Run-Down Forums

Conway · Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2001 9:56 am Post subject:

I think an easy test for honest effort is simply how fatiuged one is following the race .. Smile

.. I doubt if anyone was fatigued following THAT race .. And you know I don't follow who is represented by who typically so I wasn't aware that 2 guys controlled most of the participants .. That might help explain it some .. But none the less I just don't see where an effort was given on behalf of any of the participants .. I mean come on all but 1 had a PR UNDER 13:00 !!! That was simply a waste of time and money for all concerned .. They should be embarrassed ...

Dan · Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2001 7:44 pm Post subject:

I most definitely will not try to justify the race, but it sort of makes sense why it unfolded the way it did. All 7 guys (all Ethiopians and Kenyans, who really don't like to lose to each other) were represented by the two super agents, prize money for everone (1-8 with only 7 guys), no rabbits, and everyone with a pr within about 4 seconds of each other (the slowest came in at 13:00.10). All that adds up to a very tough race to win, so they all took the easy way out and figured their odds of winning would be about the same with much less effort. It makes sense, but it's a disgusting display of sportsmanship from the standpoint of entertainment, which is the only reason they were being paid in the first place.

Dan

Conway · Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2001 8:35 pm Post subject:

Well was sort of fitting since this was probably the worst of all the Goodwill games .. While it was a nice event when held the first time, it is now time to rethink it .. I can think of better ways and things to do with the supposededly 5 million spent on track and field for this particular event ..

Dan · Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2001 8:44 pm Post subject:

Was there a single event worthy of the "championship" billing? I can't think of any.

Dan

Conway · Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2001 9:08 pm Post subject:

NO .. Not a one .. It needs serious work .. Well no .. I take that back .. The men's 110H was worthy of the title .. Good field and teh two best for the season .. And the top two gave a championship effort .. I have to give them that .. But after that ... Eh !!!!

And just think .. In 2 days we have the Grand Prix final ... Think it will be any better ????

Dan · Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2001 9:53 pm Post subject:

Yeah, I guess the hurdles were solid. The oft overlooked event... Sure seems like the season is already over, and the performances would seem to agree!

Dan

Conway · Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2001 10:05 pm Post subject:

Yep .. Never thought I would complain about a season "dragging" on ... LOL .. But this one definitely seems to be doing just that .. Not great planning for this season .. Too many times for athletes to try to peak .. College season .. Nationals .. Worlds .. Goodwill .. Grand Prix season and Final .. Way too much .. The season needs to be much more defined - as in more condensed for the athletes .. One maybe two major periods to shoot for .. And there should be NO MORE major events held in Austrailia .. Great people .. But the weather, time of year they have ot be held, and distance from any civilized time zones should be reason enough !!!!

Conway · Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2001 10:06 pm Post subject:

Yep .. Never thought I would complain about a season "dragging" on ... LOL .. But this one definitely seems to be doing just that .. Not great planning for this season .. Too many times for athletes to try to peak .. College season .. Nationals .. Worlds .. Goodwill .. Grand Prix season and Final .. Way too much .. The season needs to be much more defined - as in more condensed for the athletes .. One maybe two major periods to shoot for .. And there should be NO MORE major events held in Austrailia .. Great people .. But the weather, time of year they have ot be held, and distance from any civilized time zones should be reason enough !!!!

Dan · Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2001 7:04 am Post subject:

Agreed. It really seems like whatever is the main event of the year, be it WC or OG, that should be the final of the year. Having all this other championship stuff following it is too anti-climatic.

There's a reason why people go to Australia to train when it's winter elsewhere in the world...

Dan

Conway · Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2001 11:50 am Post subject:

In a season like tis one where you have a World Championships, something like a Goodwill games would make a nice mid season competition .. Then the athletes could use it to test fitness and where they are in the grand scheme of things .. It would be competitive .. And would make for a win win for everyone - including the fans ..

Dan · Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2001 6:46 pm Post subject:

Dan · Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2001 12:33 pm Post subject:

Well, the GP finals results are in, and they don't look any more impressive than those of the Goodwill Games.

Dan

Conway · Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2001 9:36 pm Post subject:

The season should have ended with the Worlds .. And should always end with the biggst meet .. They should find a way to incorporate the others into the regular seaon and allow the athletes to determine how important each competition is to him or her .. This made for one of the sorrier seasons I can ever remember .

Dan · Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2001 8:41 am Post subject:

It had the feel of some seasons I've had personally where you peak mid to late season and can feel your conditioning and energy slipping with each race from then on. By the time the end of the season rolls around, you feel like you can barely finish a workout that was cake a month or two earlier. Not good.

I haven't seen a lot of talk about this, but I wonder if the EPO tests have maybe discouraged some of the use in the distances, even if the test is pretty shaky at this point? Some of it may just be the old guard of Geb/Tergat/Komen/Hissou winding down, but there were some rather uninspired times being posted regularly (not just talking about the GWG farce). The occasional breakthrough like Boulami's steeplechase would imply the "ability" is still there, and EPO would tend to make the impossible possible more so than making it repeatable, the latter being more of a steroid factor, which then makes me wonder if the nandrolene positives turning up across all events are indicative of more than just faulty supplement labeling? Sort of like the cop hiding by a supermarket to mask the radar gun, it would make sense to use something that, if detected, can explained as being something else. Of course, I have a hard time believing the top athletes don't have access to equally effective stuff that is undetectable...

Dan

Conway · Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2001 9:37 am Post subject:

I agree with your analogy regarding the season .. it went way past any sort of peak .. but the last two meets (Goodwill and IAAF final) had $6 million to distribute !!! Gotta be a better way to get that out to the sport .. That's a lot of money !!

Ahhhh ... Drugs ... Yes i do think we are seeing the results of individuals "adjusting" their usage/dosage levels .. And more than just the distances .. And I haven't figured out yet what ot think about Nadrolone and all of the positives that have occured .. It's been too frequesnt to be coincidence .. THAT much I know .. But not sure what ot make of it just yet ..

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