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
London Olympics – Rudisha 1:40.91!
Aug 9th, 2012
3:05 pm PDT
3:05 pm PDT
Today may have been the most exciting and memorable day in Olympic history. Once again we only had four finals on the day - but oh what finals they were! So let’s get right to it. Yes there was qualifying - women’s 800 semis, women’s 4x1 semis, and men’s 4x4 semis - with everyone expected to move through moving through 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...
Adam Kszczot – A New 800 Challenger
Feb 15th, 2012
5:21 pm PST
5:21 pm PST
Last week Adam Kszczot (POL) took the indoor world lead in the 800 with a 1:45.44 run in Dusseldorf – fast enough to prompt me to suggest that we get used to spelling his name. Yesterday he dropped his PR, and the world lead, down to 1:44.57 – in the process becoming the 3rd fastest indoor half miler in history! Only Yuriy Borzakovskiy (RUS, 1:44 Read More...
2011 in Review – Women’s 800 Meters
Nov 4th, 2011
5:22 am PDT
5:22 am PDT
At the end of the day this became a very difficult event to rank, as Daegu results would not mirror the season in total. The year would get off to an extremely slow start taking us up to June and the Prefontaine Classic before we would see someone go under two minutes, as Kenia Sinclair (JAM) went crashing through at 1:58 Read More...
2011 in Review – Men’s 800 Meters
Nov 2nd, 2011
4:32 pm PDT
4:32 pm PDT
Just as in 2010, David Rudisha (KEN) was the story of the 800 in 2011 – this time carrying the heavy mantle of WR holder. And, just as in 2010, the question on the table was whether or not Abubaker Kaki (SUD) would find a way to upset his rival. Rudisha wasted no time putting the target squarely on his back as he went out during the Australian summer season and scorched a 1:43 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...