How long would the line be at the Nairobi airport if we said we had $6,200 to anyone that could run 8:48 for 2 miles?

xcmiler255 wrote:

malmo, you don't get laid often do you? rojo's initial question was an intriguing quip that got me, and obviously other letsrunners, thinking about some of the problems concerning our sport today. why can't you just follow suit?

Rojo's quip got you thinking about some of the problems concerning our sport? I was only joking about the Phish concert. Could you light up another joint?

The real question here is why an agent with a fast African didn't enter him into the race. The agent could have easily paid the bill for this one runner to come finish top 3 and likely turn a profit. This would have been no hardship for the runner. And it wouldn't have been a bad investment, because it wouldn't have been Africans paying for 500 spots, but simply one spot on the track and an almost guaranteed shot a the podium.

Either the race, agents, or sponsors don't care. I doubt the athletes are the reason for the absence of deeper international competition. They'd go if somebody told them to.

Kenyan Results at 2009 Championships:

5000m: 1. Joseph Kitur (Police) 13:47.0, 2. Vincent Kiprop (Armed Forces) 13:48.2, 3. Alex Macharia (Police) 13:48.7, 4. Thomas Longosiwa (Prisons) 13:50.2.

3000m Steeplechase: 1. Richard Matelong (Police) 8:14.2, 2. Elijah Chelimo (Prisons) 8:19.8, 3. Abel Mutai (Armed Forces) 8:23.4; Did not finish: Ezekiel Kemboi (Police).

10,000m: 1. Sammy Kitwara (Police) 27.44.46, 2. Gideon Ngatuny (Police) 27:44.77, 3. Bernard Kipyego (Police) 27:44.80, 4. Moses Masai (Police) 27:44.88, 5. Mathew Kisorio (Individual entry), 27:58.97, 6. Leonard Komon (Western Province) 28:02.24, 7. Barnabas Kosgei (Armed Forces) 28:10.56, 7. Martin Irungu Mathathi (individual) 28:19.13.

2006 Arcadia:

1 Acosta, AJ 12 El Camino 8:51.30

2 Tebo, Mat 11 Eldorado Hig 8:52.23

3 Sitler, B 12 St. Francis 8:53.47

4 Mercado, Die 12 West Covina 8:55.20

5 Crabill, Ale 12 Charles Wrig 8:57.42

6 Roberts, Sandy 12 Broughton Hi 8:58.45

7 Shannon, No 12 Fort Collins Hig 8:59.10

8 Thomas, Mik 11 Clovis High 8:59.81

2003 Arcadia:

1 Solinsky, Chris 12 Stevens Point 8:43.24

2 Vaughn, Brent 12 Smoky Hill,Auror 8:45.60

3 Moe, Carl 12 Auburn River 8:48.04

4 Curtis, Bobby 12 St Xavier,KY 8:48.39

5 Debole, Matt 12 Mount Tabor 8:50.16

6 Hassen, Steven 12 Vanguard HS 8:52.75

7 Ruiz, Manuel 12 Monroe High 8:55.80

8 Trafeh, Mohamed 11 Duarte High 8:55.87

9 Kollar, Christopher 12 Strongsville 8:56.35

10 Nelson, Tim 12 Liberty Chri 8:58.89

11 Alizzi, Mark 12 Syosset High 8:59.63

04 Adidas Outdoor:3k, 2MILE

1 Shadrack Kiptoo 04 Albuquerque, NM 8:13.27 8:45.44$

2 Joshua McDougal 04 Peru, NY 8:14.91 8:48.11$

3 Christo Landry 04 Falls Church, VA 8:13.33 8:48.25$

4 Christopher Barnicle 05 Newton, MA 8:14.53 8:51.26#

These guys all ran this in High School. The question is so many others get better in college, than some of these.

How many Americans would come if the money was offered and the same incentives as those Kenyans?

All the way from Eldoret

malmo wrote:

My point is simple - come up with a ridiculous hypothetical and people will point it out, just as I did with the ridiculous Lottery hypothetical. Who wouldn't show up for free money with no risk?

You. Just. Don't. Get. It.

There is not comparison at all to your hypothetical free lottery here.

Many, many, many Kenyans would and do show up, at huge personal expense, for a vanishingly small chance of prize money. It's called their XC series.

I guess the line would be approximately be 2miles long^^

douglas burke wrote:

i wonder if bekana daba could have run under 8:48 win the millrose 2 mile race on friday night in new york, catch a plane to houston, be a last minute entrant of the houston marathon, runn the race, take a bathroom break and win the marathon by about 3/4 of a mile.

i dont know if daba could, but i know rupp could.

Bekana Daba probably could have taken a bathroom break in the 2-mile and still won without too much trouble...

^This

First, the entire issue is insulting to Haas, the winner of the race.

Second, if the meet organizers had canceled the race as Rojo/Wejo said they should have, RojoWejo would have lambasted them for not showcasing American runners. The underlying reason for the entire rant is jealousy that Haas got what is considered a decent payday for what is apparently considered a modest effort.

Third, and most important: guys, it's $6200. That's what Haas gets for his endless dedication to the sport. If computed out for time spent to achieve the result, its far, far below minimum wage. If he had spent that time going to a productive graduate program, and gotten a mid-level professional's job, he would've made far more than that in the time he has spent training and sleeping and eating and resting, etc--all while living like a college student, I imagine--and have further earning power, unlike his running career, which will cease being financially beneficial in the least likely within the next 5 years.

This was a lucky break for a hardworking runner. Why denigrate it?

'Kenyan Results at 2009 Championships:'

Did you know its run at altitude?

Kenyan runners could wup US 100 times over and before you say it uk 1,000 times.

Hey, we got nothing to do with politics, we are runners trying to make a living like any professional sport. If Kenyans are so poor why then do they win? Stop talking about the poor, they cannot even affort food for a day. Let us talk about the rich Americans and Brits and Italians. Leave the poor Kenyans alone. Why in the world would you associate yourself with poor poor poor Kenyans. They are terrible.

Shoebacca wrote:

Either the race, agents, or sponsors don't care. I doubt the athletes are the reason for the absence of deeper international competition. They'd go if somebody told them to.

"Either"? Try "all of."

You're right that the athletes would go if directed/allowed to. Try telling Malmo.