Mark Matusak Beats Galen Rupp!

[Track Dude]

http://www.thesportingimage.com/galleries/2005/USATF%20Day%203/slides/MATUSAK-RUPP%2005USJR%20KL.jpg

Go Bears!

[Track Dude]

http://www.thesportingimage.com/galleries/2005/USATF%20Day%203/slides/MATUSAK%20Mark2%2005USJR%20KL.jpg

Congratulations Mark!
You now have the #4 time in State history to go along with your nation-leading times in the 1600 and 2-mile.
Can't wait to see you next season at CAL!

[runningincirclesinMS]

Jeff See??

[AzN at LARGE]

I think he meant 1500.

[exjersey1]

All the Ruppaholics on the board have been strangely quiet the past couple of days, haven't they?

[imfast1234]

Jeff See??


mark matusak's 1500 time equivilates to a better mile time than jeff see's.

[king99]

No it does NOT, get a clue

[runningincirclesinMS]

not exactly

[king99]

By the way eqvuilates is a new word even for me

[Jolly Farm]

By the way eqvuilates is a new word even for me

Dude, you blew it by completely mangling his made-up word.

[king99]

How so?? Oh? I did not get it right?

[monkey]

All the Ruppaholics on the board have been strangely quiet the past couple of days, haven't they?

You're totally right. Rupp didn't come close to beating Matusak even with all of the 1500/1600m races he has been running lately. After all it isn't as if he's been training for 10k's or anything like that...

Wake up, exjersey.
-Rupp led a lot of the race. Matusak sat behind people the whole way and then kicked at the end.
-Matusak has been doing speed work and racing all season, whereas Rupp hasn't raced below the 10k more than once.
-They are very close in age so it's not like Matusak beat some pro years older than him.

I'm not taking away from Mark Matusak's performance, but let's be fair here.

[honkforcookies]

Rupp hasn't raced below the 10k more than once.

is it embarassing when you are wrong?

[Track Dude]

By the way eqvuilates is a new word even for me

eqvuilates (sp) = equivalate = equivalent = equate?

:D

[exjersey1]

You're totally right. Rupp didn't come close to beating Matusak even with all of the 1500/1600m races he has been running lately. After all it isn't as if he's been training for 10k's or anything like that...

Wake up, exjersey.
-Rupp led a lot of the race. Matusak sat behind people the whole way and then kicked at the end.
-Matusak has been doing speed work and racing all season, whereas Rupp hasn't raced below the 10k more than once.
-They are very close in age so it's not like Matusak beat some pro years older than him.

I'm not taking away from Mark Matusak's performance, but let's be fair here.


As to your '-' #1, so? I thought the point was to win.

As to your point #2, to listen to all the distance wonks, that should have worked in Rupp's favor, since Matusak should have been burned out by his heavy schedule. Do you mean to tell me that being race-toughened is actually a good thing?

As to point #3, again, so?

Not necessarily you personally, but many people on these boards have made Rupp this year's version of the Great White Hope. You were all creaming your jeans over his races in the Pac 10's & NCAA Regionals and Finals, so it's interesting that you're now trying to figure out how to spin his loss to a guy younger than him. I thought he was ready to take on the best in the world?

And if he's so awe-inspiring at 5K or 10K, why on earth run the 1500?

And just a question: He's the same age and HS grad year as Walter Dix and LaShawn Merritt, who'll be running in Helsinki with the big boys on the relays. He's also the same year as Erica McClain, who won the Sr. Women's Triple Jump. Why'd he waste his time with the juniors?

[Jayhawk]

I guess Rupp just got done with 3 or so 100m weeks at altutude

[runneronfire]

This doesn't change my view on how good of a runner Rupp is at all. Three weeks of 100 miles at altitude will not lead to the best race. You guys need to stop looking at race results at thinking that the numbers tell all. There's so much more to racing. Yes, Rupp lost. Yes, Matusak had a better race than him, but no, that does not mean that Rupp is all of a sudden fallen. After his summer racing season is over and he has lost races like this, then you guys will have a point, but you can't possibly judge Rupp so heavily over this race, which is clearly not significant to Rupp.

[monkey]

As to your '-' #1, so? I thought the point was to win.

As to your point #2, to listen to all the distance wonks, that should have worked in Rupp's favor, since Matusak should have been burned out by his heavy schedule. Do you mean to tell me that being race-toughened is actually a good thing?

As to point #3, again, so?

And if he's so awe-inspiring at 5K or 10K, why on earth run the 1500?

And just a question: He's the same age and HS grad year as Walter Dix and LaShawn Merritt, who'll be running in Helsinki with the big boys on the relays. He's also the same year as Erica McClain, who won the Sr. Women's Triple Jump. Why'd he waste his time with the juniors?

I think it is pretty obvious that sprinting and distance running aren't quite the same in relation to the ages of competitors. Distance takes a lot more training as far as time goes. One cannot just jump out there, train for a season or so and then be running at a world-class level.

Maybe he wanted to do it for fun.

I would put my money on a race sharp runner like Matusak in a 1500 over a fatigued 10k runner, no matter how great, any day of the week.

If age isn't a factor why did you bring it into your post?

I am pretty sure the point was to qualify, not win. Anyway, we'll see how they do with international competition once Rupp is sharp for a 1500.

[monkey]

is it embarassing when you are wrong?

Explain what his races were. All I can think of are his two 10k's, maybe a 3000, and his 1500m prelim and finals. For obvious reasons I didn't count the two 1500's.

Regardless of whether I'm right or you are. The fact is he hasn't raced or trained for any 1500's (as seen by the 3 consecutive hundred mile weeks) which was the point I was making.

[watchout]

Explain what his races were. All I can think of are his two 10k's, maybe a 3000, and his 1500m prelim and finals. For obvious reasons I didn't count the two 1500's.

Regardless of whether I'm right or you are. The fact is he hasn't raced or trained for any 1500's (as seen by the 3 consecutive hundred mile weeks) which was the point I was making.

He runs the 5k just as much as the 10k ...
just from the short time I was looking:
5k at Oregon Invitational - his UofO debut. (13:50.10)
5k at NCAA West Regional
5k at Pac-10 Champs

[monkey]

I didn't realize that. I was wrong.

[XC Runner]

Matusak is balding anyway.