"Five" Guys

After a few indoor races and some action down-under, there is no longer any question to what is now the most competitive and deep event in the world. While watching Bernard Lagat capture what was dubbed the dream 5000 at the Melbourne Track Classic, a few things struck me.

First of all, I didn't even think calling it a "dream" event was fanciful or inappropriate. In the race were 4 sub 13 minute athletes including medalists (Bernard Lagat, Craig Mottram), a near-medalist (Matt Tegenkamp- narrowly fourth by hundredths in Osaka), and a sub 27 minute 10K runner who was one of the most consistent 5K runners on the planet the year before (Chris Solinsky). It was a stacked field, and certainly as the race finished a few could dream without too much delusion of finishing on the podium at the World Championships some five months later in Daegu, South Korea.

Rupp...Certified by VFL9

Every track fan has an open choice of who to root for or against. You aren't wed into supporting any guy or group of guys, and you aren't forced into overlooking the faults of whoever you support because he's your "guy".
This is because are no teams in track, and of course no natural rivalries like Yankees-Red Sox, Dodgers-Giants or even Bears-Packers. We don't exactly get to see the Bay Area Track Club take on the Oregon Track Club in a raucous arena with partisanship split based on regional ties.

In the place of this lack of local regionalism is a general support for every runner competing for your country. The Olympics and World Championships draw on this and bolster this concept by having athletes be both representatives of their countries (wearing their nation's colors) and subject to the selection processes of them too.

Age is Just a Number...for Kenyan Juniors

It's natural when you hear about the athletic feats of an 18 year old or a 19 year old to begin to daydream and consider the enormous potential of someone so young running so fast or throwing and jumping so far. After all, we associate athletes that young with incomplete development in terms of their physical makeup, their training load, and even their mentality. So, when you hear about a new junior record at a certain distance, the natural first reaction is not to think about the actual performance as it relates to the best of athletes of all ages. Instead, we tend to look at whom the athletes were more accomplished than at their age, and how much better they may become with greater maturity and seasoning.

NCAA Nationals Top 30 Individuals Prediction

On Tuesday(see post below)I predicted teams and I felt reasonably confident in my reasons for where I placed them. Today, while trying to lock down where the NCAA's top individuals will finish, admittedly, there is considerably more second-guessing, reconsidering, and shuffling that takes place. The difference between athletes in the 1-30 range is miminal, and a very good day from the 15'th best runner in the nation could very well trump a decent day from the the 10'th best. With that being said, here are my projections for Mondays action:

1. Samuel Chelanga - Liberty (1'st Place Southeast Regional/1'st Place 2009)
Comment: Well, duh. It's probably not worth overthinking this one. Chelanga is the defending champ by a whopping 25 seconds. He ran 27:08 for the 10,000 in the spring, which is a mark untouched by anyone else. This season in Cross Country, he is undefeated and unchallenged. Knowing what I know, there is little reason to expect a different result than last year.
Previous Rank: 1

Cowboy Up: Nationals Team Predictions

For a prognosticator, a regional qualifying meet is a dreaded thing.
The results should have some merit over the regular season's ones in that the race distance is the championship distance(10K). However, that factor is overshadowed by the unimportance of the specific results to the pertinent teams and individuals. For that reason, if you read too much into this individual over that individual or this team over that team, you will get burned. For most of the best runners or teams, the meet is all about qualifying as easily as is prudent or possible.
Ricky Bobby might have introduced to us the quote: "If you ain't first your last", but the apt quote for regionals might be "If you ain't first, but you're qualified, you're first".

NCAA Top 30 Individual Power Rankings: Pre-Regional Edition

The top 3 are back and in fine form, but who will follow them in Terra Haute and in what order? VFL9 breaks down the individual race at NCAA's.

Format- Athlete (Last Year's NCAA Finish/This Year's Conference Finish/Greatest NCAA accomplishment/PR)

The Heavy Favorite:

1. Samuel Chelanga - Liberty (1'st/1'st Big South/27:08 10,000m PB)

Comment: Chelanga won by 21 seconds, and that was before he dropped a jaw-dropping 27:08 in outdoor track. No competitor can match that stellar mark, and an undefeated season thusfar filled with what, for Chelanga, have been under-control efforts bodes well for the defending champion. Look for him to deliver a fast start and attempt to run away from the rest of the nation's best.

NYC Marathon Recap: The First and the Last

Sunday's New York City Marathon was about the first and the last.

For Gebre Gebremariam the first, as in his debut marathon, was a stunning success. Gebremariam capped off a rousing victory with a 4:36 26'th mile followed by a celebratory last .2 miles filled with triumphant finger pointing, and gesticulations.

For Haile Gebresalassie the last, as in presumably his last race ever, ended prematurely in mile 17. The bitter disappointment of the setback left him emotionally distraught and ready to move on to the next chapter of his life in a remarkably abrupt fashion.