Fair or foul: Centro kicks for the half-mile prime at 5th Avenue Mile even though he makes north of 500k per year

kmaclam wrote:

GettingFasterDude wrote:

I'm not fast enough to drop a 1:58 at the half of a mile race. I'm lucky if I win a 2nd place mini-pumpkin pie at a local turkey trot. But if I had the talent for a shameless money grab like this, I sure as hell would do it. I say, "Good for you, Centro." A day will come where Centro is lucky to run a 1:58 quarter, let alone a 14th at the 5th Avenue Mile. Time moves quicker than any of us think it will. So he should enjoy the hell out of any little nugget he can, while it lasts.

You nailed it! Shameless indeed.. The guy is a frigg'in millionaire. At most, that 'bonus' represented .001 of Cento's net worth (assuming he's already pissed away at least 3/4 the monies he's made).

It's how he makes his money. It's his job.

Lebron James is billionaire. He still picks up his game checks and playoff bonuses, is that shameless?

Question

What were his splits?

I found it about as funny as when Webb went for the 5K bonus when the NYRR hosted the 8K champs in CP one year.

Honestly though, I thought it was great when Webb did it, b/c it showed he wanted to compete for EVERYTHING. Not sure I see the same competitive spirit in Centro but still think it's well within his prerogative to go for something like that. If someone else wants it more, there's a very easy solution to the problem.

↑↑ High School Logic on display ↑↑

Did webb finish in the top 14 of that race?

Hardly a fast split to 800m so why not nip ahead. His income is irrelevant. He's won Olympic gold and does not have to prove anything to us losers. Some at least acknowledge that not try to knock an athlete past his peak.

astute observer wrote:

David Monti wrote:

Just a few meters later, 2016 Olympic 1500m champion Matthew Centrowitz --wearing pink racing shoes-- eased to the front on the west side of the roadway next to Hoare, surged hard, and picked up the halfway bonus in about 1:58. Centrowitz, who won on Fifth Avenue in 2012, had never gone for the prime before.

"Around 700 (meters into the race) I felt kind of good," Centrowitz told Race Results Weekly. "I thought, why not go for it? It was fun."

Thoughts? I thought it was totally bush league but then realized, "His Nike contract is going to get so reduced next year, he's probably going to feel like he needs all those dollars."

https://www.letsrun.com/news/2021/09/rrw-great-day-for-scotland-as-jemma-reekie-jake-wightman-prevail-at-new-balance-fifth-avenue-mile/

Would've been really cool if he donated the money to a 9/11 charity.

Hmmm...

No more of that Shelby H poontang, so he has to have some pleasures in life

stick ball wrote:

kmaclam wrote:

You nailed it! Shameless indeed.. The guy is a frigg'in millionaire. At most, that 'bonus' represented .001 of Cento's net worth (assuming he's already pissed away at least 3/4 the monies he's made).

It's how he makes his money. It's his job.

Lebron James is billionaire. He still picks up his game checks and playoff bonuses, is that shameless?

Great analogy! Mea maxima culpa. I stand corrected.

3:50 off of 1:58?

Centro cannot run this fast.

He ran a 61 after surging from 700m to 800m. Were they running 65 pace from 400m to 700m?

astute observer wrote:

David Monti wrote:

Just a few meters later, 2016 Olympic 1500m champion Matthew Centrowitz --wearing pink racing shoes-- eased to the front on the west side of the roadway next to Hoare, surged hard, and picked up the halfway bonus in about 1:58. Centrowitz, who won on Fifth Avenue in 2012, had never gone for the prime before.

"Around 700 (meters into the race) I felt kind of good," Centrowitz told Race Results Weekly. "I thought, why not go for it? It was fun."

Thoughts? I thought it was totally bush league but then realized, "His Nike contract is going to get so reduced next year, he's probably going to feel like he needs all those dollars."

https://www.letsrun.com/news/2021/09/rrw-great-day-for-scotland-as-jemma-reekie-jake-wightman-prevail-at-new-balance-fifth-avenue-mile/

Who?

I've never 'liked' centro but come on the prime is part of the race - any sort of clean running makes the prime fair game for anyone on the startline. Totally legit for centro to grab it.

Unclassy would have been let some other lad get the breadcrumbs. He showed respect and acted as if he was in the same league as the others by going for the money as if he was a unsponsored pro living in a van in Boulder with 0 income under poverty baseline.

astute observer wrote:

Thoughts? I thought it was totally bush league but then realized, "His Nike contract is going to get so reduced next year, he's probably going to feel like he needs all those dollars."

https://www.letsrun.com/news/2021/09/rrw-great-day-for-scotland-as-jemma-reekie-jake-wightman-prevail-at-new-balance-fifth-avenue-mile/

Bush league? So, someone can't run in an exhibition race for fun, or isn't allowed to be competitive just because they have a big shoe contract? You make it sound like he's running in Nick Symmonds' challenges to win the $100. So, if he isn't "allowed" to go for the prime, who in that race is allowed? This isn't even worth discussing in a running forum.

wejo wrote:

kmaclam wrote:

You're standing around with 16 of your running buddies, contemporaries, peeps, whatever, and you are By Far the most well off of all of them. As a matter of fact, some don't even have a shoe sponsor and are running completely unattached. Someone "hands out" a thousand dollars and you snatch it first. Maybe since it's not the 70s anymore, 'classy' has taken on a new meaning? (This coming from a long time Centro fan who ran against his Dad numerous times at the Armory)

They aren't handing out $1,000. They are giving it o the first athelte through the half mile. Someone else could have tried to get it but didn't.

+1

If NYRR's intent is to give an unattached guy some cash, they can hire him to rabbit. The prime is not a grant, it's a competitive prize. If the A-list guys can't be bothered, then it's some B-list guy's lucky day.

It's not a question of "fair or foul", but "smart or dumb."

800 critic3 wrote:

They should actually leave it literally on the road, a loaf of singles.. That would tell us who really wants it. And you still have to run under 4:05 to keep it.

Ratings would be 10X

That would be awesome! You could even have two or three of them out there, differing amounts, and not tell them how much is in each stack.

They invited him to race. The invite was not conditional. It was not "Yes please come but do not go for the half mile prime."

If he felt good there was no reason not to go for it.

"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush..."

Its not like he went balls out from the start to get it, and then jogged to the finish.

A confident runner and Olympic gold medalist would believe they are good enough to take the prime and also win the race overall.

kmaclam wrote:

You're standing around with 16 of your running buddies, contemporaries, peeps, whatever, and you are By Far the most well off of all of them. As a matter of fact, some don't even have a shoe sponsor and are running completely unattached. Someone "hands out" a thousand dollars and you snatch it first. Maybe since it's not the 70s anymore, 'classy' has taken on a new meaning? (This coming from a long time Centro fan who ran against his Dad numerous times at the Armory)

This is like saying Kipchoge should let someone else win. Or no Westerner should try to outrun an unknown East African. They could take care of their own village! and you already have a condo.

stick ball wrote:

kmaclam wrote:

You nailed it! Shameless indeed.. The guy is a frigg'in millionaire. At most, that 'bonus' represented .001 of Cento's net worth (assuming he's already pissed away at least 3/4 the monies he's made).

It's how he makes his money. It's his job.

Lebron James is billionaire. He still picks up his game checks and playoff bonuses, is that shameless?

I meant shameless in the best possible way. He should take the money with no shame, as I would have if I was able to earn it, as Centro did.