Millrose Games

Thought I'd write a few notes on my thoughts about the Millrose Games this past weekend. Keep in mind that the US Championships are right around the corner now and will serve as the qualifier for the 2014 World Indoor Championships. Should be fun to watch that madness unfold. But for now ....

The Ageless Wonder
As I watched a bunch of US studs run 2000m in a time that would make my early high school mile times shake with fear, I tried to put the thought of Bernard Lagat lapping me out of my mind. Think about it. The guy is 39 and just set another American Record. Admittedly it was at only 2k, a very infrequently run distance, but the Kenyan-American just blasted away from the field with a 4:54 mark that included a 55-56ish closing 400m off sub 4 pace. Did I mention the guy is 39?

Lagat beat out Cam Levins (the Canadian stud who had easily his best race since college with a 4:55 for second), David Torrence (coming off one of his best seasons with a 3:33), Andrew Bumbalough and Evan Jager (steeplechase American Record Holder) with the greatest of ease. It makes you wonder exactly what is going on with this guy. Maybe he keeps himself in great shape and yes he is a rare talent (3:26 1500m PR puts him in only El G territory here), but you have to kind of wonder what else might be going on behind the scenes. It looks like Lagat will continue to stay relevant in the major track scene up until he is in his 40s. The 2016 US team is likely not out of the question for him at this rate which is unreal.

Whatever you want to say about Lagat and what he may or may not be on, you have to respect his racing savvy. He is an extremely well polished racer and a superb tactician. He and Centro are the best right now on US soil no doubt with Lagat being the best, but likely lacking the wheels now a days to get in done against the best in the world at 5k like he used to be able to. I give him props, he knows how to race and that's why he is incredibly accomplished at the highest level. He will be a factor in the 3k at the US trails and the indoor world championships.

So I guess ultimately, I gotta give Lagat a little bit of props for still handling guys in their prime (who also may be on something or another don't forget) with brilliant tactics and smart racing. Put these youngsters in their place Bernie.

A Phenomenal High School Performance .... Oh, and Mary Cain too ....
Mary Cain has been grabbing headlines in the US track and field market all winter, and deservingly so. She has taken off this year as one of the best milers in the nation and, with her recent dominating wins over the likes of US champs Moser and Uceny, she really only has Jenny B standing in her way of being #1. Keep in mind she is still only a high school senior.

We were amazed by what Mary did last year, but indoors this year she has just taken it to another level I did not see possible. Outdoors last year she proved she belonged, making it to the WC final and running 3 straight races that crushed the #2 fastest girl in the HS history at 1500m (current training partner Jordan Hasay). But Cain wasn't quite a world class talent. Now she is getting there. She has phenomenal closing speed and has become a much more tactically strong racer. A year of training and racing at the professional level (she wasn't a pro last spring only by definition, but she was doing everything a pro does), has elevated her to untouchable right now and has landed her a World Junior Record and she came within a fraction of another one. I'm very interested to see how she does at this year's world indoor championships.

But keep in mind people, Mary's marks from a year ago have been matched nicely by Junior in HS Alexa Efraimson. Despite not having the high profile or the big name coach, Alexa the Mother Ef-in Efraimson (probably not my best nickname ever) has run 9 flat for 3k (breaking Cain's record) and now 4:32.15 for the mile off a brutally slow 2:20-21 first half mile. In a less tactical race we definitely could have seen a 4:27 type mark out of Efraimson which would put her just about even with Cain's marks from a year ago when she was second to Shelia Reid at this event.

Think about it. Efraimson is just as good as Cain was last year if not better! But she will have to live in the shadow of Cain's monster of a year from last winter and, more importantly, last spring. If Efraimson can hop on a train outdoors and run something along the lines of 4:08/8:50/15:30 for 15/3k/5k not only will she be up there with the best runner's on Muhlenberg's roster, but she also will be arguably better than Mary Cain was a year ago! And that is certainly saying something!

Efraimson's downfall may be the fact that she is more of a 5k type without the big time kick and wheels of Cain and that may limit what she can do on any type of national and world level. That being said, let's not sell this woman short just because of what Cain did. It's hard to see two one in a million talents come back to back like this, but hey, it's not probabilistically impossible.

US Mid-Distance
The 1k had to be one of the most disappointing races of the night at Millrose. You get talk of an American Record attempt and a French guy runs train on the field. Sowinski moves up well out of his sweet spot and takes down the W on this field. Symmonds is now 0 for 2 in his American Record attempts this year. Not a good sign looking ahead.

And the aftermath of this disappointing 1k leaves us with a crop of question marks in the US mid-distance field. First we have Symmonds who, amid a big transfer and a lot of press, has not been able to cash in on a major victory in a Brooks jersey. He managed just 2:18.87 in a 1k race that is likely right in his sweet spot. He seemed disengaged and put down a kick a little too late in the game to get Sowinski. Fresh of a Silver medal and a heavy burden of expectation, Symmonds will certainly be judged unfairly during an indoor season that, in all likelihood, doesn't mean much to him. Sure he has said he wants records and wants a medal at the World Championships, but he has never been serious about the indoor season. Last year while Rupp chased the big standards and grabbed headlines, Symmonds got beat down in a 600m at Millrose, picked up a few pay checks, lost the US championships Outdoors and then peaked perfectly to flat out dominate when it counted in August. That being said, when you are 30, switch your coaches (maybe) and switch your sponsors there are going to be lingering doubts from me and the fans. Hopefully just no lingering doubts from Symmonds.

My boy Robby has not been able to pull something consistent together. He has the kick and the flash to make something amazing happen and he was just off the record a year ago, but something up in his mental state ain't clicking. He could run 2:20.57 as a freshman in high school, no doubt. I hope he finds the magic again because I really enjoy watching this guy run.

Rutt and Sowinski are the guys now to lead us this indoor season and possibly beyond. Rutt has already clocked a 1:46 in the 800m and ran an excellent leg against Sowinski on the world record 4x8. He has looked very strong and believe it or not he is one of the only guys with a indoor world championship final in the 800m to his name. Very cool. Sowinski, however, is the class of the US right now which I had to check and make sure is true (it is). He has clocked a 1:46 anchor, a world record, and now a win in a 1k that is without a doubt outside his range. His sweet spot to me his roughly 600m. He is on a flat out roll right now going into USAs and has a very dangerous kick in the right race. He will likely defend his US championship at 800m and lead our squad to worlds. That being said, how much can we rely on Erik Sowinski to lead the US in middle distance? His PR is at 1:45 which will not put him at the top of any world class meet. Can he take the next jump to a break through? Hopefully, this is the spring board he needs to answer that question with a yes.

In Defense of Will Leer
To be fair I wasn't cheering for Will Leer on Millrose night because I actually wanted him to win. I just wanted my friend to scream and shout and be angry. And it worked. So my friends and I high-fived and celebrated the upset and we talked briefly about Will Leer.

Look I'm certainly not a big fan of Leer. He is kind of a baby a lot of times after races and gives snarky, mean spirited interviews. He called out Lagat after a US final that seemed like a low blow excuse and he mocked a field of 5k guys that he handled quite impressively last spring. I'm sure he is a good guy at heart, but he is not doing any favors in those interviews. And please, can we stop throwing out the pre comparisons? If someone is going to be forever associated with Pre, I would prefer it to not be Will Leer.

But what bugs me is those who are quick to criticize Leer for not winning when it really counts. Has Leer made a world team? No. But I mean, c'mon look at the guys who have! It's been some combination of Leo, Lagat, Wheating, Centro and Lomong for just about ever (ok Dorian Ulrey slipped in there once, to be fair). Leer puts it on the line every year to make the team, gives it his all on a tactical kickers race, but just can't quite get to the line in the top 3. Here is the thing about Leo, Lagat, Wheating , Centro and Lomong: those guys run 3:32 or faster. Wheating is at 3:30 for a PR and Lagat is at 3:26 PR wise (even though he ain't running that ever again). Centro is tactically brilliant and at 3:31.9. Leo has a sliver medal from London. Morgan Freeman says Lopez Lomong brilliantly in Master Card commercials. It's like, how are you supposed to beat these guys?

Over the past couple years Leer has racked up a strong 5k PR, a huge win at the Oxy 1500m against a field that included Leo, Centro, Rupp, Lomong, and Wheating among others. Now he adds the Wannamaker mile title over Nick Willis, olympic silver medalist and 3:30 guy, who has been on a flat out roll in addition to other silver medalist Manzano, and sub 13 minute guy Lawi Lalang ... not to mention American Record holder at the mile Alan Webb! (sorry couldn't resist)

So yeah, Leer doesn't have the US championship mark or the flashy PR. He has only run 3:35 and in that race just about every body and their mom from the US beat him and run under the A standard. But that's the thing, Leer is maxed out at 3:35 ability. He is not as talented as these other top notch D1 recruits (Leer was a division 3 collegiate like Symmonds) and yet his tactical savvy and heart carry him into the discussion with the big names year in and year out. If you watch his race at Millrose you will notice that he ran it beautifully while the big name and the guy on a tear Nick Willis made a massive tactical mistake.

Guys like David Torrence and Garrett Heath may have some nice flashy PRs and go on the circuit in Europe and drop nice times here or there, but Leer is in the mix every year come US championship time. He gets to the line within a second or so of the leaders and just barely misses out on a trip to the big time. He runs hard and smart and gets his nose in there with the best of them. He makes the big names sweat and take notice of the little guy. And after he misses making the team he is too heart broken and burnt out to do stuff over seas.

Sorry, but I don't see that as a flaw, I see that as something admirable. I see something defensible. I hope Leer somehow finds a way to make a team to shut up some of the haters. But it will probably just be the usual suspects until Leer ultimately retires and moves. Ain't that just the way it is.