Smoke wrote:The 100 is the build up, the violence of it and the preening of the alpha males. ALL humans understand this without need of mutual language.
And this is supposed to be a case in favour of the men's 100m?
Like others have said, I do enjoy the 100m final but it's not something which will ever be my No.1 must-see event. I don't really care for the histrionics (thankfully the posturing seems to be on the way out) and while I do enjoy watching Bolt, must admit the pre-race routine is a bit predictable.
I'd list the men's 200m, 10,000m, 110mH, 400mH, 4x100m and women's 800m, marathon, 100mH, 400mH, steeplechase and 4x400m as track events I'm more excited about (and Ennis vs. Chernova in the 800m heptathlon )
72 wrote:foreplay and consummation.... do I assume that for Americans such delicious things last for about 10 seconds? . We Brits love the bigger races where the consummation lasts for a couple of minutes at least
Who said I was American, my M & D are actually from Manchester (England, not NH)
Avante wrote:Nothing in track compares to.....THE WORLDS FASTEST HUMAN.
Then obviously you haven't watched a w800 through the eyeglasses of a Brit (it's rose-colored and psychedelic all at the same time after acid and bong hits).
Avante wrote:Nothing in track compares to.....THE WORLDS FASTEST HUMAN.
Then obviously you haven't watched a w800 through the eyeglasses of a Brit (it's rose-colored and psychedelic all at the same time after acid and bong hits).
Trust me, you do not wanna go there I got stories you wouldn't believe.
I'm more excited about the w100m, w200m, m200m, m400, w400m, m800, w800, w4x100m, m4x100, m4x4, w4x4, m110mh, w100mh more than the m100m. It just hasn't peaked my interest since the 2008 olympics. Yeah Usain Bolt won Berlin 2009 World Championship in 9.58 seconds but supposedly everyone was injured and plus they dodge each other to much so I just gave up.
I started in the sport very much as a field & track guy, and came "late" to appreciating the 100. But sitting through morning sessions at the OG/WC can indeed change your thinking.
So I'm crushed that the powers-that-be have removed a big chunk of enjoying the event at the major meets by killing off the first round.
Watching the ebb and flow of talent as they progress through four races was a huge source of enjoyment for me, and three just isn't the same, having now seen that in Daegu.
Cam9412 wrote:I'm more excited about the w100m, w200m, m200m, m400, w400m, m800, w800, w4x100m, m4x100, m4x4, w4x4, m110mh, w100mh more than the m100m. It just hasn't peaked my interest since the 2008 olympics. Yeah Usain Bolt won Berlin 2009 World Championship in 9.58 seconds but supposedly everyone was injured and plus they dodge each other to much so I just gave up.
Actually it's because they do dodge each other that makes it great. Now they are stuck, they have to run. Well....hmmmm?
The men's 400m hurdles is infinitely more interesting than the great yawn of 10 secs, but some fans probably dont even watch track and field if its not a little run down the track; fallen for all the hyperbole.
The sprint fans probably thought the great OG meet in 1980 between Coe and Ovett was really awfully long ,chaps; running round the track instead of down a straight...how strange Most true fans know there is nothing courageous , involving intellegence or tactics about running at over 20 mph for 10 secs.
btw, why doesnt Bolt, and others before him, not relish running competitive 400s... cos its too much like real pain training for the 400 and also 800/1500 and longer.
72 wrote:Give me any day the tactics during the 800m,1500m,5000m,10000m
I totally agree. Many times during heats of the 100 or HH's in the Drake Relays, I almost fall asleep. But I become fully awake during the distance races. In any meet the sprints are just an interlude between distance races IMHO.
JumboElliott wrote:I'm interested in the 400mH. That is the most wide open event of all the sprints. I would love to see Angelo Taylor win his third in a row.
It wouldn't be 3 in a row. It would be 3 out of 4 which kinda more impressive.
Avante wrote:Nothing in track compares to.....THE WORLDS FASTEST HUMAN.
Now who was the first sprinter to be called that?
Was it Charles Paddock ?
Nope!
It was Adam trying to get away from Eve. Or was it the snake.
Actually it would have to be Coroebus from Elis, as according to written records he won the sole event at the 776BC Olympics which was the stadium sprint of approximately 192 meters. This made Coroebus the very first recorded Olympic champion in history and ipso facto the first recorded WORLD"S FASTEST HUMAN.
Cam9412 wrote:It just hasn't peaked my interest since the 2008 olympics. Yeah Usain Bolt won Berlin 2009 World Championship in 9.58 seconds but supposedly everyone was injured and plus they dodge each other to much so I just gave up.
My thoughts exactly. I just can't be bothered with them any more. Also with all kinds of nobodies running ridiculous times it's impossible to keep up.
gh wrote:So I'm crushed that the powers-that-be have removed a big chunk of enjoying the event at the major meets by killing off the first round.
Watching the ebb and flow of talent as they progress through four races was a huge source of enjoyment for me, and three just isn't the same, having now seen that in Daegu.
Absolutely. 1 less round means 25% less entertainment as far as I'm concerned.
Cam9412 wrote:I'm more excited about the w100m, w200m, m200m, m400, w400m, m800, w800, w4x100m, m4x100, m4x4, w4x4, m110mh, w100mh more than the m100m. It just hasn't peaked my interest since the 2008 olympics. Yeah Usain Bolt won Berlin 2009 World Championship in 9.58 seconds but supposedly everyone was injured and plus they dodge each other to much so I just gave up.
Add the 400mH women, the HJ, the heptathlon and the decathlon in front of that...
Actually it would have to be Coroebus from Elis, as according to written records he won the sole event at the 776BC Olympics which was the stadium sprint of approximately 192 meters. This made Coroebus the very first recorded Olympic champion in history and ipso facto the first recorded WORLD"S FASTEST HUMAN.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You do know he was way off the record and did lose prior to and afterwards to Ageaus a ship builder from the coast. Ageaus was suppose to be there at the games but a flood had washed away a bridge.
The book on Ageaus was that he was soooo damn fast he could turn off the light, get undressed and be under the covers before it got dark.
72 wrote:The men's 400m hurdles is infinitely more interesting than the great yawn of 10 secs, but some fans probably dont even watch track and field if its not a little run down the track; fallen for all the hyperbole.
The sprint fans probably thought the great OG meet in 1980 between Coe and Ovett was really awfully long ,chaps; running round the track instead of down a straight...how strange Most true fans know there is nothing courageous , involving intellegence or tactics about running at over 20 mph for 10 secs.
btw, why doesnt Bolt, and others before him, not relish running competitive 400s... cos its too much like real pain training for the 400 and also 800/1500 and longer.
I appreciate all of the running events, but the 100 is easily the least compelling for me. To me, the 400m is infinitely more fun to watch because fatigue factors in.
To me, it's the difference between watching drag racing and Formula 1
The problem with the 100 is that it is a little like picking up the paper or turning on the internet to find out who won. It is a big deal who won but the race takes place so fast that you cannot really appreciate it as a race where all of those little things add up (form, execution, the start, the transition, holding form...).
Plus, in the 100 there is absolutely no strategy; it takes until the 400 really, and then is much more evident at 800 and above (much toe the disgruntlement of the marks snobs who think that a great race has to be a super fast one and that every super fast race is a great race).
From the very first moment I love this sport I have loved all the events with fluctuations from one year to another, like oh this year in 400m e.g. is "oh yeah" Average sports viewer knows little about track and field, they usually know only about 100m so I'll cut the talking and will say only that all kinds of "100m fever" give me terrible diarrhea!
gh wrote:So I'm crushed that the powers-that-be have removed a big chunk of enjoying the event at the major meets by killing off the first round.
Watching the ebb and flow of talent as they progress through four races was a huge source of enjoyment for me, and three just isn't the same, having now seen that in Daegu.
Absolutely. 1 less round means 25% less entertainment as far as I'm concerned.
Not for me. Watching 12 consecutive first-round races of a sprint event, with major names able to qualify by just jogging through, is by far the most painful experience at any champs. Takes forever, too; it would be a lot more bearable if they took a leaf out of swimming's book and ran the races with just a minute or two between them. And BTW, I really enjoy field event qualifyings. Ditto track event heats which are actually competitive, like the 800.
72 wrote:Give me any day the tactics during the 800m,1500m,5000m,10000m
I totally agree. Many times during heats of the 100 or HH's in the Drake Relays, I almost fall asleep. But I become fully awake during the distance races. In any meet the sprints are just an interlude between distance races IMHO.
Almost fall a sleep? What a laugh. EVERYBODY FALLS ASLEEP during distance races and qualifying...the stadium literally empties out. Everyone who has ever been to a Worlds or Olympics knows that the bathroom breaks happens during the distance races NOT the sprints!
Also there is no such thing as tactical races, only COWARDLY ones!
Flumpy wrote:My thoughts exactly. I just can't be bothered with them any more. Also with all kinds of nobodies running ridiculous times it's impossible to keep up.
Pure comedy! Jepkosgei is the closest w800 runner to be a known quantity before winning. Savinova came out of nowhere! No one had heard of Jelimo before 2008 and no one had heard of Semanya before 2009 but sprinters are coming out of the woodwork running ridiculous times? Then obviously you've given up on the marathon which has seen MORE athletes that not even distance lovers have heard of running 2:08 or better!
Agree 100% with gh: that "useless" first round is filled with drama and excitement - even when you see the top people shut it off after 50m; however, if it were up to me (it isn't, unfortunately) all races from 800m to marathon would be straight final.
26mi235 wrote:... but the race takes place so fast that you cannot really appreciate it as a race where all of those little things add up (form, execution, the start, the transition, holding form...).
Plus, in the 100 there is absolutely no strategy; it takes until the 400 really, and then is much more evident at 800 and above (much toe the disgruntlement of the marks snobs who think that a great race has to be a super fast one and that every super fast race is a great race).
You're saying that from the vantage point of a person who doesn't understand the sprints; you're a distance runner -I'd expect as much. Sprinting is like boxing; to the untrained eye you may not see the strategy, or the form, execution, etc but to the afficianados...its all there. Not trying to be patronizing, just pointing out the difference. When I think of the bullshit concept of distance running "strategy", I think of Morceli in '92 being the class of the field and losing while weeks later outracing his pacer and breaking the WR. That's stupid and shows that he was gutless in Barcelona. He could have just dominated the field and dared them to beat him and still win. He didn't. GUTLESS! If it were up to me, again it isn't, I would predetermine a time that the distance runners have to be on the track, if they go out too slow, the race is stopped, no results are recorded and they are expelled from the village and banned for one year for not producing honest competition. Yes, paced races and gutless races (previously known as "tactical" would be outlawed).
gh wrote:So I'm crushed that the powers-that-be have removed a big chunk of enjoying the event at the major meets by killing off the first round.
Watching the ebb and flow of talent as they progress through four races was a huge source of enjoyment for me, and three just isn't the same, having now seen that in Daegu.
Agreed. And I detest the three race semi final format.
What I like about the 100m is that there is no room for error. You have to have everything together on that day, for that race, or you will lose. It demands your best, your closest to perfection. The slightest stumble will cost you victory. Head not in the game? You lose. And, I enjoy the speed of it, I like having to pay extremely close attention to every millisecond. I appreciate tactics etc in longer races (I ran long distance in high school) but I'm a fan of sprinting. The 100m is "it" for me.
preston wrote: EVERYBODY FALLS ASLEEP during distance races and qualifying...the stadium literally empties out.
Not everybody but agreed that most leave. Sometime I think I'm the only one watching a 10k heat that isn't a family, friend or coach of a runner. But in reality it's much more exciting than a 100m.
Smoke wrote:Props to the "twins" for creating a thread LOL
There's no part of this thread that is remotely realistic, select stats to prop an event that the most staunch fan could name 3 participants, one because she had one hot year and disappeared, the other because we are not sure she is a woman and seemingly jogs races to avoid attention, and the third depending upon what country you are from LOLOLOL. Oh sorry and a fourth, the perennial Russian phenom. That is all for the women's 800, yearly!
The 100 is the build up, the violence of it and the preening of the alpha males. ALL humans understand this without need of mutual language.
Exactly - the 100 m is about foreplay. Then the race is the consummation.
I think Mal is correct. While some may prefer a 9.58 quickie, I think most prefer the prologned buildup of enjoyment for 26:17.53 especially if there is an explosive burst for last 51 seconds or so.
Sprinters are usually guys who can play some football/soccer/basketball/long jump/do other things. They aren't as limited as tiny little distance runners who could only run ...forever. The stories surrounding sprinters...interesting.
I am calling you all out, liars! LOL Cut it out. The 5000 nor the 10,000 is turning channels, nor selling out the arena. The w800 isn't moving the needle at all! Truth is, Jelimo went fairly unknown during her reign. Folks do not know Jearl Miles for her 800 prowess but for her 400 WC. Only the staunchest of us recall Ana Q!!!! Love em or love to hate em, you are watching the preening, the clowns, the silent assassins, and the less than 10 seconds of pure drama. Usain is the fastest but you hold your breath to see if he will win. 2009 was the most dramatic 100 of the previous decade, Asafa, Bolt and Gay, and you did not know who would win, and you watched to see if Bolt was that alien. No matter what yall say, not one single event in track is as intriguing. I am a hurdle coach and I know the 110H is the most competitive race in track in the US, we are still not as intriguing as that mens 100! It is the purity of the competition. One lane, one man, one race to see who is better. RIGHT NOW! No team tactics, no rabbits, no time to gather your thoughts and figure it out, you have to watch and not blink. It is the one punch KO, the 99 yard TD, the walk off home run all rolled into a 10 second moment. it is 8 men putting ALL they have on the line and an absolute release of that energy in one explosive moment. nothing in track compares to it, and I like ALL track and field events.
runforlife wrote:Sometime I think I'm the only one watching a 10k heat that isn't a family, friend or coach of a runner. But in reality it's much more exciting than a 100m.
You obviously haven't been paying much attention. No championship event has had heats in the 10000 in the last dozen years.
I 'll say it.....sprinters just have more personality/more interesting ...than the distance guys. We see that swagger, those muscular physiques, that ...look.
While I'm on a role.....little African guys with 115 pound bodies and not too....ah...hmm...crowd friendly???
The 100m is the closest thing we have to a big heavyweight fight. The most exciting race in sports.
Usain Bolt has been on the cover of T&FN how many times......why is that? Yep...he sells!
Last edited by Avante on Thu Feb 16, 2012 5:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
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. We Brits love the bigger races where the consummation lasts for a couple of minutes at least
I got stories you wouldn't believe.
