Apologies if I missed this in another thread, or I'm totally misreading what I'm seeing, but looks like Dan Simmons is "retiring" from running for two years while he pursues a post-high school mission and before entering BYU. That's admirable commitment.
"Danny Simmons, who became a national sensation in distance running circles the last two years, will soon leave his running career behind. On July 8, he will set aside his NIL deal and his training and race schedule and postpone the start of his collegiate career at BYU to begin serving a church mission for two years in Atlanta."
Apologies if I missed this in another thread, or I'm totally misreading what I'm seeing, but looks like Dan Simmons is "retiring" from running for two years while he pursues a post-high school mission and before entering BYU. That's admirable commitment.
"Danny Simmons, who became a national sensation in distance running circles the last two years, will soon leave his running career behind. On July 8, he will set aside his NIL deal and his training and race schedule and postpone the start of his collegiate career at BYU to begin serving a church mission for two years in Atlanta."
His choice. Further details might ameliorate the degree of "sacrifice" or special planning. This cant have been a surprise, so not really a shock--just another way of tithing in a religious...institution.
Every runner has a small window when the body can recover fast and take on increased training loads. He is sacrificing 2 years of that window. Once he gets closer to 30 those injuries will pile up and reduce total training time. He'll be about 25 when he goes pro and only have 2-3 years of prime years left before that window closes. He'll also have a realistic shot at only one Olympic cycle (For track anyway) in Brisbane 2032. Kinda following that Connor Mantz-style path to late-age marathon success possibly at 2036 olympics.
Apologies if I missed this in another thread, or I'm totally misreading what I'm seeing, but looks like Dan Simmons is "retiring" from running for two years while he pursues a post-high school mission and before entering BYU. That's admirable commitment.
"Danny Simmons, who became a national sensation in distance running circles the last two years, will soon leave his running career behind. On July 8, he will set aside his NIL deal and his training and race schedule and postpone the start of his collegiate career at BYU to begin serving a church mission for two years in Atlanta."
A lot of the Mormon runners that run for BYU do this. That's why they have so many 24-25 year olds on the men's team there, because those athletes go on a Mormon mission for 2 years and delay the start of their eligibility. Casey Clinger is an example of this. This is nothing new.
Dang, if I was running 13:25 at 18 years old and going to a program with a history of good development, I would be salivating at the prospect of sub 13 in the next couple years.
For any other person than him it sounds crazy, but if you’re that deep into whatever religious thing he is doing, I dont see him fulfilling his promise as runner until he does his two years of “whatever” it would always be looming in the background, creating static noise, ruining workouts what not. Heck even Michael jordan ALMOST ended his career to do baseball, even though he won 3 titles
This how BYU games the system. They do the 2 years, redshirt, etc. and get a bunch of 24-27 yo men competing against 18-22 yo. They CAN take the mission AFTER school. They CHOOSE to do this first, get the extra 2-3 years. It is the BYU cheating way.
Mormons are required to do their missions between the ages of 19-26. It makes more sense for athletes to do it early. Developing in college and taking the break from 22-24 would derail their career too much.
Atlanta is an interesting choice and presumably because Simmons doesn't speak a second language. If I were in his situation, I would prep by learning a language that could get me posted to Peru, Nepal, Kenya, or somewhere else at a very altitude. Living, walking, and riding a bike at 8,000+ feet would have some cardio benefit. Two years in Georgia and then starting over from scratch? Oof!
1. Is it really cheating if it is literally an option for any athlete to do this at any school? 2. I will agree that a 21 year old “freshman” is gaining some physical (and perhaps more important, mental) maturity over an 18 year old freshman. But all of them do little to no training during their 2 year mission and have to pretty much start from scratch again when they arrive back on campus. That has to be brutal to regain that previous level of fitness. That alone is enough to negate whatever perceived benefit they get from being 2 years older.
This how BYU games the system. They do the 2 years, redshirt, etc. and get a bunch of 24-27 yo men competing against 18-22 yo. They CAN take the mission AFTER school. They CHOOSE to do this first, get the extra 2-3 years. It is the BYU cheating way.
you're right, the Mormon Church was created for the sole purpose of giving cross country runners an advantage.
Having coached a number of Mormons over my career, it’s my understanding that mission location is pretty random. Those going to a foreign country are immersed in a language school after assigned to a country.
I really respect him (and other Mormon runners) for putting his principles above sports achievement. He will have a great career when he gets back from his mission.
I'm sure all of us know what's best for him. Seems like a smart kid who can make decisions for himself. This has been done before and worked. I understand that we want to see fast Americans, but this is a real person with real motivations and passions.
I really respect him (and other Mormon runners) for putting his principles above sports achievement. He will have a great career when he gets back from his mission.
I respect someone who sticks to their principles when faced with a decision where they'd be greatly benefitted if they sacrificed them. I just wish their principles weren't based in something so stupid. No offense to religious people, but it's pretty stupid that Simmons is gonna be taking 2 years out of his prime development years because he thinks God will care that he spent 2 years doing his mission now instead of in a few years post-college, or instead of doing community service like a normal person. I have friends who did 6 week summer trips to go give people fresh water in Gautemala, and they didn't need a God that some dude made up 200 years ago to convince them to do it. Simmons is about to spent 2 years in ATLANTA??? Like bro come on.
I don't think he owes us anything. If he didn't want to keep running, he could quit tomorrow and I'd support his decision. I just hate that he's been indoctrinated from a young age to think that he has to do this in order to serve God in some way, as opposed to taking time off of school to go help people in need. I'd feel way differently if he came out and said "People living in X place need help, so I'm joining the Peace Corps for a year to go help those who need it, and in the process, find myself". That sounds like a choice that he made, not one that was forced onto him.
The fact that he could definitely go sub-13:20 right now, and could probably run sub-13 within a couple years is just salt in the wound. Particularly because the thing that every great runner points to for their success is stacking weeks and months and years of good training on top of each other. Taking 2 years off of that when he's 19/20 is such a hinderance to that development.
This post was edited 5 minutes after it was posted.
This how BYU games the system. They do the 2 years, redshirt, etc. and get a bunch of 24-27 yo men competing against 18-22 yo. They CAN take the mission AFTER school. They CHOOSE to do this first, get the extra 2-3 years. It is the BYU cheating way.
BYU runners get the exact same number of years of eligibility as anyone else and lose training in the middle of those years (for those that go on missions).
