Our race recap is here:http://www.letsrun.com/news/2015/04/villanovas-jordan-williamsz-takes-down-oregons-edward-cheserek-in-riveting-but-bizarre-mens-4-x-mile-at-2015-penn-relays/
avidviewer wrote:
Those tactics in the Penn men's 4x1 Mile were the most ridiculous I've ever seen. They almost came to a stop. Oregon deserved to lose. The entire Oregon program should be humiliated. That was ugly.
and
Old Ultra Guy wrote:
Does any coach advise racing, in a major event, like we just saw Ches?
You let everyone back in the race just jogging along, that's when someone steps on your heel, and then you are down on the track in last place.
I can't imagine the blow-back I would have gotten in HS or college if I had run a leg like Ches just did.
I disagree. First of all as a fan. I LOVED THE ANCHOR. SO INTERESTING AND FUN TO WATCH. Time trials are what killing the sport spectator
In terms of tactics, I think you guys are wrong about this one. I thought pretty much everyone tried to so smart things. First of all, at the end of leg #3, the nova guy handed off in 2nd on purporse.
Then on the anchor, cheserek tried to MAKE williamsz lead. He ran the first turn in lane 2 and williamsz smartly refused to lead. Cheserek thought if he slowed it up, eventually someone else would lead. No one really did.
Why would Cheserek have any reason to doubt his kick? HEs' the NCAA mile champion. He's won everything the exact same way - wait until 300 or 200 to go and then kill it.
He didn't let anyone else in it. Yes, he could have fallen. But the fact of the matter is he was going to beat everyone in that race but Williamsz. The two 3:36 guys got the sticks together 4 seconds up on everyone else. They can outkick everyone in that field no matter if it's a 3:50, 4:00, 4:10, 4:20 or 4:30 race.
In hindsight, yes, i can say, he should have made the pace more honest or kicked from farther out. But that's easy to say now. If he leads in to the wind , he's basicallyi rabbiting another 3:36 guy. If he lost that way, you critics would be ripping him for that.
A fun race.
Can we say though after this loss today that Eric Jenkins definitely beat him indoors ?
Speaking of Jenkins, where the hell is he? Is he hurt?