Normally I am critical of these sit and kick races, especially at USA trials where there is pretty much a blanket PB-wise, and only half the field are traditional kickers. The other half MUST push the pace if they want to go to the Olympics...and yet they never do. For fear or ego I do not know.
But at this indoor national mile you had two guys who were miles better than the field. The hotter the pace the better for them and the worse for everyone else. You also had a bunch of guys doubling and tripling. Therefore the best strategy for everyone was to sit.
Ensuring a sit and kick meant numerous variables came into play. There could be a fall. A top guy could get boxed in. Or maybe even DQ'd. Positioning at the bell would be more important than kick. And guys could double back with fresher legs to help their team's title-chances in additional events. YOU might not like it, but it was the smartest race to run for everyone.
That’s still a pathetic time. It means we don’t know who the fastest really is.
They all had a choice as to what the pace would be. Their passivity was a choice. The best man on the day won the race. Deal with it.
Yes. This is exactly what racing is- the best on that day. Fernando Mamede could time trial a world record but would DNF a championship race because he couldn't take the pressure.
Some of these young kids have to understand that ultimately, it's about who wins. Otherwise every race that isn't a record of some kind is a bad race.
Normally I am critical of these sit and kick races, especially at USA trials where there is pretty much a blanket PB-wise, and only half the field are traditional kickers. The other half MUST push the pace if they want to go to the Olympics...and yet they never do. For fear or ego I do not know.
But at this indoor national mile you had two guys who were miles better than the field. The hotter the pace the better for them and the worse for everyone else. You also had a bunch of guys doubling and tripling. Therefore the best strategy for everyone was to sit.
Ensuring a sit and kick meant numerous variables came into play. There could be a fall. A top guy could get boxed in. Or maybe even DQ'd. Positioning at the bell would be more important than kick. And guys could double back with fresher legs to help their team's title-chances in additional events. YOU might not like it, but it was the smartest race to run for everyone.
Craig Masback once said- this strategy is a good strategy for only one person in the race.
Normally I am critical of these sit and kick races, especially at USA trials where there is pretty much a blanket PB-wise, and only half the field are traditional kickers. The other half MUST push the pace if they want to go to the Olympics...and yet they never do. For fear or ego I do not know.
But at this indoor national mile you had two guys who were miles better than the field. The hotter the pace the better for them and the worse for everyone else. You also had a bunch of guys doubling and tripling. Therefore the best strategy for everyone was to sit.
Ensuring a sit and kick meant numerous variables came into play. There could be a fall. A top guy could get boxed in. Or maybe even DQ'd. Positioning at the bell would be more important than kick. And guys could double back with fresher legs to help their team's title-chances in additional events. YOU might not like it, but it was the smartest race to run for everyone.
Craig Masback once said- this strategy is a good strategy for only one person in the race.
But, they all chose to take that chance.
That's an interesting but strange quote.
Because here, for example, sit and kick was the best choice for at least 6 people: the top three best milers in the field, who still went 1 + 2 + 3 (and in the order of who is the better miler, IMO), and then 4th and 5th place finishers, Crayton and Basten, who had no chance in a fast race, being ranked 17 and 18 in the nation. And then Dahl, who finished 6th despite being ranked 16th in the nation.
Only Kipsang messed up by not pushing the pace, but some have said he might be injured this year.
Craig Masback once said- this strategy is a good strategy for only one person in the race.
But, they all chose to take that chance.
That's an interesting but strange quote.
Because here, for example, sit and kick was the best choice for at least 6 people: the top three best milers in the field, who still went 1 + 2 + 3 (and in the order of who is the better miler, IMO), and then 4th and 5th place finishers, Crayton and Basten, who had no chance in a fast race, being ranked 17 and 18 in the nation. And then Dahl, who finished 6th despite being ranked 16th in the nation.
Only Kipsang messed up by not pushing the pace, but some have said he might be injured this year.
Like I said in my earlier post, 3rd-7th all well outplaced their seed, so their strategy worked perfectly. The top 2 placed top 2, so it seemed to have worked out for them as well. The only people who would be unhappy with the race is Kipsang and a$$holes who can't appreciate a strategic race for what it is.
Yeah because they had a pacemaker in a championship race. These college kids all ran 3:56 or faster with that sort of setup, so I don't see what your point is.
If the object was to win the race how did jogging for 3 laps work out for everyone? I guess it was a good tactic for one runner, but not so much the others.
How many people would the strategy have worked for had they run fast?
The runners who weren't sprinters but milers would have given themselves their best chance if they had run it as a mile race and not a mere warm-up for a half lap scramble.
Normally I am critical of these sit and kick races, especially at USA trials where there is pretty much a blanket PB-wise, and only half the field are traditional kickers. The other half MUST push the pace if they want to go to the Olympics...and yet they never do. For fear or ego I do not know.
But at this indoor national mile you had two guys who were miles better than the field. The hotter the pace the better for them and the worse for everyone else. You also had a bunch of guys doubling and tripling. Therefore the best strategy for everyone was to sit.
Ensuring a sit and kick meant numerous variables came into play. There could be a fall. A top guy could get boxed in. Or maybe even DQ'd. Positioning at the bell would be more important than kick. And guys could double back with fresher legs to help their team's title-chances in additional events. YOU might not like it, but it was the smartest race to run for everyone.
Craig Masback once said- this strategy is a good strategy for only one person in the race.
But, they all chose to take that chance.
My point also. It is tactics for defeat for the slower sprinters.
For all those who loved the mile race, is there a point where you don't think that the winning time is too slow for a college national championship men's mile, as long as they are "racing" the last 1/4 mile?
5:00? 6:00? 7:00? 8:00? 9:00?
Would you also "love" an 800 that finishes in 1:52 (or 2:00, or 2:30), where everyone jogs the first 600 and sprints the last 200?