IMHRO - In My Humble Running Opinion
Jeff Benjamin’s Split Time!
2nd in a series - February 24, 2023
Look! Up On Track! It’s A Bird, It’s A Plane?
No!
IT’S THE SUPERSHOES!!
Leave it to Marty Brown, THE Long Island Running & Coaching legend to egg me on to write a commentary on the new Running Revolution!
What A Crew!
L-R
Steve Segatore
Marty Brown
Craig Virgin
Jeff Benjamin
Phil Wharton
As many of us are aware, the Sub-4 Mile, first accomplished by the Brit Sir Roger Bannister (3:59.4) in 1954 with spikes on a cinder track, has blown up to epidemic proportions over the last few years, culminating in an astounding 2023 so far!
Just last month 52 (!) runners broke the 4 - Minute threshold in one meet alone! Link
Not only limited to the Mile & the Track, 131 (!) runners broke 15 minutes in a 5K race in Ireland!!
What accounts for this and is it right to either praise or bash this new world runners are trekking into?
One wonders what this 3:47 Mile guy would be running today??
In My Humble Running Opinion (IMHRO) 2 major factors include -
1) The Shoes
2) The Rubberized Banked Tracks
Yet, aren’t there other factors as well?
How about - The “Covid” Factors????
1) Covid giving collegiate runners eligibility to continue to compete at later ages such as 23-25 yrs old? In the pre-Covid era having this birthdays led to either the rare path to Elite competition or getting a job where training becomes secondary or just retirement from competition! According to almost every Sport’s experts the PRIME years for athletes begins at 25 and can last until the early 30’s!
2) Covid also gave these athletes, whose ability to compete over almost 2 years was relegated to few or none, the ability to rest more and train more, thereby having a stronger endurance building block in their repertoire than previous Distance Running collegians who had to contest XC, Indoor & Outdoor season jammed with weekly racing and, in the pursuit of team points, doubling and tripling in events! Oregon legend Bill Bowerman always eschewed the Indoor season, staying away from it as best as he could and saving his distance runners for future endeavors!
Here on Staten Island Wagner College Coach Joe Stasi, a friend and HS teammate of our (so far!) only borough’s Sub 4 Miler Charlie Marsala, shared these sentiments, watching collegiates from the front row! -
“There are a lot of reason as to why guys are running so fast in the mile. Is it the spikes or the tracks?
I do believe both those things definitely help performances. I also like to think that runners today just have a lot more knowledge of the little things that help runner. Nutrition and recovery being two big components. Recovery always the key after hard workouts or racing.
Wagner College Coach Joe Stasi
Kids today also see massage therapist and chiropractors more with the Training room becoming commonplace for athletes. Ice baths, ultra sound and stim are used constantly and they also provide recovery boots and massage guns.
Another factor are foods and supplements that help enhance maximum performance. Schools have nutritionist to help with this and have protein bars and shake stations for athletes.
I feel it's a combination of everything . But at the end of the day consistency in your running and racing is always the key.”
The first human under 3:50 for the Mile, New Zealand’s John Walker (3:49.4) echoed these sentiments for the future in the outstanding 1983 documentary “The Supermilers” -
“They’re getting stronger, they’re getting bigger, they’re getting faster, they’re getting more fluent and I think in the future what will happen is that the athletes will become more scientific.”
John Walker (L) & Kiwi Teammate Rod Dixon (R)
That future is now!
Bell Lap Trivia
Congratulations! You’ve survived this hopefully not too grueling reading exercise to reach our finish line. A potential award awaits! Thanks to the generosity of ASICS, one of you will be receiving a pair of running shoes by participating in the trivia challenge below. Please email Jeff with your answer by March 10th at 9AM and we will then draw a name from the proverbial hat!
Congrats to our February winner the legendary track announcer Ian Brooks!!
The Question:
A World XC Question!
Bill Rodgers (L) with Craig Virgin (R)
What category medals did these guys win at the World XC Champs??