Talking Trials: Stacked 1500's lead the final day at Hayward

There could be more carnage in the stacked 1500 finals today
(photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

This is the tenth installment of "Talking Trials." There will be more to come every day during the 2012 USA Olympic Track and Field Trials from Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus in Eugene, OR.Full results for the trials are here.

Talking through the Men's and Women's 1500 finals can be difficult. The second you think you know who's in and who's out, you find a reason to slot someone else in for the spot. As I've overheard many times this week "that's why they run the races." That statement couldn't be truer.

The Women will go first and five have the Olympic A Standard (4:06.00), with a three within a second of it. That first group includes 2012 World Champion, Jenny Simpson, 2009 World Championship Bronze Medalist , Shannon Rowbury, defending US Champ Morgan Uceny, 2010 US Champ, Anna Willard and two time Olympian at 800 meters, Alice Schmidt. A strong and well-accomplished group that will be tough to crack. Those that have run under 4:07 include Katie Mackey, Brenda Martinez and a reinstated Gabriele Anderson. All three have the wherewithal to mix it up for a spot on the team, yet one will have to push the pace for the standard. That's where it gets tough.

Gabe Jennings looked better than anyone in the prelims and semis in 2008, yet needed the standard. He had no choice but to skew from his traditional racing style and go for the mark. It was a windy day and frankly, no one was going to run what was necessary for Jennings to advance. The final would be won by Bernard Lagat in 3:40.07, far off the then Olympic A Standard of 3:36.60 (it is now and even more difficult 3:35.50). After pushing the pace early, Jennings would finish last in 3:47.92.

So Mackey, Martinez and Anderson will have to work to make the pace honest, as I don't see anyone from the A group doing that. Notorious front runner, Christin Wurth-Thomas, would have been up to the task, but unfortunately she's out with injury. I feel like Uceny, Rowbury are Simpson are the three that will go to London, but I think Gabe Anderson may podium. Whether she'll get the standard or not? That's where it will get exciting.

It's a similar situation on the guys side; half the field has the standard and half doesn't. Jordan McNamara and Will Leer have looked as good as anyone, yet neither have the standard. Will a Craig Miller or a John Mickowski push the pace to go for the A? That could be the strategy even for some with the A, as Leo Manzano, David Torrence, Andrew Wheating and Robby Andrews and 2011 World Championship Bronze Medalist have proved they can close around 52 seconds; sometimes faster. Who can take the sting out of that kind of speed?

I like Torrence, Manzano and Centro out of the group, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least bit if it went Andrews, McNamara, Wheating or any variety of the top eight guys in the final. Tune in this afternoon on NBC to find out.

Brooks took to the skies over Hayward
(photo: instagram)

At the track yesterday, only the Men's 110 Hurdles and the Women's 200 were finals. Both will send excellent teams to London and the 200 press conference had to be emceed by USATF's Jill Geer to prevent "clown questions" from journalists trying to get the scoop on the 100 controversy, which will be solved today (meeting at noon pacific).

Off the track, someone at Brooks Running had the savvy to fly a plane over Hayward Field with a banner that said "Run Happy." Apparently Nike was none too pleased and according to David Monti, Brooks employees "got their credentials pulled" over the stunt.

On the Carolina's front, Greensboro's Calesio Newman ran strong and advanced to the Men's 200 Final, which will be the last event on the track today. Read the article I wrote about him in the Greensboro News & Record here.

And unfortunately, this was last night out, as I'll be taking a redeye back to North Carolina after the trials close this evening. I'll recap more in another post, but the experience has been truly amazing. This sport has the best people involved and Eugene has put on an excellent event. I truly hope they host again in 2016.

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5 Questions with David Torrence

David Torrence high fives fans after hitting
the 1500 meters A Standard at Oxy
(photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

Today we have 5 Questions with one of the hardest workers in the sport, on and off the track.  He wasn't a star in college, but has shown that through hard work and the right opportunity that comes with performing, things can certainly change for the positive. He's a multi-time National Champion and will look to make his first Olympic team this June in Eugene.

David Torrence is on top of his game. He's got the Olympic A Standard in the 800, 1500 and 5000, so he's got decisions to make as well. Just a few years ago he was hustling to get a deal and won the Puma Mile before ultimately signing with Nike. He trains with Coach John Cook and will run the 1500 meters at the Adidas Grand Prix this weekend. Follow him on Twitter @David_Torrence

5 Questions with David Torrence

1. Writing About Running: First off, congrats on hitting the Olympic A Standard at Oxy (with a 3:35.41). Did your race plan go as expected?

David Torrence: Thanks! It was a big weight off my shoulders. The race definitely did NOT go as expected. First of all, I think most everyone going into the meet was assuming the heats would go "Fastest" to "Slowest". When we got to the meet, and I saw that I was in the 3rd "equal" (note the parentheses) section with only one other fast guy, I was a bit flustered. But at the end of the day, I knew that I was fit enough to run 3:35 low in any type of race, and just went ahead. The pace was supposed to be 57's through 1000 meters, but they went out in 54 and there was some serious separation with the rest of the pack. I ended up having to take the lead a little after 800 meters and just worked my way up to try and catch Jamal Aarrass. Although I didn't quite get Aarrass, I was still kicking hard for home, and having him ahead helped my focus towards the line. So although I know I could have run a lot faster in a different race, at least I got the goal of getting that A standard at the end. On a side note, since I grew up in LA, I put together a little event invite for the meet and I had an amazing cheering section for me at the top of the homestretch. It was pretty awesome getting the standard in front of my whole family and a ton of friends.

2. Writing About Running: You now have Olympic A Standards in the 800, 1500 and 5000. You and Galen Rupp (1500, 5000, 10,000) are the only American distance runners that have hit three A's. I'd assume you're pretty proud of this range. How has your training set you up for this?

David Torrence: It's good to have options, I can tell you that much. Yeah, I'm pretty proud of the accomplishment, but it's a bit of an empty one, ya know? There's no "Distance Decathlon", we're not in the business of being good at several events. I have to be great at one if I'm going to make this team. But to answer your question, my training is just pretty eclectic. We do a variety of speeds and workouts, and never just focus on one area too much. I did take a more focused approach to the 5000, and did some more specific stuff, but I never strayed too far from what I've done that made me fit and be fast in the past.

Torrence walks it off after a 5000
A Standard at Payton Jordan
(photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

3. Writing About Running: The trials set up well for an 800/1500 double, but your kick would lend well to a tactical 5000. Are you leaning any particular way right now?

David Torrence: My coach and I are looking at my workouts and feeling out these mile/1500m races. We'll probably make a decision after NYC this weekend. I don't want to say I'm leaning one way or the other, since I'm trying to keep my cards close to my chest for as long as possible. A double will be pretty unlikely, but still not out of the question. I can say this much though, if the 1500m was FIRST and the 800/5000 were second...that would've made things a LOT easier.

4. Writing About Running: Just a few years ago, you were running unsponsored with a "your ad here" sign on your chest. Now you're a multiple time national champion. What can you offer to those that were in your shoes a few years back?

David Torrence: It's pretty cliche, but you have to really believe in yourself. I mean really. You're going to run into a lot of people who think you are wasting your time, and that you should be working or doing something else with your life, with your degree, etc. You're going to run into agents, meet directors, coaches, who think that you're wasting their time. Being somebody that wasn't a star in the NCAA system means that you are a nobody in the professional track world. And although it's not easy having to prove more than you're worth every time you step on the track, it is exactly what you are going to have to do. With all those people that are going to doubt you and think that you're foolish and naive, you have to be able to block it out and really know deep down inside that it is what you want to do, and more importantly, that it is something you CAN do. So yeah, be prepared for that. And don't get hurt. Injuries always hinder performance more than undertraining.

David Torrence in the 2011
USATF 1500 Final
(photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

5. Writing About Running: You raced the Bowerman Mile this at the Pre Classic this weekend. How exciting was it to run in that kind of race?

David Torrence: It was crowded. Wayyyy too many guys on the starting line. Caused the rabbit to have to get out crazy fast, which ended up affecting the overall pacing of the race. Although with me having one of the slowest PR's in the field, I guess it could be argued I was the rift raft that shouldn't have been in the race in the first place. But my sponsor, Nike, really took a chance with me, and believed that I belonged in that race, which really meant a lot. And considering I was the top American coming out of it, I thought it went pretty well. However, there are still some things I'm unhappy about. For example, with a lap to go I was in perfect position, right on Asbel's heels... but then I got shoved inside by Lopez (Lomong) and almost fell off the track. That was frustrating, since I felt I really could have been more of a factor in the top half of the race. With that questionable contact, I lost my position, rhythm, and a bit of energy staying up on my feet... but I was still able to kick the last 300 meteres with Amine Laalou, and being that he's a 3:29 guy, I felt good about that. I guess at the end of the day, it's good to come away from a 2 second PR knowing that you could have gone a lot faster.

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The Olympic Standards chase starts in Australia

Torrence is ready to make a run at the A

The Sydney Track Classic in Australia has kicked off many athletes chase for the Olympic A-Standards this year. Nick Symmonds had a subpar opener in the 800, running 1:47.44 for seventh, in an event won by Kenya's Asbel Kiprop, in 1:45.91. This doesn't have any bearing on Symmonds attaining the A-Standard though, as he attained it last year, running under the 800 A-Standard of 1:45.60 during the window of May 1, 2011 - July 1, 2012. The one exception to this is for the 10,000, where the window is January 1, 2011 - July 1, 2012, likely due to the small amount of competitive 10,000's available to hit the standard. This makes the US Olympic Trials the last chance to hit the standard with no post-trials chasing.

One guy who is ready to go ahead and get the standard is David Torrence. Torrence won the STC 1500 in 3:35.66, just 0.16 off of the A-Standard. He bested a nice field of Collis Birmingham, Will Leer, Craig Mottram and others in doing so. Torrence has already run the A-Standard in the 800 and has a PR of 3:34.25 in the 1500, but that was run in 2010 in Rieti. He looks to be ready to run another PR in the 1500 soon.

Expect more and more attempts after USA Indoors next weekend. The Stanford Invitational on April 6 and 7 will likely be a big one that many will target, then Mt. SAC two weeks later.

Here are the Olympic A and B Track Standards:

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Road Rage: David Torrence takes on the big boys at the 5th Avenue Mile

Road Warrior, David Torrence

David Torrence is as close to the king of the road mile as you're gonna get. The three-time consecutive USATF Road Mile Champ will have his hands full this weekend at the season ending Fifth Avenue Mile in New York, NY. Torrence rose to cult fame with his now famous downhill sub-4 attempt thread on LetsRun.com that he took video of (see video below).

Just last weekend, Torrence won the Front Street Mile in Maui, in a course record of 3:57, but didn't have to face Bernard Lagat and the boys. He will Saturday at 1:05pm eastern. Along with Lagat, there's a huge field that will fight for the win down on one of Manhattan's biggest streets. Joining the fun on the American side is new pro, AJ Acosta, Steepler/Jack of All Distances, Ben Bruce, Saucony's Garrett Heath, 32-year old Sub-4 man, Christian Hesch, the sometimes mustachioed Will Leer, New Balance's Craig Miller, Nike's Kyle Miller, former Buckeye Jeff See, US 800 champ Nick Symmonds and the resurging Fam, Anthony Famiglietti. Defending champ, Amine Laalou, leads the international competition, with Australia's Jeff Riseley throwing his hat in the ring.

Let's get physical

Morgan Uceny will be the favorite on the Women's side, as she looks to be the first #1 World ranked American Woman in the 1500 in many, many years. The Women's race will go off at 12:50pm and also includes Brooks' Gabrielle Anderson, Road Mile Champ, Sara Hall, multiple time US 1500 Champ, Shannon Rowbury, 2011 World Champ Jenny Simpson and 800 meter specialists, Alysia Montano and Maggie Vessey. World Championship Silver Medalist, Hannah England, leads the international challengers. Somewhere in the middle is OTC's Sally Kipyego, who took Silver for Kenya at 10,000 in Daegu. She, along with a large field of other international competitors, will make for an exciting race.

New York Road Runners TV will show highlights at 8pm. Full race schedules are available here.

Experience Torrence's 3:46 Downhill Road Mile:



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David Rudisha returns to the scene of the time in Rieti

King of the Rodeo
(TrackAndFieldPhoto)

Last year in Rieti, Italy, David Rudisha brought the heat; the heat being a 1:41.01 World Record in the 800 meters, his second of the season. Mr. Rudisha returns to Rieti Saturday to take aim once again at his heralded record, with personal pacer Sammy Tangui in tow. The race will go off at 12:05pm eastern, as Rieti is six hours ahead of the east coast.

There are a few other exciting distance races going on in Rieti as well.

On the Men's side, the 1500, which goes off at 11:38am, has World Champion, Asbel Kiprop, leading the way, with Amine Laalou, Nick Willis and Ryan Gregson leading the international field, and Americans David Torrence and Will Leer taking aim at the 2012 Olympic A-Standard.

Bernard Lagat leads the 3000 and has said on Twitter that he is taking aim at his 7:29.00 personal best. If he were to better that, he would set an American Record in the process. Tariku Bekele, Vincent Chepkok and others will stand in his way. The race goes off at 11:48am.

On the Women's side, Gold Medalist, Jenny Simpson returns to the track in the 1500. She'll have Spain's Natalia Rodriguez and Morocco's Btissam Lakhouad trying to take her down at 12:25pm.

Full schedule is available here. Full Men's Startlist is here and full Women's Startlist is here. For more up to the minute information, check out our Italian friend, Alberto Stretti's blog. He's looking for a stream and I'll post it if available!

Relive David Rudisha's 1:41.01 World Record last year:


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