiate list.
Then we have Emma Bates, who most loudly proclaimed her intentions to go after the record.
She did improve her PR by a few seconds, running 32:13.28.
This moved her from 12th to 8th on the A-T Collegiate list.
But she finished just 18th in the race!
She tweeted today that she fell in the shower before the race, which slowed her down!
Emily Infeld finished right behind the other Emily (Sisson!), running a solid 31:38.71.
This makes her 23rd A-T US!!
Alexi Pappas had a good first track 10K, running 32:02.22, although she finished just 16th in the big race!
Natosha Rogers's comeback race wasn't too promising, although she too is apparently satisfied with it!
She ran just 33:42.11, and finished in 33rd place!!
I touted Megan Goethals as the favorite in her 10K section.
Well, she had problems too!
She finished just 24th, running 33:20.01.
(She too tweeted she was OK with her race!)
Before I turn to the Men, let's look at the Women's 1500.
The best result came from a High School Junior!
And it was NOT Katie Rainsberger, as I said in my preview!
It was Christine Aragon, from Montana, who ran 4:16.36 from basically out of nowhere--although she ran a 4:42 in the 1600 last year!
This makes her 5th A-T HS!!
The first 4 are Mary Cain, Alexa Efraimson, Elise Cranny, and Jordan Hasay!!
She's in EXCELLENT company!!
Katie ran a good race, however, time of 4:23.28, but finished just 11th in her section!
Speaking of Cranny, remember I said in the preview that she's been hot and cold this year?
Well, here she was COLD!
She ran just 4:16.22 for 11th in her race.
Phoebe Wright was 2nd in her race, but ran a good 4:14.80.
Her PR of 4:08 is from 2011, and she's mainly an 800 runner, so this wasn't bad!
The 2 Steeplers ran good in their speed tests over 1500 meters!
In fact, Shalaya Kipp WON her section, hitting an okay 4:14.34 PR.
Bridget Franek finished 5th in her race, running 4:16.68.
Lauren Wallace won her section, running 4:14.67.
Oh, and Collier Lawrence won her Steeplechase section in 9:50.37.
I brought in Lawrence here, instead of placing her with the other SC women, for a reason.
She's with Oiselle.
And so are Lauren Wallace and Shalaya Kipp!!
So that makes THREE Oiselle women who WON their races!!
Not bad for a "small" company catering to women in a hippie-ish sort of way!!
Well, the men weren't entirely inert at Payton Jordan.
Just a bit less overwhelming than the women were!
As with Aragon's race (See above!), maybe the best result came from a HS'er!
Grant Fisher (Who else?) ran the 1500 in 3:42.89.
While he was a few places behind the winner, his time makes him 5th A-T HS!!
The previous week, he'd run 3:46.15, which was then his OUTdoor PR, and which missed the A-T list by just 0.06 seconds!
Well, no need to worry about THAT anymore!!
The other 1500 guys?
Well, let's just say that 3:38's are okay, but not earthquake material, especially in a meet like the PJ!
(The "fast" section was actually a wee bit slower than the 2nd section, which is supposed to be slower!!)
Nick Symmonds ran only 3:44 in his first OUTdoor outing, after a winter of beer miles and other silly stuff (like getting his memoir published---which I've read and highly recommend!!).
Kemoy Campbell didn't win the main section of the 5000, but his 13:20.39 is good for 11th A-T Collegiate.
(I'll have to do some research to find out if that is the National Record of Jamaica also!)
Lopez Lomong didn't win either, his 13:21.32 giving him 9th place!
Nor did highly touted (by yours truly!) Norwegian Henrik Ingebrigtsen.
His 13:27.10 gave him just 11th place!
Jason Witt's 27:54.25 in the 10000 makes him 20th A-T Collegiate!
Stanley Kebenai beat Dan Huling in the 3000SC, running 8:23.93.
He moves up a notch on the Collegiate list, from 18th to 17th.
But more important, he gets the Meet Record!
Tabor Stevens also makes the Collegiate list, in 23rd!
He ran 8:26.81.
Removed FROM the list was former star Brian Diemer, whose mark dated from 1983!
Another Meet Record was set by 800 runner Boris Berian.
He ran 1:45.30 for the win.
Brannon Kidder ran 1:45.58, missing the Collegiate list by 0.27 seconds!
The Women's 800 was won by Chrishuna Williams of Arkansas in 2:01.61.
She misses the A-T Collegiate list by just 0.18 seconds!!
I'm saving the first day results from the World Relays for my post on that meet, coming later today (after the second day's races end!).
But I have several marks from other meets, both from this weekend and from a week or so ago to report.
Here they are!
Shawn Barber's done it AGAIN!!
He's now vaulted 19-4.75, up a half-inch on his former OUTdoor PR.
This of course is a new National Record of Canada!
(Quite a productive day for Canada, eh? See the report on Natasha Wodak above!)
It's also the Collegiate Soph Class record, surpassing his own!
And while it doesn't move him up the Collegiate list, it does....in a way!
You see, his previous mark was tied with 1 other.
Now he stands alone in 2nd place on the list!
Oh yes, forgot to mention his mark leaves him just 0.75 inches from making the World list!!
Mondo Duplantis continues to break his own HS Frosh Class record!
His latest upped his old best by 3 inches, as he flew over 17-4.
This leaves him just 2 inches away from making the A-T HS list!
Remember, he's in the 9th grade!!
Tori Bliss went past Raven Saunders on the OUTdoor Collegiate list, tossing the SP out to 60-8!
She's now 7th A-T Collegiate!
And 20th A-T US!!
Cut OFF my Top 24 list?
Raven Saunders!
(Small world!)
Also in the SP, Jeneva Stevens hit 61-3.
This moves her up one spot on the US list, from 18th to 17th.
Darrell Hill threw the ball out to 68-2.50, making him 21st A-T Collegiate!
DeAnna Price got her Hammer out 222-2, moving her from 21st to 19th on the A-T Collegiate list!
John Amponah threw the Javelin 267-8, for 11th on the A-T Collegiate list.
It's also the National Record of Ghana!
Carlos Davis got a DT of 214-4, moving him from 18th to 13th on the A-T HS list!
I don't include any Shuttle Hurdle Relay records in my Record Book.
Maybe I should, because BOTH World Records were broken last week!!
The Men's 4X110H Relay WR is now 52.94.
It's also the American Record, as the team was called USA Blue.
Who was on it?
Oh, just Jason Richardson, Aleec Harris, Aries Merritt, and David Oliver!
That's an average of 13.23+ per leg!!
The Women's team was also called USA Blue.
Brianna Rollins, Dawn Harper-Nelson, Queen Harrison, and Kristi Castlin ran their 4X100H race in the World (and American) Record time of 50.50.
They averaged about 12.62 per leg!!
Both races took place at the Drake Relays!
Wilson Kipsang's London Marathon time of 2:04:47 is the Age 33 record!!
It's not often that HS'ers run track 5000's outside of the New Balance meets (INdoors or OUT!).
So it was a welcome sight seeing a good time out of Audrey Belf in April!
She ran it in 16:29.68, making her 17th A-T HS!
I'll end this tome with more Women's 1500 results---but not from Payton Jordan!
Destiny Collins, the main stud on the stud Great Oaks girl's distance factory, finished 2nd in a race against Collegians and Pro's at the Steve Scott meet.
Her time was 4:23.85, very close to what Katie Rainsberger ran at PJ. (See above!)
Leah O'Connor, who ran that 4:27.18 mile INdoors, now has a 1500 time that pretty much matches it in quality!
She ran 4:11.04 in a meet in Ohio, beating the 2nd place girl by about 10 seconds.
So it was basically a solo time trial!
She misses the Collegiate list by just 0.25 seconds!
BTW, this time was faster than anything run at Payton Jordan!!
Last but certainly not least, Mary Cain was suddenly (and unexpectedly!) entered in the Oregon State University High Performance meet, held Friday.
And she WON!!
That's the good news.
The "bad" news is that she ran just 4:15.42!
I don't know what her final 100 or 150 was like, but her last 400 was just 66.96.
Definitely NOT a "Mary Cain" finish!!
She was paced for the first 1200 by Geena Lara!
Shortly afterwards, she ran the first 10 minutes of the 5000.
I have no idea if this was an intentional DNF, or planned.
(Keep in mind her coach's penchant for having his athletes do double duty--running either 2 races a few minutes apart, or giving them torturous workouts minutes after they break some record or other!!)
To be fair, Mr Salazar said in an interview after the meet that she was training hard, it was windy, and that she would be "in 4:07 shape" by June!
Well, that's nice, Al, but 4:07 AIN'T gonna get you too far when it comes to the WC Trials!!
Not sure, but I believe she (and NOP) will be at the Oxy meet in 2 weeks!
(Or is that next week??)
Almost forgot!
Mary turned 19 years old today!
Happy Birthday, Ms Cain!!
Before I close, here's my Kayla Montgomery report!
And like this post's title states, there's both good and bad stuff!
She (and several Lipscomb teammates!) flew west to run in the aforementioned meet at Oregon State.
Two Lipscomb girls ran in the mid-16:20's in the 5000, finished just 14 or so seconds behind winner Waverly Neer of UO!!
But Kayla had a slight hip problem---nothing serious---which caused her coaches to pull her out of the 10K just past the halfway point!
She was off the pace she wanted also, so they decided to save her for Conference in a couple of weeks.
Before the meet, the coaches said she was ready to run in the 34's!!
Remember, she ran her first 10K recently in 35:49!!
So she's apparently in GREAT shape!!
BTW, her race started just 85 minutes after Mary Cain's race.
There were the 2 5000's in between.
So I'm wondering if Kayla and Mary met---maybe even jogged together a bit!!
Well, as noted above, I'll have my complete and detailed account of all the World Relays action later today!
See you then!
Friday, May 1, 2015
The USA & Jamaica "World" Relays Preview
They're calling it the WORLD Relays., second edition.
(It's NOT an annual meet, as they're apparently skipping next year!)
But when you've read through the following, you'll see that TWO nations (out of umpteen on the planet) are set to take home most, if not all, of the Gold medals!
I was waiting for the final heat sheets to come out, so I could be certain of who's on which team in what event, BUT....when the first day's entries were released, it only showed the names of the teams, with NO indication of the athletes involved!
Soooooo....I'm going to have to mostly wing it, using the entry lists from a few days ago, not being 100% certain of who might have dropped out, gotten injured, etc.
However, as noted, when you have just TWO teams winning everything (??), not much extra research is necessary.
As with the Payton Jordan preview (See earlier post from today!), I'll go event by event, with the Men first.
But let's begin with the schedule!
Day 1--May 2
(All times are Pacific Time!)
11:00 a.m.--M 4X400 Heats
11:29 a.m.--W 4X200 Heats
11:46 a.m.--M 4X100 Heats
12:09 p.m.--M 4X800 FINAL
12:32 p.m.--W 4X400 Heats
1:02 p.m.---W DMR FINAL
1:29 p.m.---M 4X100 FINAL (B race--I guess they're doing it as a 2-section race!)
1:36 p.m---W 4X200 FINAL
1:52 p.m.---M 4X100 FINAL (A race)
Day 2--May 3
11:00 a.m.--M 4X200 Heats
11:20 a.m.--W 4X100 Heats
11:40 a.m.--W 4X800 FINAL
12:02 p.m.--W 4X400 FINAL (B race)
12:12 p.m.--W 4X400 FINAL (A race)
12:31 p.m.--M DMR FINAL
12:57 p.m.--M 4X400 FINAL (B race)
--M 4X400 FINAL (A race)
1:06 p.m.---M 4X200 FINAL
1:23 p.m.---W 4X100 FINAL (B race)
1:30 p.m.---W 4X100 FINAL (A race)
Okay, now for the serious stuff!
4X100-Men
IF--and it's a HUGE IF!!--the US team passes perfectly, they should win....DESPITE Jamaica having Usain Bolt on anchor!
Jamaica has some other good guys, but the US has FOUR guys who, together, outweigh the brilliance of one man (God??).
It's Gatlin, Gay, Mike Rodgers and Ryan Bailey vs Bolt, Nesta Carter, Kemar Bailey-Cole and a player to be named later!
With PERFECT passing (a MUST!!), I'm giving it to the US by a couple of hairs!
Everybody else should have saved their travel expenses!
That said, Japan has Yoshihide Kiryu, France has Jimmy Vicaut and Chris Lemaitre, Great Britain has Rich Kilty, and Nigeria has Mark Jelks.
One interesting name for Antigua is Rai Benjamin!
Yes, the same Rai Benjamin who tore up INdoor tracks this winter as a HS senior....which he still is!
It appears he holds dual Antigua-USA citizenship!
One person missing is Kim Collins from the St Kitts & Nevis squad!
Nothing personal, it seems--he just had a previously scheduled appointment elsewhere!!
(HA!)
4X200-Men
Jamaica by more hairs than 2!
With Warren Weir and Nickel Ashmeade leading up to Mr Bolt, I have to give Jamaica the edge here, even though the US again has a VERY strong team.
There's Gatlin and Bailey again, plus Wallace Spearmon.
Passes aren't quite as "risky" in this longer race as in the 4X100, so not much to worry about here.
Carvin Nkanata, the guy who ran 20.14 a few weeks ago, leads the Kenyan team, but based on what I know, the other 3 won't help much!
Rai Benjamin is again on the Antigua team.
So that's one each, so far, for the US and Jamaica!
4X400-Men
If someone (literally!) DIES enroute, the US will lose.
However, God forbid that happening, the Americans are a LOCK DELUXE to top the podium here!
With David Verburg, Brycen Spratling, Tony McQuay, and Lashawn Merritt as the US foursome, they appear unbeatable.
One question is whether Jeremy Wariner will run just the heats, or whether he'll run the final!
But whatever their line-up, the USA should take it.
Belgium, of course, has the 3 Borlee's, plus someone else.
Martyn Rooney leads the British team.
Lelonde Gordon heads Trinidad and Tobago's squad.
Chris Brown will be the home team's hero....again (even at age 36!)
Luguelin Santos heads the Dominican Republic 4-some.
And 800 specialist Nijel Amos heads Botswana's team!
Now it's 2 to 1, US over Jamaica, after 3 events!
4X800-Men
I don't know who the Kenyans are.
Oh, I know their names, but have no idea what kind of speed they have.
When you have a team of unknowns, you go with the "other" team.
That "other" team is again the good old US of A.
And they're not half-bad!
There's 5 guys listed, so one will either be just a back-up (in case!), or be transferred to the DMR (or just not run at all!!).
But a team of Robby Andrews, Eric Sowinski, Duane Solomon, Brandon Johnson, and/or Casimir Loxsom won't only win, they COULD threaten the World Record (7:02.43 by Kenya in 2006) and/or the American Record (7:02.82, also in 2006, in the SAME RACE--the Brussels meet!)
To get either record, they'd need to average AT LEAST 1:45.70 per leg (or 1:45.60 for the WR!).
But unless they have a SERIOUS challenger, they'll win, but the record(s) will remain!
It's 3 to 1, US over Jamaica!
Oh, BTW, there ARE other teams in the race!
Ryan Gregson leads the Aussies.
Tim Kiptum is the only known Kenyan name, but I haven't seen his name at or near the top of any lists recently, soooo....!!
Poland does have Marcin Lewandowski and Adam Kszczot, but you don't win major races with 2 guys!
DMR-Men
Again, it comes down to an unknown (to me!) Kenyan team vs a MOSTLY known US squad!
I say "mostly" for a good reason!
Two of the US's runners are also listed as starters (on the FINAL heat sheets issued yesterday!) for the 800 at the Payton Jordan meet.
They are Andy Wheating and Mac Fleet.
I've heard (but not confirmed!) that Wheating is OUT from both meets, due to a recent blister problem!
But what of Fleet?
The rest of the US team SHOULD be enough to win here, even if they have to recruit 1 or 2 from other events!
(Jeremy Wariner??)
There's Kyle Merber, Ben Blankenship, and Will Leer left.
The WR is 9:15.56.
That works out to about 2:50 for the 1200, 45 for the 400, 1:45 for the 800, and 3:55 for the 1600.
(You can shake a second off here, add a second there!)
But again, without SERIOUS competition, that record is safe.
The top of the podium, however, is under USA control!
Although Australia has Ryan Gregson...AND recent Penn Relays 4X1Mile HERO, Jordan Williamsz on their team!!
Can Williamsz do it again....albeit NOT against Ed Cheserek??
NO!
USA by a 4 to 1 margin on the Men's side!!
ZERO for anyone else!
Now let's see how the "dual meet" will go on the Women's side.
4X100-Women
The Jamaican team--at least to my limited knowledge--is up in the air.
WHO is running?
Veronica Campbell-Brown--I THINK---is running.
But not SAFP!
The United States, however, has a VERY strong 4-some!
Carmelita Jeter, Tianna Bartoletta, Jeneba Tarmoh, AND Allyson Felix!!
Caveat: WILL they get the baton around the track??
HUGE question mark (as with the men!)!!
IF they do, and despite no top-notch times so far this year, I can't see the US losing!
Unless Nigeria runs to the top of their game!!
They have Blessing Okagbare and Gloria Asumnu on their team.
But 2 needs 2 more to make 4!
An interesting member of the home team (Bahamas!) is 39 year old Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie!
Is she the female version of Kim Collins?
Michelle Lee Ayhe leads the Trinidad & Tobago team.
Verena Sailer tops the German squad.
Mujinga Kambundji heads the Swiss team.
And Irene Ekeland is on the Swedish 4-some.
But I have to give it to the US!
1-zip, US over Jamaica!
4X200-Women
IF....IF Jamaica has 2 others who can run even with the US, besides VCB and SAFP (who IS running here!), then they'll give the less-than-super US team a race!
Not taking anything away from Kim Duncan, Shalonda Solomon, and High School Pro Kaylin Whitney, none of them can stay with VCB and SAFP at their best!
Question is, WILL those two be at their best?
(Whitney ran a GREAT anchor at Penn in the 4X100!!)
Nigeria has a good team here, with Okagbare, Dominique Duncan, and Regina George, plus someone else.
The Bahamas have Anthonique Strachan and Shaunae Miller!
Kambundji leads Switzerland again!
This one is a toss-up, BUT....I'll give the edge to Jamaica this time.
With SAFP and VCB leading Jamaica, the US has too much catch up to do!
So it's 1 to 1 for the top teams on the women's side!
BTW, I don't see the World or American records going down here!!
4X400-Women
WHY are the other teams here?
To enjoy the beaches, music, and food?
Probably.
While they're doing THAT, the Americans will be winning this event....with EASE!!
How can you deny a US squad that has Jessica Beard, Natasha Hastings, Francena McCorory, and SRR, better known as Sanya Richards-Ross??
Jamaica---I THINK!--will have Novlene Williams-Mills and Stephanie McPherson, but again, you do NOT win a race needing FOUR runners when you have just TWO!
That said, there ARE unknowns here!
Who has dropped out of the Jamaica team...if anyone?
Great Britain also has two good ones, in Seren Bundy-Davies and Shana Cox.
Regina George leads Nigeria again!
But it's the US....by a country mile....so to speak!!
Two to one, US over Jamaica!
4X800-Women
The main question here is--Will the US team go for the American (and Meet) record they set last year?
They need to average 2:00.39 (or very close to that) to get that 8:01.58 AR.
But a team of Maggie Vessey, Chanelle Price, Molly Ludlow, and new mother Alysia Montano CAN run that fast...or even dip under the magic 8:00 barrier!
Question is...What can the unknown (to moi!!) Kenyan women run?
With limited knowledge of them, I'd say the US should have an easy go of it!
And that makes chasing a MAJOR record VERY difficult!
And it doesn't REALLY matter that Ajee Wilson and Brenda Martinez aren't running.
Zoe Buckman runs for Australia.
Sahily Diago leads Cuba.
And Natoya Goule heads Jamaica's team!
But it's really no contest here.
US up by 3 to 1 for the women!
DMR-Women
Sign the others up for margaritas with umbrellas on the beautiful Bahaman beaches near their posh hotels!
Who needs them, when you have the next WORLD Record team at FULL power here?
The United States team of Gabe Grunewald, Treniere Moser, Ajee Wilson, and Shannon Rowbury are capable of going UNDER 10:30!!
That would be 18+ seconds faster than the OUTdoor WR, set by a Villanova team 27 years ago, time of 10:48.38.
And it would be more than 12 seconds better than a NB-US team ran INdoors this year, time of 10:42 and change!
What's needed for a 10:30?
Grunewald needs to run 3:10 over 1200 meters.
Moser (??) runs the 400 in 55.
Wilson does 2:00 for her 800.
And Rowbury would need to anchor the 1600 in 4:25.
Again, you can adjust the times by a second or 2 or 3 for each leg, and still get a 10:30 final time!!
NO ONE will be close at the end.
UNLESS that ubiquitous UNKNOWN (to yours truly, tra la la!) Kenyan team pops a shocker!
I'm guessing they won't!
So, bottom line, that makes the final totals---for the ten races (5 each for the 2 genders)--
Eight to Two, USA over Jamaica!
NO Golds for any other team!!
Will that happen?
Maybe.
Probably not.
(One dropped pass messes everything up!!)
As for records, I see WORLD Records in the Men's 4X200 (close!), Men's 4X800 (maybe!), and the Men's DMR (but probably not!)
So NO guaranteed records on the Men's side.
The Women, however, WILL get the DMR World Record!
The others are safe.
(Although 1 or 2 folks are saying the Jamaican 4X200 Women will snag the WR here!! But not me!)
As for American Records, I see the Men's 4X800 as a slight possibility.
Again, the Women's US DMR team has the WR already checked off their To-Do list!
Well, that does it!
Enjoy the meet.
Or should I say meet(s)??
I'll be watching Flotrack's (hopefully) perfect coverage of the Payton Jordan, but keeping a VERY close eye on the first day results from the Bahamas!
(The PJ meet is a 1 day affair, the Bahamas meet finishes on Sunday!)
See you Sunday evening or early Monday morning with a FULL DETAILED report from the 2 meets, plus whatever else goes down this weekend!
(It's NOT an annual meet, as they're apparently skipping next year!)
But when you've read through the following, you'll see that TWO nations (out of umpteen on the planet) are set to take home most, if not all, of the Gold medals!
I was waiting for the final heat sheets to come out, so I could be certain of who's on which team in what event, BUT....when the first day's entries were released, it only showed the names of the teams, with NO indication of the athletes involved!
Soooooo....I'm going to have to mostly wing it, using the entry lists from a few days ago, not being 100% certain of who might have dropped out, gotten injured, etc.
However, as noted, when you have just TWO teams winning everything (??), not much extra research is necessary.
As with the Payton Jordan preview (See earlier post from today!), I'll go event by event, with the Men first.
But let's begin with the schedule!
Day 1--May 2
(All times are Pacific Time!)
11:00 a.m.--M 4X400 Heats
11:29 a.m.--W 4X200 Heats
11:46 a.m.--M 4X100 Heats
12:09 p.m.--M 4X800 FINAL
12:32 p.m.--W 4X400 Heats
1:02 p.m.---W DMR FINAL
1:29 p.m.---M 4X100 FINAL (B race--I guess they're doing it as a 2-section race!)
1:36 p.m---W 4X200 FINAL
1:52 p.m.---M 4X100 FINAL (A race)
Day 2--May 3
11:00 a.m.--M 4X200 Heats
11:20 a.m.--W 4X100 Heats
11:40 a.m.--W 4X800 FINAL
12:02 p.m.--W 4X400 FINAL (B race)
12:12 p.m.--W 4X400 FINAL (A race)
12:31 p.m.--M DMR FINAL
12:57 p.m.--M 4X400 FINAL (B race)
--M 4X400 FINAL (A race)
1:06 p.m.---M 4X200 FINAL
1:23 p.m.---W 4X100 FINAL (B race)
1:30 p.m.---W 4X100 FINAL (A race)
Okay, now for the serious stuff!
4X100-Men
IF--and it's a HUGE IF!!--the US team passes perfectly, they should win....DESPITE Jamaica having Usain Bolt on anchor!
Jamaica has some other good guys, but the US has FOUR guys who, together, outweigh the brilliance of one man (God??).
It's Gatlin, Gay, Mike Rodgers and Ryan Bailey vs Bolt, Nesta Carter, Kemar Bailey-Cole and a player to be named later!
With PERFECT passing (a MUST!!), I'm giving it to the US by a couple of hairs!
Everybody else should have saved their travel expenses!
That said, Japan has Yoshihide Kiryu, France has Jimmy Vicaut and Chris Lemaitre, Great Britain has Rich Kilty, and Nigeria has Mark Jelks.
One interesting name for Antigua is Rai Benjamin!
Yes, the same Rai Benjamin who tore up INdoor tracks this winter as a HS senior....which he still is!
It appears he holds dual Antigua-USA citizenship!
One person missing is Kim Collins from the St Kitts & Nevis squad!
Nothing personal, it seems--he just had a previously scheduled appointment elsewhere!!
(HA!)
4X200-Men
Jamaica by more hairs than 2!
With Warren Weir and Nickel Ashmeade leading up to Mr Bolt, I have to give Jamaica the edge here, even though the US again has a VERY strong team.
There's Gatlin and Bailey again, plus Wallace Spearmon.
Passes aren't quite as "risky" in this longer race as in the 4X100, so not much to worry about here.
Carvin Nkanata, the guy who ran 20.14 a few weeks ago, leads the Kenyan team, but based on what I know, the other 3 won't help much!
Rai Benjamin is again on the Antigua team.
So that's one each, so far, for the US and Jamaica!
4X400-Men
If someone (literally!) DIES enroute, the US will lose.
However, God forbid that happening, the Americans are a LOCK DELUXE to top the podium here!
With David Verburg, Brycen Spratling, Tony McQuay, and Lashawn Merritt as the US foursome, they appear unbeatable.
One question is whether Jeremy Wariner will run just the heats, or whether he'll run the final!
But whatever their line-up, the USA should take it.
Belgium, of course, has the 3 Borlee's, plus someone else.
Martyn Rooney leads the British team.
Lelonde Gordon heads Trinidad and Tobago's squad.
Chris Brown will be the home team's hero....again (even at age 36!)
Luguelin Santos heads the Dominican Republic 4-some.
And 800 specialist Nijel Amos heads Botswana's team!
Now it's 2 to 1, US over Jamaica, after 3 events!
4X800-Men
I don't know who the Kenyans are.
Oh, I know their names, but have no idea what kind of speed they have.
When you have a team of unknowns, you go with the "other" team.
That "other" team is again the good old US of A.
And they're not half-bad!
There's 5 guys listed, so one will either be just a back-up (in case!), or be transferred to the DMR (or just not run at all!!).
But a team of Robby Andrews, Eric Sowinski, Duane Solomon, Brandon Johnson, and/or Casimir Loxsom won't only win, they COULD threaten the World Record (7:02.43 by Kenya in 2006) and/or the American Record (7:02.82, also in 2006, in the SAME RACE--the Brussels meet!)
To get either record, they'd need to average AT LEAST 1:45.70 per leg (or 1:45.60 for the WR!).
But unless they have a SERIOUS challenger, they'll win, but the record(s) will remain!
It's 3 to 1, US over Jamaica!
Oh, BTW, there ARE other teams in the race!
Ryan Gregson leads the Aussies.
Tim Kiptum is the only known Kenyan name, but I haven't seen his name at or near the top of any lists recently, soooo....!!
Poland does have Marcin Lewandowski and Adam Kszczot, but you don't win major races with 2 guys!
DMR-Men
Again, it comes down to an unknown (to me!) Kenyan team vs a MOSTLY known US squad!
I say "mostly" for a good reason!
Two of the US's runners are also listed as starters (on the FINAL heat sheets issued yesterday!) for the 800 at the Payton Jordan meet.
They are Andy Wheating and Mac Fleet.
I've heard (but not confirmed!) that Wheating is OUT from both meets, due to a recent blister problem!
But what of Fleet?
The rest of the US team SHOULD be enough to win here, even if they have to recruit 1 or 2 from other events!
(Jeremy Wariner??)
There's Kyle Merber, Ben Blankenship, and Will Leer left.
The WR is 9:15.56.
That works out to about 2:50 for the 1200, 45 for the 400, 1:45 for the 800, and 3:55 for the 1600.
(You can shake a second off here, add a second there!)
But again, without SERIOUS competition, that record is safe.
The top of the podium, however, is under USA control!
Although Australia has Ryan Gregson...AND recent Penn Relays 4X1Mile HERO, Jordan Williamsz on their team!!
Can Williamsz do it again....albeit NOT against Ed Cheserek??
NO!
USA by a 4 to 1 margin on the Men's side!!
ZERO for anyone else!
Now let's see how the "dual meet" will go on the Women's side.
4X100-Women
The Jamaican team--at least to my limited knowledge--is up in the air.
WHO is running?
Veronica Campbell-Brown--I THINK---is running.
But not SAFP!
The United States, however, has a VERY strong 4-some!
Carmelita Jeter, Tianna Bartoletta, Jeneba Tarmoh, AND Allyson Felix!!
Caveat: WILL they get the baton around the track??
HUGE question mark (as with the men!)!!
IF they do, and despite no top-notch times so far this year, I can't see the US losing!
Unless Nigeria runs to the top of their game!!
They have Blessing Okagbare and Gloria Asumnu on their team.
But 2 needs 2 more to make 4!
An interesting member of the home team (Bahamas!) is 39 year old Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie!
Is she the female version of Kim Collins?
Michelle Lee Ayhe leads the Trinidad & Tobago team.
Verena Sailer tops the German squad.
Mujinga Kambundji heads the Swiss team.
And Irene Ekeland is on the Swedish 4-some.
But I have to give it to the US!
1-zip, US over Jamaica!
4X200-Women
IF....IF Jamaica has 2 others who can run even with the US, besides VCB and SAFP (who IS running here!), then they'll give the less-than-super US team a race!
Not taking anything away from Kim Duncan, Shalonda Solomon, and High School Pro Kaylin Whitney, none of them can stay with VCB and SAFP at their best!
Question is, WILL those two be at their best?
(Whitney ran a GREAT anchor at Penn in the 4X100!!)
Nigeria has a good team here, with Okagbare, Dominique Duncan, and Regina George, plus someone else.
The Bahamas have Anthonique Strachan and Shaunae Miller!
Kambundji leads Switzerland again!
This one is a toss-up, BUT....I'll give the edge to Jamaica this time.
With SAFP and VCB leading Jamaica, the US has too much catch up to do!
So it's 1 to 1 for the top teams on the women's side!
BTW, I don't see the World or American records going down here!!
4X400-Women
WHY are the other teams here?
To enjoy the beaches, music, and food?
Probably.
While they're doing THAT, the Americans will be winning this event....with EASE!!
How can you deny a US squad that has Jessica Beard, Natasha Hastings, Francena McCorory, and SRR, better known as Sanya Richards-Ross??
Jamaica---I THINK!--will have Novlene Williams-Mills and Stephanie McPherson, but again, you do NOT win a race needing FOUR runners when you have just TWO!
That said, there ARE unknowns here!
Who has dropped out of the Jamaica team...if anyone?
Great Britain also has two good ones, in Seren Bundy-Davies and Shana Cox.
Regina George leads Nigeria again!
But it's the US....by a country mile....so to speak!!
Two to one, US over Jamaica!
4X800-Women
The main question here is--Will the US team go for the American (and Meet) record they set last year?
They need to average 2:00.39 (or very close to that) to get that 8:01.58 AR.
But a team of Maggie Vessey, Chanelle Price, Molly Ludlow, and new mother Alysia Montano CAN run that fast...or even dip under the magic 8:00 barrier!
Question is...What can the unknown (to moi!!) Kenyan women run?
With limited knowledge of them, I'd say the US should have an easy go of it!
And that makes chasing a MAJOR record VERY difficult!
And it doesn't REALLY matter that Ajee Wilson and Brenda Martinez aren't running.
Zoe Buckman runs for Australia.
Sahily Diago leads Cuba.
And Natoya Goule heads Jamaica's team!
But it's really no contest here.
US up by 3 to 1 for the women!
DMR-Women
Sign the others up for margaritas with umbrellas on the beautiful Bahaman beaches near their posh hotels!
Who needs them, when you have the next WORLD Record team at FULL power here?
The United States team of Gabe Grunewald, Treniere Moser, Ajee Wilson, and Shannon Rowbury are capable of going UNDER 10:30!!
That would be 18+ seconds faster than the OUTdoor WR, set by a Villanova team 27 years ago, time of 10:48.38.
And it would be more than 12 seconds better than a NB-US team ran INdoors this year, time of 10:42 and change!
What's needed for a 10:30?
Grunewald needs to run 3:10 over 1200 meters.
Moser (??) runs the 400 in 55.
Wilson does 2:00 for her 800.
And Rowbury would need to anchor the 1600 in 4:25.
Again, you can adjust the times by a second or 2 or 3 for each leg, and still get a 10:30 final time!!
NO ONE will be close at the end.
UNLESS that ubiquitous UNKNOWN (to yours truly, tra la la!) Kenyan team pops a shocker!
I'm guessing they won't!
So, bottom line, that makes the final totals---for the ten races (5 each for the 2 genders)--
Eight to Two, USA over Jamaica!
NO Golds for any other team!!
Will that happen?
Maybe.
Probably not.
(One dropped pass messes everything up!!)
As for records, I see WORLD Records in the Men's 4X200 (close!), Men's 4X800 (maybe!), and the Men's DMR (but probably not!)
So NO guaranteed records on the Men's side.
The Women, however, WILL get the DMR World Record!
The others are safe.
(Although 1 or 2 folks are saying the Jamaican 4X200 Women will snag the WR here!! But not me!)
As for American Records, I see the Men's 4X800 as a slight possibility.
Again, the Women's US DMR team has the WR already checked off their To-Do list!
Well, that does it!
Enjoy the meet.
Or should I say meet(s)??
I'll be watching Flotrack's (hopefully) perfect coverage of the Payton Jordan, but keeping a VERY close eye on the first day results from the Bahamas!
(The PJ meet is a 1 day affair, the Bahamas meet finishes on Sunday!)
See you Sunday evening or early Monday morning with a FULL DETAILED report from the 2 meets, plus whatever else goes down this weekend!
Stanford is all about DISTANCE
It's the Payton Jordan Invitational, held on the campus where he coached for many years, and it's tomorrow!
About 8 hours of non-stop action, most of it centered on distance running, from the 800 to the 10000.
Following is my preview of who's running what, and whether we can expect any records or list-making marks.
The weather should be perfect.
Most of the athletes have already run fast this year, and seek to run faster (or in different events).
This Stanford meet always produces a legion of fast times, and deep fields.
I'll be watching via Flotrack's livestream.
My preview follows, event by event, men first.
800-Men
Section 1 is the big race.
BUT there's some confusion as to who's running, DESPITE having the final heat sheets stating Andy Wheating and Mac Fleet are among the stars.
You see, they're ALSO listed for tomorrow's World Relays DMR team for the USA!
Obviously, they can't be both places!
If they're not here, Ed Kemboi and Mark Wieczorek will be the ones to watch.
Don't expect any super fast times.
Maybe 1:45, but more likely closer to 1:46.
Section 2 has Tomas Squella.
Section 3 has Richard Jones.
1500-Men
Section 1 is loaded! Lawi Lalang, Nate Brannen, Evan Jager, and Ryan Hill lead the field.
But watch out also for Christian Soratos, Andy Bayer, and Jack Bolas.
Brannen probably will NOT get Kevin Sullivan's National record for Canada!
Jager and Hill could get times good enough for my Top 24 US list (3:34.25 is needed!).
Section 2 has Nick Symmonds, German Fernandez, Robby Creese, and Kirubel Erassa.
Symmonds & Fernandez are also NOT yet on the US list!
Section 3 has 3 former or current HSers to watch.
Ben Saarel and Blake Haney, Collegiates, will be facing Grant Fisher.
24th on the Collegiate list is 3:37.33.
Fisher isn't yet on the OUTdoor 1500 list, but might be more interested in topping the 2015 HS leader, Matt Maton's 3:42.54--which is worth a sub-4:00 mile!!
They'll have Chad Noelle to lead the way.
3000SC-Men
Section 1 has a clear favorite, Dan Huling.
Stan Kebenai and Ben Bruce are in this section too.
Kebenai has an 8:24.95 PR from 2013.
There's no really elite runners in Section 3, but there IS a guy whose NAME......well, let's just say it fits this event really well.
His name is....TRIPP HURT.
He runs for Furman University.
5000-Men
Section 1 is the biggie.
Lopez Lomong is the former INdoor AR holder.
But he'll be challenged by Diego Estrada, Garrett Heath, Trevor Dunbar, David Torrence, and Will Leer, who is looking to run a LOT faster than his 13:20 PR!
Two foreigners will be serious contenders.
They are Jamaica's Kemoy Campbell and Norway's Henrik Ingebrigtsen.
In fact, Ingebrigtsen could easily be considered the favorite!.
I could see a possible sub-13:00 here, but only IF they work together the ENTIRE way, and push the pace, no "strategizing"!
Section 2 has Cory Leslie and Sean McGorty.
Missing is Galen Rupp, as the NOP crew pulled out, with the excuse of "schedule changes".
10000-Men
Section 1 has the real elites.
Watch mainly for Ben True, whose 27:41.17 PR from 2012 is just 22nd on the US list.
He COULD move way up!
Bobby Curtis, Mo Ahmed, Shadrack Kipchirchir, Ryan Vail, Hassan Mead, Jake Riley, Paul Shrader, Tyler Pennel, and Parker Stinson could run good times too, as well as Great Britain's Andy Vernon.
If True runs up to his potential, a sub-27:00 is possible.
Most likely, we'll see a bunch of sub-27:40's, with True maybe at 27:15 to 27:20.
The Women have lots to offer too!
Let's take a look!
800-Women
Section 1 has Natalya Piliusina, Claudia Saunders, and Melissa Bishop.
But watch for INdoor 600 gal, Hanna Green, whose 1:28.78 promises a fast 800.
Section 2 has Lynsey Harper and Maddie Berkson.
But don't expect any sub-2:00's here.
1500-Women
Section 1, as always, has most of the big names.
If she'd shown a bit more so far in her Frosh year at Stanford, I'd list Elise Cranny as the clear favorite.
But alas, she's run hot and cold...so to speak.
So watch for Stephanie Charnigo, who shone INdoors, Stephanie Schappert, Cory McGee, Brie Felnagle, Kate Van Buskirk, and Katrina Coogan to offer a challenge to Cranny.
A dark horse could be Villanova's Angel Piccirillo, who ran some great relay legs at Penn last week!
Cranny and Piccirillo would need to run 4:10.79 or faster to make the A-T Collegiate list!
Mary Cain, who will NOT run here (See NOP note above!), is in 24th place on the US list.
I doubt anyone will displace her here!
Section 2 has Hillary Stellingwerf and Viola Lagat.
But it also has Phoebe Wright, who took 3rd in that VERY loaded 13 woman 800 field at Drake last week!
If she's RACING (instead of pacing!), look for a possible 1500 PR from her.
I believe it's in the 4:08 zone now.
Section 3 has USATF INdoor 1000 winner Lauren Wallace of Oiselle leading the way.
Sarah Feeny, a Collegiate Frosh, ran a 4:39 Mile last year in HS.
But a CURRENT HSer is one to watch!
Remember Cranny's big breakthrough happened right here in 2013, when she ran 4:15.07 in a field of Collegiates.
Another Colorado HSer, Katie Rainsberger---just an 11th Grader!--could come close to that time!
She's that talented!
Bridget Franek is either pacing this section, or looking for a good fast prep for her Steeplechase season!
Section 4 has another renowned Steepler in Shalaya Kipp! Is she also looking at this as a speed test?
3000SC-Women
Section 1 has Aisha Praught, Colleen Quigley, and Courtney Frerichs, as well as Puerto Rico's Bev Ramos.
I'd look for a definite sub-9:40 time here.
Frerichs's 9:49.06 PR is now 24th on the Collegiate list.
Will she move up...and how far?
Quigley's PR is 9:38.23.
But Praught and Ramos should be the top 2.
Jamie Cheever will headline Section 2.
But is she anywhere near her 9:29.13 shape from 2013?
Haven't seen any evidence of that!
5000-Women
Section 1, natch, has most of the stars.
Sally Kipyego is the clear leader.
Last year, she ran the 10K in 30:42, winning over Molly Huddle's 30:47.
That time is equivalent to about 14:45 to 14:50.
She's run faster.
How fast does she WANT to go?
If Sally guns it, no one will stay close!
It would be a solo race against time.
If she's closer to 15:00 or 15:10, look for Betsy Saina, Marielle Hall, and Katie Mackey to be her main challengers.
But a few others offer intriguing possibilities!
Namely, former Collegiate standout Abbey D'Agostino, in what I believe is her first SERIOUS track 5000 since she left Dartmouth.
But look also for CURRENT Collegiate star Dominique Scott to challenge.
Rachel Johnson might run good, as well as Ashley Higginson, normally a Steepler, and Angela Bizzari.
Erin Finn is also in this section, but she's still emerging from injury, despite her 15:41 from a week or so ago, so don't expect her to run up to her 15:26 PR from last year!
Yet!
Section 2 offers some intriguing names too.
But it looks like Chelsea Reilly, Stephanie Garcia, and Juliet Bottorff will be the leaders of this section.
Sheila Reid, the Canadian star, is coming back from injury, and this is, I believe, her first race back!
She's CAPABLE of a 15:00 time, but I highly doubt she's READY for it!
Last but certainly not least (in the intriguing category) is HS Pro Alexa Efraimson.
Formerly entered in the 1500 also, she's now listed ONLY in the 5000.
Whatever she runs, she'll set the HS PRO record!
The "amateur" HSR is, of course, Mary Cain's 15:45.46 from 2013.
I'm predicting a time of UNDER 15:30 for Efraimson!
She ran 1500 in 4:09.43 at Mt SAC, and looked good doing so.
IMHO, she's capable of surpassing Cain's amateur AND Professional times in everything but the 800---NOW!!
So if the pace is right, and if she goes after it, a VERY fast time is possible!
Section 3 has the Collegiate Record holder, Lisa Uhl, in it.
But she's had some problems the past year or 2, so what she runs here is a BIG question mark!
Alice Wright, Christine Babcock, and Stanford's Sophie Chase might offer a challenge.
10000-Women
Section 1 leads the way.
I don't know if she's doubling, but Betsy Saina is listed here, as well as in the 5000.
Buze Diriba could be the winner here.
Others who could challenge are Neeley Spence Gracey, Alisha Williams, Emily Infeld, Alexi Pappas, as well as a few ladies better known as Half and Full Marathoners, namely Meghan Peyton, Kellyn Taylor, and Canada's Marathon record holder, Lanni Marchant, who said she was disappointed with her 32:11 at Mt SAC, and might be seeking the Canadian National record of 31:44 and change!
Susan Kuijken of the Netherlands has run 15:04 for 5000, so might be ready for a 31:00 10K.
But there's also a "race within a race" here!
I'm talking about the race to beat Uhl's Collegiate Record of 31:18.07 from 2010.
Emma Bates has said she wants it!
But Brit Kate Avery might have something to say about that!
And do NOT overlook Emily Sisson, who got the INdoor Collegiate record in the 5K this winter!
She appears VERY ready to go after the CR here!
Hopefully, they won't get locked into a strategic race for 2015 Collegiate supremacy instead!!
IF they SERIOUSLY go for it, and maybe even HELP each other through the first 8000 or so, then that record is VERY likely to go down!!
The last character is this drama WAS an excellent Collegiate 10K girl!
Her name is Natosha Rogers.
She sort of disappeared after winning the 2012 NCAA 10K in 32:41 and change, then blasting through to a 31:59 in the Olympic Trials race.
This is her first KNOWN race back!
Section 2 offers Megan Goethals as the big name.
But watch out for Marathoners Serena Burla and Mattie Suver.
Whether my predictions come true or not, expect some real fireworks, and MASSIVE 2015 list adjustments at this always HOT meet.....and I ain't talking about the weather!!
My World Relays preview will follow in a few hours!
About 8 hours of non-stop action, most of it centered on distance running, from the 800 to the 10000.
Following is my preview of who's running what, and whether we can expect any records or list-making marks.
The weather should be perfect.
Most of the athletes have already run fast this year, and seek to run faster (or in different events).
This Stanford meet always produces a legion of fast times, and deep fields.
I'll be watching via Flotrack's livestream.
My preview follows, event by event, men first.
800-Men
Section 1 is the big race.
BUT there's some confusion as to who's running, DESPITE having the final heat sheets stating Andy Wheating and Mac Fleet are among the stars.
You see, they're ALSO listed for tomorrow's World Relays DMR team for the USA!
Obviously, they can't be both places!
If they're not here, Ed Kemboi and Mark Wieczorek will be the ones to watch.
Don't expect any super fast times.
Maybe 1:45, but more likely closer to 1:46.
Section 2 has Tomas Squella.
Section 3 has Richard Jones.
1500-Men
Section 1 is loaded! Lawi Lalang, Nate Brannen, Evan Jager, and Ryan Hill lead the field.
But watch out also for Christian Soratos, Andy Bayer, and Jack Bolas.
Brannen probably will NOT get Kevin Sullivan's National record for Canada!
Jager and Hill could get times good enough for my Top 24 US list (3:34.25 is needed!).
Section 2 has Nick Symmonds, German Fernandez, Robby Creese, and Kirubel Erassa.
Symmonds & Fernandez are also NOT yet on the US list!
Section 3 has 3 former or current HSers to watch.
Ben Saarel and Blake Haney, Collegiates, will be facing Grant Fisher.
24th on the Collegiate list is 3:37.33.
Fisher isn't yet on the OUTdoor 1500 list, but might be more interested in topping the 2015 HS leader, Matt Maton's 3:42.54--which is worth a sub-4:00 mile!!
They'll have Chad Noelle to lead the way.
3000SC-Men
Section 1 has a clear favorite, Dan Huling.
Stan Kebenai and Ben Bruce are in this section too.
Kebenai has an 8:24.95 PR from 2013.
There's no really elite runners in Section 3, but there IS a guy whose NAME......well, let's just say it fits this event really well.
His name is....TRIPP HURT.
He runs for Furman University.
5000-Men
Section 1 is the biggie.
Lopez Lomong is the former INdoor AR holder.
But he'll be challenged by Diego Estrada, Garrett Heath, Trevor Dunbar, David Torrence, and Will Leer, who is looking to run a LOT faster than his 13:20 PR!
Two foreigners will be serious contenders.
They are Jamaica's Kemoy Campbell and Norway's Henrik Ingebrigtsen.
In fact, Ingebrigtsen could easily be considered the favorite!.
I could see a possible sub-13:00 here, but only IF they work together the ENTIRE way, and push the pace, no "strategizing"!
Section 2 has Cory Leslie and Sean McGorty.
Missing is Galen Rupp, as the NOP crew pulled out, with the excuse of "schedule changes".
10000-Men
Section 1 has the real elites.
Watch mainly for Ben True, whose 27:41.17 PR from 2012 is just 22nd on the US list.
He COULD move way up!
Bobby Curtis, Mo Ahmed, Shadrack Kipchirchir, Ryan Vail, Hassan Mead, Jake Riley, Paul Shrader, Tyler Pennel, and Parker Stinson could run good times too, as well as Great Britain's Andy Vernon.
If True runs up to his potential, a sub-27:00 is possible.
Most likely, we'll see a bunch of sub-27:40's, with True maybe at 27:15 to 27:20.
The Women have lots to offer too!
Let's take a look!
800-Women
Section 1 has Natalya Piliusina, Claudia Saunders, and Melissa Bishop.
But watch for INdoor 600 gal, Hanna Green, whose 1:28.78 promises a fast 800.
Section 2 has Lynsey Harper and Maddie Berkson.
But don't expect any sub-2:00's here.
1500-Women
Section 1, as always, has most of the big names.
If she'd shown a bit more so far in her Frosh year at Stanford, I'd list Elise Cranny as the clear favorite.
But alas, she's run hot and cold...so to speak.
So watch for Stephanie Charnigo, who shone INdoors, Stephanie Schappert, Cory McGee, Brie Felnagle, Kate Van Buskirk, and Katrina Coogan to offer a challenge to Cranny.
A dark horse could be Villanova's Angel Piccirillo, who ran some great relay legs at Penn last week!
Cranny and Piccirillo would need to run 4:10.79 or faster to make the A-T Collegiate list!
Mary Cain, who will NOT run here (See NOP note above!), is in 24th place on the US list.
I doubt anyone will displace her here!
Section 2 has Hillary Stellingwerf and Viola Lagat.
But it also has Phoebe Wright, who took 3rd in that VERY loaded 13 woman 800 field at Drake last week!
If she's RACING (instead of pacing!), look for a possible 1500 PR from her.
I believe it's in the 4:08 zone now.
Section 3 has USATF INdoor 1000 winner Lauren Wallace of Oiselle leading the way.
Sarah Feeny, a Collegiate Frosh, ran a 4:39 Mile last year in HS.
But a CURRENT HSer is one to watch!
Remember Cranny's big breakthrough happened right here in 2013, when she ran 4:15.07 in a field of Collegiates.
Another Colorado HSer, Katie Rainsberger---just an 11th Grader!--could come close to that time!
She's that talented!
Bridget Franek is either pacing this section, or looking for a good fast prep for her Steeplechase season!
Section 4 has another renowned Steepler in Shalaya Kipp! Is she also looking at this as a speed test?
3000SC-Women
Section 1 has Aisha Praught, Colleen Quigley, and Courtney Frerichs, as well as Puerto Rico's Bev Ramos.
I'd look for a definite sub-9:40 time here.
Frerichs's 9:49.06 PR is now 24th on the Collegiate list.
Will she move up...and how far?
Quigley's PR is 9:38.23.
But Praught and Ramos should be the top 2.
Jamie Cheever will headline Section 2.
But is she anywhere near her 9:29.13 shape from 2013?
Haven't seen any evidence of that!
5000-Women
Section 1, natch, has most of the stars.
Sally Kipyego is the clear leader.
Last year, she ran the 10K in 30:42, winning over Molly Huddle's 30:47.
That time is equivalent to about 14:45 to 14:50.
She's run faster.
How fast does she WANT to go?
If Sally guns it, no one will stay close!
It would be a solo race against time.
If she's closer to 15:00 or 15:10, look for Betsy Saina, Marielle Hall, and Katie Mackey to be her main challengers.
But a few others offer intriguing possibilities!
Namely, former Collegiate standout Abbey D'Agostino, in what I believe is her first SERIOUS track 5000 since she left Dartmouth.
But look also for CURRENT Collegiate star Dominique Scott to challenge.
Rachel Johnson might run good, as well as Ashley Higginson, normally a Steepler, and Angela Bizzari.
Erin Finn is also in this section, but she's still emerging from injury, despite her 15:41 from a week or so ago, so don't expect her to run up to her 15:26 PR from last year!
Yet!
Section 2 offers some intriguing names too.
But it looks like Chelsea Reilly, Stephanie Garcia, and Juliet Bottorff will be the leaders of this section.
Sheila Reid, the Canadian star, is coming back from injury, and this is, I believe, her first race back!
She's CAPABLE of a 15:00 time, but I highly doubt she's READY for it!
Last but certainly not least (in the intriguing category) is HS Pro Alexa Efraimson.
Formerly entered in the 1500 also, she's now listed ONLY in the 5000.
Whatever she runs, she'll set the HS PRO record!
The "amateur" HSR is, of course, Mary Cain's 15:45.46 from 2013.
I'm predicting a time of UNDER 15:30 for Efraimson!
She ran 1500 in 4:09.43 at Mt SAC, and looked good doing so.
IMHO, she's capable of surpassing Cain's amateur AND Professional times in everything but the 800---NOW!!
So if the pace is right, and if she goes after it, a VERY fast time is possible!
Section 3 has the Collegiate Record holder, Lisa Uhl, in it.
But she's had some problems the past year or 2, so what she runs here is a BIG question mark!
Alice Wright, Christine Babcock, and Stanford's Sophie Chase might offer a challenge.
10000-Women
Section 1 leads the way.
I don't know if she's doubling, but Betsy Saina is listed here, as well as in the 5000.
Buze Diriba could be the winner here.
Others who could challenge are Neeley Spence Gracey, Alisha Williams, Emily Infeld, Alexi Pappas, as well as a few ladies better known as Half and Full Marathoners, namely Meghan Peyton, Kellyn Taylor, and Canada's Marathon record holder, Lanni Marchant, who said she was disappointed with her 32:11 at Mt SAC, and might be seeking the Canadian National record of 31:44 and change!
Susan Kuijken of the Netherlands has run 15:04 for 5000, so might be ready for a 31:00 10K.
But there's also a "race within a race" here!
I'm talking about the race to beat Uhl's Collegiate Record of 31:18.07 from 2010.
Emma Bates has said she wants it!
But Brit Kate Avery might have something to say about that!
And do NOT overlook Emily Sisson, who got the INdoor Collegiate record in the 5K this winter!
She appears VERY ready to go after the CR here!
Hopefully, they won't get locked into a strategic race for 2015 Collegiate supremacy instead!!
IF they SERIOUSLY go for it, and maybe even HELP each other through the first 8000 or so, then that record is VERY likely to go down!!
The last character is this drama WAS an excellent Collegiate 10K girl!
Her name is Natosha Rogers.
She sort of disappeared after winning the 2012 NCAA 10K in 32:41 and change, then blasting through to a 31:59 in the Olympic Trials race.
This is her first KNOWN race back!
Section 2 offers Megan Goethals as the big name.
But watch out for Marathoners Serena Burla and Mattie Suver.
Whether my predictions come true or not, expect some real fireworks, and MASSIVE 2015 list adjustments at this always HOT meet.....and I ain't talking about the weather!!
My World Relays preview will follow in a few hours!
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Payne loses, but gets CR
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!
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!
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?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)