Got to love it. Says in the interview on homepage he can't hang with Conner Mantz in training but was almost right with him in Chicago for full marathon.
More relatable than just being the most talented guy on the block.
Got to love it. Says in the interview on homepage he can't hang with Conner Mantz in training but was almost right with him in Chicago for full marathon.
More relatable than just being the most talented guy on the block.
Yeah, but reading between the lines in that interview, he more or less said he sticks to the paces Eyestone gives them and Connor likes to push it. So maybe it's not that he can't hang, but that he chooses not to go that hard in practice.
It is interesting. I'm sure some would say a0 Clayton should push more in practice and others will say b) Conner should back off a bit. From my own running experience I'd side with b) but everyone is different.
Or it could be they are just both doing what works for them.
It is interesting. I'm sure some would say a0 Clayton should push more in practice and others will say b) Conner should back off a bit. From my own running experience I'd side with b) but everyone is different.
Or it could be they are just both doing what works for them.
Wejo, do you understand the selection rules. If Conner or Clayton get 3rd, are they really not going to be named to the team when they are the 2 guys that earned the spots for the U.S.? Do you think the Olympics sticks to that hard 80 rule, or does the U.S. have enough pull to end up with a 3rd spot no matter what the rankings say in May? It would be so unfair if one of these guys makes the top 3 but doesn't make the team.
If they are 3rd and the US only gets 2 spots they won't get one of them is my understanding.
The US still should get 3 in is my thinking but I guess Conner and Clayton aren't sure of that.
I've heard of at least one other guy going into the Trials wanting it to be a 2:08:30 race but I don't think it will come down to that but we're getting closer to that scenario.
If they are 3rd and the US only gets 2 spots they won't get one of them is my understanding.
The US still should get 3 in is my thinking but I guess Conner and Clayton aren't sure of that.
I've heard of at least one other guy going into the Trials wanting it to be a 2:08:30 race but I don't think it will come down to that but we're getting closer to that scenario.
What if they get 7th and 10th, and no one else in front of them has a QT? Do they still go?
If they are 3rd and the US only gets 2 spots they won't get one of them is my understanding.
The US still should get 3 in is my thinking but I guess Conner and Clayton aren't sure of that.
I've heard of at least one other guy going into the Trials wanting it to be a 2:08:30 race but I don't think it will come down to that but we're getting closer to that scenario.
2:08:30 sounds sort of fast for the US marathoners at the Trials and of course this is not a paced time trial on a super fast course with ideal weather, but if we go back to the early 1980s when the world record was 2:08xx, we would not think a time like 2:16xx (8 minutes off world record) is fast at the US Olympic Trials, but now 2:08:xx, still the same 8 minutes off the world record, seems kind of fast.
One issue I've noticed with Young even going back to his BYU days is his inconsistency. He finished 72nd his senior year at XC nationals. The next spring he won the 10,000 track title(he was 23rd in the 10,000 the prior year).
He seems to have huge swings between great performances and major disappointments.
Hopefully he's got the formula figured out. He seems to have had the most consistently strong performances of his career over the past 6 or 7 months.
If they are 3rd and the US only gets 2 spots they won't get one of them is my understanding.
The US still should get 3 in is my thinking but I guess Conner and Clayton aren't sure of that.
I've heard of at least one other guy going into the Trials wanting it to be a 2:08:30 race but I don't think it will come down to that but we're getting closer to that scenario.
What if they get 7th and 10th, and no one else in front of them has a QT? Do they still go?
No, the 3rd spot, if given once the May 1st qual window closes, will go to the person who finished 3rd at the trials if they have at least run under 2:11:30. I highly doubt any of the top 3 will have not run under 2:11:30, and it might even take that to get top 3 in the heat of Orlando.
Why do Clayton and Connor alway say "WE". It's an individual sport. Yes they train together and are good friends, but come Feb 3 there is no WE on the starting line.
The same thing started happening on the PGA around 10 years ago. All the top players starting saying "We did...,Our plan is..." Never thought would come to running too.
If they are 3rd and the US only gets 2 spots they won't get one of them is my understanding.
The US still should get 3 in is my thinking but I guess Conner and Clayton aren't sure of that.
I've heard of at least one other guy going into the Trials wanting it to be a 2:08:30 race but I don't think it will come down to that but we're getting closer to that scenario.
2:08:30 sounds sort of fast for the US marathoners at the Trials and of course this is not a paced time trial on a super fast course with ideal weather, but if we go back to the early 1980s when the world record was 2:08xx, we would not think a time like 2:16xx (8 minutes off world record) is fast at the US Olympic Trials, but now 2:08:xx, still the same 8 minutes off the world record, seems kind of fast.
2:08:30 sounds sort of fast for the US marathoners at the Trials and of course this is not a paced time trial on a super fast course with ideal weather, but if we go back to the early 1980s when the world record was 2:08xx, we would not think a time like 2:16xx (8 minutes off world record) is fast at the US Olympic Trials, but now 2:08:xx, still the same 8 minutes off the world record, seems kind of fast.
What?
The Cliff’s Notes Version:
2:16xx (8 minutes off the then world record) would have been considered a slow time for a guy who is in contention for a U.S. Olympic team in the early 1980s.
2:08xx (8 minutes off the current world record) is not considered a slow time for a guy who is in contention for a U.S. Olympic team now.
Your country had to have athletes run under 2:08:10 in the last 15 months to give your country spots at the Olympics. Only Mantz and Young have done that. So as of now, America only has 2 spots on the line in Paris. If someone (other than Mantz and Young) runs under 2:08:10 on Saturday, then we'll have 3 spots, but that is probably unlikely given the elements and tactics. So, when the race concludes on Saturday, the top 2 runners who have run 2:11:30 (the standard for participating in the olympics) in the past 15 months will be named to the team. That third spot will likely open up (announced on May 1) for USA based on someone other than Mantz and Young being ranked in the top 80 in the world rankings, but we will have to wait for that. So, my guess is we're still going to celebrate the 3rd place finisher with the flag around their shoulders and take all the pictures, but that third place will have to wait until May to know for sure that they're going to Paris. The super lame thing is if it is Mantz or Young in 3rd, they opened a spot - but they don't get to use it.
If they are 3rd and the US only gets 2 spots they won't get one of them is my understanding.
The US still should get 3 in is my thinking but I guess Conner and Clayton aren't sure of that.
I've heard of at least one other guy going into the Trials wanting it to be a 2:08:30 race but I don't think it will come down to that but we're getting closer to that scenario.
I think it will be a minimum 2:09:XX to be top 3. Even if they go out 'conservative' in a mid 65, they'll close hard. The weather is showing 62-69 degrees from gun to finish, and humidity is lower than normal and not windy, so it's not perfect but certainly not terrible. There are too many guys who can run 65:30 through the half to have it any slower, surely one person (probably dozens) will run sub 5's from the gun. And any of the guys who have already run 2:10 or better with another 2:09 and top 3 at US championship which gets bonus points, will easily be ranked high enough to be qualified for the olympics. Only if someone random who has only run 2:13 or slower recently who gets 3rd in 2:09:50 would potentially be on the fence since the rankings average your top 2 performances.