I'm going to talk about the relays and hurdles, which are speed related, but I want to skip over to the middle distances because it's become one of the most exciting areas of the sport. Heading into London, I think most people assumed that the 800 & 1500 were the exclusive property of Kenya, who annually dominates the yearly lists - though personally I had some reservations about said dominance Read More...
The CHill Zone of T&F: Conway's View From the Finish Line
Can US Male Milers Make the London Podium?
Apr 18th, 2012
1:01 pm PDT
1:01 pm PDT
I ask that question on the assumption that the women CAN medal. After all, we went to Daegu and won gold AFTER our favored athlete was tripped and failed to finish the race! US women milers have made huge strides in the last few years. Three have gone under 4:00, and two others are knocking hard at the door Read More...
Women’s 1500 Trials Should be Fierce
Apr 12th, 2012
5:28 pm PDT
5:28 pm PDT
I want to talk a bit about the false start rule, as well as some of the weekend’s upcoming meets, and Monday’s marathon – and I’m going to do that tomorrow as we head into the weekend. After putting together my early Trials favorites list however, I couldn’t help but take another look at the women’s 1500 because just like the men’s 110 hurdles, we have one of the best fields ever in US Trials history shaping up Read More...
Memories of the Games – Paula Ivan
Mar 27th, 2012
12:17 pm PDT
12:17 pm PDT
Before I take a look at the hurdles events for 2012, I want to go back to the middle distances for a moment. Because as I was looking at this year’s women’s 1500, visions of one of the most gutsy performances in Olympic history were running through my mind. I’m actually a big fan of the mile/1500 meters, I grew up during the era of Jim Ryun, Kip Keino, Ben Jipcho, John Walker, and Filbert Bayi – milers that ran fast and competed strongly Read More...
2012 Outdoor Preview – Middle Distances
Mar 24th, 2012
9:18 am PDT
9:18 am PDT
The middle distance events (800 / 1500) should be very interesting this year. There is the potential of a world record, some very competitive women’s events, and the potential for a sweep. Above all, however, I expect them to be very exciting, both during the season as well as in the Games themselves, as middle distance competitors tend to compete fairly often and we should see some solid matchups outside the Games, as opposed to the sprints where we may see only one loaded race all season Read More...
2011 in Review – Men’s 1500 Meters
Nov 26th, 2011
6:17 pm PST
6:17 pm PST
Like the women’s version of the metric mile, the men’s 1500 final in Daegu was a far cry from the way the season itself played out. Not to mention the difficulty in sorting things out due to the constant change in leadership on the track. Things got crackin in earnest in Doha as young Nixon Chepseba (KEN) torched the track for a WL 3:31 Read More...
2011 in Review – Women’s 1500 Meters
Nov 23rd, 2011
3:30 pm PST
3:30 pm PST
Typically when in doubt, the result of the year’s Major championship does wonders to help sort out the top athletes on the season. When it comes to ranking this year’s women’s 1500 however, Daegu rendered itself fairly useless in the matter. The season got going in earnest as Anna Mishchenko (UKR) won the first stop on the Diamond League in Doha with a WL 4:03 Read More...
What Will Our Male Middle Distance Presence be in London…
Sep 29th, 2011
8:36 am PDT
8:36 am PDT
Looking back on 2011 & Daegu, and forward to 2012 & London, I find three areas in the U.S. that concern me. One is the men’s sprints & hurdles which I recentlytouched on. Another is our field events in general – something I’ll be talking about in the very near future. The other, that I’ll be addressing today, is our male middle distance runners Read More...