Re: t-and-f: Bannister ruining the sport
IMHO Pat Butcher was almost right. Pacemaking ruins the sport, but Bannister didn't event it. Loads of runners before 1954 used pacemakers of some description. Sydney Wooderson, much loved in the UK because he looked like a bank clerk and ran like a lion, broke his world record in a handicapped race in which he was the only one off scratch! And that was before Bannister. I think El Gerrouj is a great, great runner, but was I unhappy when he lost the Olympic title after being paced, no I wasn't. Randall Northam On 7 May 2004, at 20:03, malmo wrote: Randy, the problem with your desires to have the runners acquiece to your vicarious desires is that those head-to-head match races are exactly what runners LOVE Have you ever been in a pack with 150 to go, everyone digging hard, and you reach for that extra gear and find it, and blow by the field like you are walking on air? I have. Believe me, once you've felt THAT thrill, you want to experience it again and again! Every 1500 meter runner has had that thrill, and no matter how badly you want time trials, they will not comply. Accept it, and learn to enjoy the terror that is racing. malmo From: Randy Treadway [EMAIL PROTECTED] What I hate most is some of the best athletes in the world going head to head at pedestrian race and then seeing who has the most blazing speed in the last 10% of the race. I HATE THAT!!! It reminds of those velodrome bicyclers that see how slow they can go without the bike falling over, so they can just watch other- like playing 'chicken' or 'russian roulette'.
t-and-f: Bannister ruining the sport
A lot has been written and said over the last few years about how horrible 'time-chasing' is because it takes away the fan excitement of head-to-head competition. I'm not convinced that we can't have both. Bannister vs Landy in the '54 Commonwealth Games produced a 3:58 when the World Record was 3:57. Ryun vs Liquori in '71 produced a 3:52 when the World Record was 3:51. What I hate most is some of the best athletes in the world going head to head at pedestrian race and then seeing who has the most blazing speed in the last 10% of the race. I HATE THAT!!! It reminds of those velodrome bicyclers that see how slow they can go without the bike falling over, so they can just watch other- like playing 'chicken' or 'russian roulette'. Yes, I would rather watch a single one of these athletes make a good shot at a rabbited world record attempt with the last 10% of the race basically solo man-against-the-clock. Wasn't that basically what Eamonn Coghlan was doing in his best WR-shots on the indoor circuit? Nobody was really in his class, and everybody knew he was shooting for sub-3:50. And the fans were standing screaming at the top of their lungs. Maybe the problem in combining both (fast times good competition) is when you have MORE than two in the race with legitimate shots- there are so many variables to keep an eye on that an athlete chooses to NOT follow the rabbit's pace and instead goes into 'total tactical mode'. Those two races I cited (Bannister/Landy Ryun/Liquori) were basically 2 people head-to-head with others thrown into the field just to fill it out (and maybe rabbit)- Commonwealth Games qualifying rounds notwithstanding- it was still really just Bannister vs Landy and everybody knew it. RT
Re: t-and-f: Bannister ruining the sport
Randy, the problem with your desires to have the runners acquiece to your vicarious desires is that those head-to-head match races are exactly what runners LOVE Have you ever been in a pack with 150 to go, everyone digging hard, and you reach for that extra gear and find it, and blow by the field like you are walking on air? I have. Believe me, once you've felt THAT thrill, you want to experience it again and again! Every 1500 meter runner has had that thrill, and no matter how badly you want time trials, they will not comply. Accept it, and learn to enjoy the terror that is racing. malmo From: Randy Treadway [EMAIL PROTECTED] What I hate most is some of the best athletes in the world going head to head at pedestrian race and then seeing who has the most blazing speed in the last 10% of the race. I HATE THAT!!! It reminds of those velodrome bicyclers that see how slow they can go without the bike falling over, so they can just watch other- like playing 'chicken' or 'russian roulette'.
Re: t-and-f: Bannister ruining the sport
Very nice! malmo wrote: Randy, the problem with your desires to have the runners acquiece to your vicarious desires is that those head-to-head match races are exactly what runners LOVE Have you ever been in a pack with 150 to go, everyone digging hard, and you reach for that extra gear and find it, and blow by the field like you are walking on air? I have. Believe me, once you've felt THAT thrill, you want to experience it again and again! Every 1500 meter runner has had that thrill, and no matter how badly you want time trials, they will not comply. Accept it, and learn to enjoy the terror that is racing. malmo From: Randy Treadway [EMAIL PROTECTED] What I hate most is some of the best athletes in the world going head to head at pedestrian race and then seeing who has the most blazing speed in the last 10% of the race. I HATE THAT!!! It reminds of those velodrome bicyclers that see how slow they can go without the bike falling over, so they can just watch other- like playing 'chicken' or 'russian roulette'.
Re: t-and-f: Bannister ruining the sport
Well put. I vividly remember those couple of times when I walked on air and have forgotten the countless times I walked in the mud. Tom On May 7, 2004, at 3:03 PM, malmo wrote: Randy, the problem with your desires to have the runners acquiece to your vicarious desires is that those head-to-head match races are exactly what runners LOVE Have you ever been in a pack with 150 to go, everyone digging hard, and you reach for that extra gear and find it, and blow by the field like you are walking on air? I have. Believe me, once you've felt THAT thrill, you want to experience it again and again! Every 1500 meter runner has had that thrill, and no matter how badly you want time trials, they will not comply. Accept it, and learn to enjoy the terror that is racing. malmo From: Randy Treadway [EMAIL PROTECTED] What I hate most is some of the best athletes in the world going head to head at pedestrian race and then seeing who has the most blazing speed in the last 10% of the race. I HATE THAT!!! It reminds of those velodrome bicyclers that see how slow they can go without the bike falling over, so they can just watch other- like playing 'chicken' or 'russian roulette'.
