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By Bryan Green

There's an old Irish blessing that starts: "May the road rise to meet you; May the wind be always at your back."  Must have been some blessing the Boston Marathon received this year...

I'm not sure where the tailwind at the Boston Marathon this weekend will rank amongst history's most influential winds, but it's got to be up there after today's performances.  Was it as influential as the typhoon that wiped out the Mongol advance on Japan in 1281, creating the word "kamikaze" or "Divine Wind".  No, probably not.  Words don't get much cooler than kamikaze.  But it's at least on par with the wind that caused this for sheer "Wait, is this real?  This can't be real, can it?"

I have no idea how much Boston's Divine Tailwind was worth time-wise, but I do know it's changed the Boston Marathon, and more than a few lives, for all-time.  Here are the top 5 things this tailwind brought with it as it passed through Boston:

5. Great debates

How much time was that tailwind worth to Geoffrey Mutai (2:03:02) and Moses Mosop (2:03:06)?  Two minutes?  Three?  They obviously ran an all-time great race, but where *should* it rank amongst the all-time list?  And what kind of shape is Ryan Hall really in?  He just ran the 15th fastest performance ever, and yet he couldn't run that pace for half marathon just a few weeks ago.  

There won't ever again be a discussion of great marathons that doesn't include Boston 2011.  Think about it: how fast would Haile Gebrselassie ca Berlin 2008 have run today?  Or Sammy Wanjiru ca Beijing 2008?  

4.  Skewed expectations

Up through two years ago, the goal at Boston was to save your legs in the first half, power home through the second half, and try to run a mid-2:08, which was usually enough for victory.  Then last year Robert K Cheruiyot blasted a 2:05:52 and the consensus was it was one of the great performances of all-time.  A time that fast was unthinkable on Boston's course.

Today two guys ran almost three minutes faster.  Record-eligible times or no, that is insane.  The typical winner of the Boston Marathon would have finished 10th today, and still had a mile to go when Geoffrey Mutai crossed the line.

I wonder what this does to expectations for the Boston course now.  How disappointed are we going to be when next year's winner runs *just* 2:06:45?  Make no mistake, the Boston course is still slow.  We're due to revert back closer to "normal" next year.

3.  Untouchable records

We know these performances aren't eligible for official records.  I'll get into that more below.  Here I want to talk about the records that I think should count.  Here's three:

Boston Course Record: This one has to be official.  The course is the course, regardless of the conditions.  And the chances of anyone beating this record are now somewhere on the none side of slim.

Debut Marathon Record: Apparently, this was Moses Mosop's debut marathon.  He ran 2:03:06.  Umm...I'm going to go ahead and call that one a lock.  And no, the tailwind does not matter in this case.  He raced the full distance for the first time and that was his time.  

Fastest 2nd Place Finish:  Moses Mosop gets another record.  Before this race, the fastest 2nd place time ever was James Kwambai's 2:04:26 from Rotterdam in 2009 (full list here).  And that was insane.  Mosop's performance is not only 1:20 faster than that, it is 53 seconds faster than Haile Gebrselassie ever ran!  And he still lost!


2.  Vindication

If there's one person whose erratic behavior over the past few months has just been vindicated, it's Ryan Hall.  Since last Boston, he's done the following: won at Bix 7 (32:55); 13th at Philadelphia Half (63:56); DNS at Chicago Marathon; left his longtime coach Terrence Mahon to train himself; 2nd at Houston Half (62:20); 21st at NYC Half (63:53); and of course 4th at Boston Marathon in a smokin' 2:04:58.

He's both America's greatest road-racer and it's biggest enigma (with apologies to Webb).  He looked like a runner who had lost his way and was letting his insecurities lead him farther off the path he needed to be on.  The vast majority of his followers (myself included) questioned his ability to train himself after leaving Mahon and wondered if he wasn't setting himself up for a stretch of races where he underperformed relative to his potential.

And then an insane Boston tailwind happened and, whether those doubts should be wiped away or not, the majority of people will now assume he's made the right choices.  And fair enough.  Regardless of what the 2:04:58 *really* converts to, it's a smokin' fast time and a sign that things are far from a disaster for our top marathoner. 

1.  The Mother of All Asterisks

I've always been fascinated with asterisks in sports.  For most sports, asterisks are hypothetical.  They are something fans use to discount a performance, like Roger Maris's 61 home runs (the "he played 8 more games than Ruth" asterisk) or the Lakers victory over the Kings in Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference Playoffs (the "Tim Donaghy was ref for that game" asterisk).  When you look at the actual record books, there are no asterisks.  The asterisks just exist in our collective memory.

Track and road running are different.  We put that asterisk on a performance that doesn't meet our criteria.  Run a 100m race with a 2.1 mps tailwind: asterisk.  Run a race on a course that happens to be net downhill: asterisk.  We slap that sucker on anything that even hints at being "unofficial" or, worse, "assisted".

In many cases, it doesn't matter.  Every Boston marathon performance since we made the rule about no net downhill point-to-point courses being eligible has had an asterisk.  It didn't matter since the course was so slow.  But uh oh.  Now the two fastest times ever run were just put up on the Boston course.  The very same course that was always too slow to matter if it had an asterisk.  Which means now that asterisk is going to stick out like a sore thumb.  The fastest marathon ever run is officially NOT the world record. Check out the asterisk.



Honestly, that's probably as it should be.  It's exactly the type of race that the asterisk was designed for.  Without it, my daughter would grow up and look at Desiree Davila's time and not understand how freakishly unusual the conditions were.  In track and road running, times are just too important to view them without context, especially the outliers.  So gimme the asterisk, officially.  And make it a big one.  Big enough to represent the Divine Boston Tailwind and the most amazing marathon ever run.

By Bryan Green

Ritz left Brad Hudson for Alberto Salazar, and hasn't looked back.

Whenever an athlete changes coaches, the inevitable reactions occur, as we've seen in the case of Ryan Hall's announcement this week.  "It's about time he made a change, he was stagnating!"  "Why would he leave Mahon, who coached him to such fast times?"  "Nike made him do it so Alberto Salazar could give him PEDs!"

(Okay, I made up that last one.  At least until a letsrun poster proves me wrong.)  

As I argued in May, 2009, I think coaching changes are often a good thing.  About 18 months ago, we saw a number of high profile athletes change coaches, including Jeremy Wariner, Shalane Flanagan, Dathan Ritzenhein, and Erin Donohue.  I wrote about their moves in an article titled, "Coaching Changes: Why Not More?" and outlined the four main situations in which I think athletes are justified (if not compelled) to change coaches.

Since that article was written, all four of the above athletes have gone on to experience varying levels of success.  Wariner returned to Clyde Hart and was the #1 400m runner in the world this year (with some help from LaShawn Merritt's suspension).  Flanagan ran close to her best on the track, debuted in the half marathon to US #4 all-time, and is preparing for the NYC marathon in a couple weeks.  Ritz broke the US 5,000 meter AR, finished third at the World Half Marathon champs, and is also preparing for the NYC marathon.  And Erin Donohue broke 2:00 in the 800 meters and continues to prove doubters wrong.  Their moves appear to have worked out.

But their moves also had clear motives.  If you had asked what each of the athletes wanted, we could have answered pretty clearly.  Wariner wanted to get back to World #1.  Ritz wanted to stop underachieving.  Donohue wanted a coach who believed in and supported her goals.  Flanagan wanted, as near as I can tell, to get away from John Cook.

I guess the big question is: What does Ryan Hall want?

Joe Battaglia at Universal Sports thinks that Ryan wants to experience spiritual euphoria in his running, and that winning is not his top priority.  I disagree, primarily because I think it's not an either/or distinction for Hall.  I think Ryan Hall truly believes that spiritual euphoria isn't just the end goal, but it's the means by which he will land atop the victory stand.  For Hall, the two aren't separate goals at all.

With that said, I'm afraid Hall may be confusing means with ends.  When he broke the half marathon AR and won the US Olympic Marathon Trials, he just went out there and blew everyone away.  They were joyous, euphoric romps.  In the process, he ran away from the competition and won in dramatic fashion.  But was it the feeling of running free and the euphoria that led to the win, or was it the way in which he won that generated the feeling of euphoric "freeness"?  (And was it the years of speedwork preceding that year that led to his ability to run that fast in the first place?)

The more important thing about Hall is that he feels compelled to live his life and pursue his career on his own terms.  He is his own man, entirely comfortable in his own skin.  I don't have any direct experience with his training group, but I've had discussions with others who live and train in Mammoth.  I've always had the impression not that Hall followed Mahon's coaching plan so much as Mahon created a coaching plan that Ryan Hall would follow.

There's a slight difference between the two.  In the first, the athlete ultimately submits to the will of the coach.  In the second, the athlete dictates the boundaries within which the coach can perform his job.  

Hall's fans--including myself--often wonder why he never goes back to the track and why he races so sparingly.  If he were in Alberto Salazar's group, for example, we wouldn't wonder that.  We would know it is because it's not part of Alberto's plan.  But with Hall, the more likely answer is simply that he doesn't want to, and coach Mahon was never going to change that.

Could Hall have beaten Merga had he not been "running free"?

That's why it's hard to figure out what Ryan Hall wants.  If he really wanted to be the best in the world, the approach we would expect is for him to find the best coach and then allow that coach to chart the path.  That may eventually happen, but for now he plans to coach himself.  And that makes me believe this isn't about what Ryan Hall wants, but rather what he doesn't want.

My suspicion is that Hall doesn't want to be told things he doesn't want to hear.  

After all, that's pretty much a coach's job, right?  To tell you not to overdo it even though you feel great.  To tell you to do another rep even though you feel exhausted.  To keep those days when you just don't have it in perspective.  To provide the framework that allows you to be successful, despite how you might feel at any given point.  In short, to save you from yourself when you are at your weakest.  

To be fair, Hall may not need that.  Or maybe he can get that guidance from friends and family.  I'm skeptical of any athlete who thinks he can do a better job coaching himself than the best coaches in the world (whom Hall would surely have access to if he so desired).  For me, the concern isn't that he left Mahon, but that he's going it alone.  But none of this makes his decision right or wrong.  It all depends on what he wants.



Whether that's spiritual euphoria, to train completely on his own terms, or simply to no longer have to hear whatever Mahon had to tell him, this will give him the chance to realize those goals.  But if his goal is to realize his own potential, I'm dubious but willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

As the best marathoner in the US, I can only hope he has made the right choice.  I hope the next time we see him he is rejuvenated and challenging for the lead within a pack of Africans.  I hope the Ryan Hall we see at the 2012 Olympic Games is the free spirit that we glimpsed back in 2008, whether he's accompanied by a coach or not.

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We're into the second half!  From here on out, you'd better be a heavy favorite to either win some titles, break some records, or both!  Again, athlete's are designated with last year's rank (and PR's in parentheses)

Just 19 years old, Derrick is already running away from the rest of the NCAA.

25.  Chris Derrick, 34 (3000m 7:56.31 - 5000m 13:29.98 - 10000m 29:08.33)

Here's a quick breakdown of Derrick's performances in championship meets since he got to Stanford:

2008 NCAA XC: 7th
2009 USA JR XC: 2nd
2009 World JR XC: 15th
2009 NCAA Indoor 3000m: 5th
2009 NCAA Indoor 5000m: 4th
2009 NCAA Outdoor 5000m: 3rd
2009 NCAA XC: 3rd

He's going to have a tough time winning a title this year with Chelanga and McNeill in the NCAAs, but that's the kind of consistency that makes a great runner.  Add to this that he briefly held the AJR for 5000m and that he's the second coming of Dathan Ritzenhein and he has a huge future ahead of him.

24.  Amy Yoder Begley, 27 (1500m 4:10.04 - 3000m 8:53.27 - 5000m 15:24.88 - 10000m 31:13.78 - Half 70:09)

She's the 4th fastest 10000m runner in US history, but she runs in the same era as Flanagan (#1), Goucher (#3) and now Koll (#6).  Begley's 2009 USA 10000m title and 6th place finish in Berlin were a huge step up and showed that in the short-term, she'll be in the hunt for every US 10000m title for the foreseeable future.  In the long-term, her 70:09 half-marathon debut shows she has some promise when she eventually heads to the roads.

23.  Leonel Manzano, NR (800m 1:46.20 - 1000m 2:19.73 - 1500m 3:33.33 - Mile 3:53.01 - 3000m 8:14.59)
22.  Lopez Lomong, 23 (800m 1:45.58 - 1000m 2:20.98 - 1500m 3:32.94 - Mile 3:53.35 - 3000m 7:49.74)

I left Manzano off this list last year despite the fact I was fairly sure it would bite me in the arse.  Still, he doesn't have the most range and until last year, he hadn't put up the spectacular times he now has.  It was justified, if stupid.  Since that time, however, he's gone on to run big PR's in the 800m, 1500m, and mile, qualify for and advance to the final in Berlin, and win a US Indoor 1500m title.  With Lagat moving up to the 5000m, he could be the next US #1 miler.

That is, if Lopez Lomong doesn't stand in his way.  Lomong hasn't been heard from since 2009, where he also set big PR's at 1500m and the Mile, won the US Indoor 1500m title and finished 8th in Berlin.  But he's got great range, great finishing speed, and historically, he's 5-1 head-to-head with Manzano, which gives him the nod here.

21.  Abdi Abdirahman, 18 (3000m 7:47.63 - 5000m 13:13.32 - 10000m 27:16.99 - Half 60:29 - Marathon 2:08.56)
20.  Meb Keflezighi, 40 (3000m 7:48.81 - 5000m 13:11.77 - 10000m 27:13.98AR - Half 61:00 - Marathon 2:09:15)

On paper, these guys are relative equals.  Meb has shown that on any given day he can compete with the best in the world.  Despite coming back from a terrible injury in 2008, Meb went on to run PR's for the half and full marathons, and win the NYC Marathon.  He's now prepping to run Boston, where a win would not only cement his legacy but bring in tons of money.

Abdi has been quiet since he struggled at the US Outdoor 10000m.  When he's fit, he's as good as Rupp or Ritz over that distance, and he's shown he can rip a good marathon, too.  He's never seemed to pop a big race on the world stage, though.  Does he have it in him?

Maggie Vessey's emergence had US fans making the same face.

19.  Maggie Vessey, NR (400m 53.86 - 800m 1:57.84)

The surprise of 2009, Vessey is the highest ranked person to not make the list last year.  But that's what happens when you run the 6th fastest time ever by an American.  I hate the way she races--she relies way too much on her kick, something that's become very popular amongst American half-milers of late--but you can't deny that she's exciting and has a ton of potential.  Her win at Pre might have been the most exciting race of the year.  That said, she's still not the best 800m runner in the country.

18.  Jordan Hasay, 13 (1500m 4:14.50 - Mile 4:35.01 - 3000m 9:12.25)

We learned at the NCAA Indoors that Jordan isn't quite ready to win an NCAA title at the mile distance.  She's very very good for a freshman, but there are a few athletes ahead of her.  She gets this spot because of what she's going to do in the 5000m, though.  I think she's going to run 15:30s at Stanford, and possibly break Molly Huddle's AJR.  By the end of her freshman year, she could be one of the strongest 1500m/5000m runners in the NCAAs.

Major Movers (2009 to 2010)

Who had the biggest ranking leaps and falls from last year to this year? Biggest Falls Laurynne Chetelat -15 (36 to NR) Luke Puskedra -16 (35 to NR) Anthony Famiglietti -16 (14 to 30) Christine Babcock -19 (32 to NR) Khadevis Robinson -19 (26 to 45) Brie Felnagle -26 (25 to NR) Treniere Moser -27 (24 to NR) Jacob Hernandez -29 (22 to NR) Chanelle Price -31 (15 to 46) Sarah Bowman -31 (20 to NR) US middle distance is so deep (especially on the women's side) that the value of being good but not great is not what it used to be. Biggest Leaps Brenda Martinez +16 (NR to 35) Phoebe Wright +18 (NR to 33) Meb Keflezighi +20 (40 to 20) Lukas Verzbicas +21 (48 to 27) Christin Wurth-Thomas +22 (NR to 29) Ashley Sveinsson +25 (NR to 26) Angela Bizzarri +25 (42 to 17) Leonel Manzano +28 (NR to 23) Robby Andrews +31 (46 to 15) Maggie Vessey +32 (NR to 19) Maggie Vessey earns the title for most unexpected performer of 2009!

17.  Angela Bizzarri, 42 (3000m 8:57.40 - 5000m 15:33.02)

Bizzarri is probably my favorite US runner right now.  Somehow or another, she always finds a way to win.  She's the reigning NCAA Outdoor 5000m champ, NCAA Cross Country champ, and now the NCAA Indoor 3000m champ, taking down Lisa Koll (see below) in a thrilling 8:57 personal best.  She'll have her hands full beating Koll over 5000m this year, but I've said that every race for the past year and she continues to win.  I can't wait to see what she does outdoors.

16.  Alan Webb, 9 (800m 1:43.84 - 1500m 330.54 - Mile 3:46.91AR - 3000m 7:39.28 - Two Miles 8:11.48 - 5000m 13:10.86 - 10000m 27:34.72)

Why Webb isn't #1 is a mystery to all US distance running fans.  Despite faltering in the final of the World Champs in 2007, Webb looked poised to dominate US distance running for years to come.  Instead it's been two years since he put up a legitimately exciting time and now he's recovering from Achilles surgery.  Will he ever come back?  At 27 years of age, there's way too much potential to write him off, but with so many great runners in the US right now, this seems like the best place to put him.

15.  Robby Andrews, 46 (800m 1:48.02 - 1000m 2:22.28 - Mile 4:03.49)

To be a great competitor, you have to have a great kick.  There's no running away from people in a championship race.  Either you've got that gear at the end or you don't, and most people don't.  Robby Andrews does.

Is it a world-class kick?  That remains to be seen.  But he's already shown it's good enough to surprise the best 800m runner in the country, Andrew Wheating, and with three more years of eligibility, it's hard to imagine him not winning a couple more NCAA titles.  In the meantime, he'll have to show he can run world-class times before he gets a world-class ranking.

14.  Matt Tegenkamp, 19 (1500m 3:34.25 - Mile 3:56.38 - 3000m 7:34.98 - Two Miles 8:07.07AR - 5000m 12:58.56)

Teg won the 2009 USA Outdoor 5000m, finished 8th in the final in Berlin, and then busted out a 12:58.56 personal best in September.  Unfortunately for him Ritz ran 12:56 the week before (somewhat stealing his thunder) and Bernard Lagat has decided to focus on the 5000m from here on out (somewhat stealing his future thunder).

Personally, I have a few gripes with Teg that make it hard for me to rank him higher than this.  He doesn't race much (only 8 races in 2009, compared to 20 for Lagat).  He refuses to race above 5000m (for no other reason than to torment all of us who are sure he'd be a great 10k runner).  And when he gets into international races, he's passive and deferential to others in the field.  Small gripes, perhaps, but that's the roadmap to increasing his trade value.  If he wants to settle for just being a US champion then so be it.

Symmonds is to running what bumblebees are to flight.

13.  Nick Symmonds, 8 (600m 1:14.47 - 800m 1:43.83 - 1000m 2:17.10 - 1500m 3:40.91 - Mile 3:56.72)

You know how for a long time physicists thought it should be physically impossible for a bumblebee to fly, given its wing to body mass ratio.  I think Symmonds is the bumblebee of US distance running.  We're going to look back and wonder how someone with his form and physique could have run the times he's run.  Can we get some physicists on this already?

Even without knowing how he does it, Nick Symmonds is the clear #1 800m runner in the country right now.  He won the 2008 Olympic Trials, won the 2009 USA Outdoors, finished 6th in Berlin, and recently won the 2010 USA Indoor title.  He also set a new PR of 1:43.83.  All while looking more like a gymnast or wrestler than a distance runner.

I don't see Symmonds going much faster than he's already gone, which is plenty fast to win a major medal already.  The 800m is notoriously random, so anything's possible, but he's got some serious competition in Kaki, Rudisha, Yego, Mulaudzi and Kamel.  On top of that, I truly believe Wheating is just one year away from challenging him for a US title.  This is as high as I can rank him.

12.  Kara Goucher, 4 (1500m 4:05.14 - 3000m 8:34.99 - 5000m 14:55.02 - 10000m 30:55.16 - Half 66:57 - Marathon 2:25:53)

Kara Goucher didn't have a bad year last year.  Despite focusing on the World Championships marathon, she ran PR's at 800m, One Mile, 2000m, and 3000m indoors.  She also won the USA Outdoor 5000m title.  But her marathons weren't what she was hoping for and she's announced that she's going to try and have a baby, which puts her next couple years in limbo.  The even bigger question is whether Flanagan will eclipse her status as "best up-and-coming US marathoner" when she runs her first full marathon sometimes within the next year.

11.  Ryan Hall, 5 (3000m 7:56.74 - 5000m 13:16.03 - 10000m 28:07.93 - Half 59:43AR - Marathon 2:06:17)

Ryan has made a full commitment to the marathon and in the process has really raised the bar for US distance runners on the roads.  Unfortunately, despite running solid times and earning solid places in Boston and NYC, he hasn't had the kind of breakthrough he's been looking for.  And his half marathon times haven't come close to what he did in early 2007.

Ryan will be back in Boston in April, and just as much a threat to win as he was last year when he led early and finished 3rd.  If he does win, this ranking will look like a big mistake.  But as I wrote with Ulrey, he'll be facing a beastly field, and I'm betting the field.

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Introducing the Runners Tribe Trailwalker team



Most of you will already be familiar with the Oxfam Trailwalker event. It's a 100 kmrunning race held in Sydney and Melbourne on an annual basis to raise money for the Oxfam charity. The Sydney event will be held this August on the 29th from Brooklynon the Hawkesbury to Mosman on Sydney Harbour.

Runners Tribe has entered a team this year consisting of three guys and a girl.Here is the team:- Janelle Burgmann: Nationally ranked marathoner in her day...2:42 at Boston a few years back...tough as nails. Tell her which direction to run and she willgo allday...just don't let her navigate!- Andrew Knox: Handy 10km runner a couple of years back (30:25). From the Sean Williams mold...."can I run this thing bare foot?" Andrew ran for Randwick Botany and did well in the 2007 ANSW winter distance series.- Richard High: Well known for his range. Recent ironman, multiple marathons and fun runner in the Sydney Striders colours. Did 1.56 for 800m as a 16 year old!- John Suter: ING executive and very experienced campaigner. Has developed a love for trekking....last couple of years includes climbs of Mount Kilimanjaro,Himilayasand just back from Alaska fighting grizzlies for the best tasting tuna...inspiring stuff!

This foursome met just over 10 years ago when they decided to run from Melbourne to Sydney to raise money for Spinal research. This year's Trailwalker marks the 10th anniversary so they just had to give this a go. Their goal is a top 3 finish in the general classification. We will keep you posted on their progress and askthe guysfor a post race report.

The team is hoping to raise $5,000 so any amount you Tribers can spare would be greatly appreciated. All donations over $2 are tax deductible. Your money will help some of the world's poorest people.

 

 

 

 

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'Hills are speedword in disguise '
Frank Shorter

Has Sammy Wanjiru changed the conventional template for running a championship marathon?

The question must be asked after yesterday's world championship marathon emulated Wanjiru's audacious run to Olympic gold last year in Beijing with Abel Kirui and his Kenyan teammates taking control of the race at breakneck speed from start to finish.

Normally I don't like to talk about the people who are not at a championships, especially marathoners who opt for the big city, big money marathons over testing themselves against the world's best. But Steve Moneghetti declared Wanjiru's the greatest marathon run ever last August and now, 12 months later, Kirui has followed the same pattern to a world championships gold medal.

Statistically, the case is compelling. Kirui's winning time yesterday _ two hours six minutes 54 seconds _ is the second fastest men's championships time ever. The fastest is Wanjiru's 2:06:32 on the hot streets of Beijing.

Kirui broke the previous championship record set by Jaouad Gharib in Paris in 2003 by almost two minutes. Behind Kirui, three others broke two hours nine minutes _ silver medallist Emannuel Mutai of Kenya, bronze medallist Tsegay Kebede of Ethiopia and Robert Cheruiyot of Kenya. Six men _ two more than yesterday _ ran sub-2:10 in Paris 2003, but only two, Gharib and silver medallist Julio Rey of Spain, wen under 2:09.

Kirui, Mutai and Cheruiyout, helped by a second Ethiopian, Deriba Merga, carried the lion's share of the pacing load in Berlin. Merga was also a central figure for most of the Olympic marathon. How he must hate his teammate Kebede. In Beijing he passed Merga on the track to grab the bronze; here he came through him in the last 5k, though Merga was in such a bad way by then that he failed to finish.

Merga showed ahead at the first two 5k splits, but from then on it was either Kirui or Mutai, and from 30k on, Kirui.

It is exciting to think that two championships in a row have now brought a men's race run in exhilarating manner. No doubt we will see a return to conservatism sometime in the future, but for the moment let's just sit back and relish this mad, mad new world order.

Scott Westcott got burned following the early pace, but he helped Martin Dent, Andrew Letherby and Mark Tucker to pack together through 30k as Australia finished eighth of 15 teams in the marathon World Cup. With top 8s hard as ever to come by at the world champs, let's not overlook this one.

Like Abel Kirui, Steve Hooker was committed to a course of action which would lead either to death, or to glory. Like Kirui, his boldness was rewarded with a gold medal in the pole vault.

Leading in to Berlin, Hooker's ambition was to secure a world championships medal to go with his Olympic gold. But last Monday week, he suffered a grade one strain to a groin muscle. Then commenced a race against time to get fit.

It looked all over when Hooker qualified with one jump at 5.65 on Thursday. He crashed to the bag and could barely walk after that effort. The soreness settled, and he embarked on an audacious strategy of taking only one jump in the final in the hope that would suffice for a medal.

Hooker came in at 5.85. He all but cleared the height, just tickling the bar off as he went over. He was shattered but, to his surprise, found enough energy to take one more at the next height of 5.90. to a mighty roar, he cleared it and it stood up for gold.

Two jumps for a world championships gold medal. It has been done only once before by _ guess who? _ Sergey Bubka, in Rome in 1987.

ends


 

Len Johnson was The Melbourne Age athletics writer for over 20 years, covering five Olympics, 10 world championships and five Commonwealth Games. He is the author of The Landy Era, From Nowhere to the Top of the World, and a former national class distance runner (2.19.32 marathon) who trained with Chris Wardlaw and Robert de Castella.