1. Who Wins?

Options : Andrew Wheating, Leonel Manzano, Nick Symmonds, Will Leer

 

You said:

Wheating    59%

Manzano     25%

None of the above     7%

Nick Symmonds     5%

Will Leer     4%

 

What happened:

You people had it right on. Wheating looked to be in complete control with 300 to go. The lagging pace early played right into his hands, as the former Oregon Duck waited until the final 100 meters to start his textbook kick. He cited after the race that he didn't have the confidence to go earlier because he hasn't raced much this year (this was his first 1500 of 2011). Good work, people. 

 

2. What will be the winning time?

Options : -3:33, 3:34-3:35, 3:36-3:37, 3:38+

 

You said:

3:34-3:35   65%

-3:33   18%

3:36-3:37   13%

3:38+     3%

 

What happened:

Wheating won in 3:36.46, like 13% of you guessed. The slow pace early (~60 through 400 meters) sabotaged any shot at low 3:30's. However, the group did a great job of making it pretty honest quickly thereafter. A 2:36 for Wheating and most of the others over the final 1100 meters is pretty legit. Somewhat surprising that 65% of the voters went with 3:34 to 3:35. That was my pick too. We all fail.

 

3. How many 'A' Standards?

Options : 0, 1-2, 3-5, 6+

 

You said:

3-5     50%

1-2     37%

0     7%

6+     5%

 

What happened:

93% of you fail. Unbelievable, people. 93%!!! But seriously, the race just went out too slow. Afterward, several runners pointed to a poor rabbiting job by Olympic silver medalist Nick Willis, but it seemed to me that no one really wanted to go with him. While the times at the top were slower than they could have been (Wheating has a 3:30 PR), the number of runners under 3:41 was still terrific (next question.)

 

4. Out of all heats, how many under 3:41?

Options : <8, 9-11, 12-15, 16+

 

You said:

9-11     43%

12-15     38%

<8     14%

16+     5%

 

What happened:

Right on. 11 runners broke 3:41, with Tegenkamp just outside the mark (3:41.72). Like I said, the winning time wasn't what it could have been, but it's pretty unbelievable that a race with 11 under 3:41 (All Americans minus Taylor Milne and Nathan Brannen) would be considered a disappointment. Unrelated, major shout out to Kyle Miller, who ran 3:36.82 for a 5 second PR.

 

5. What would Ryan Fenton run if he were in the fast heat?

Options : 3:41, 4:22, 6:00, DNF

You said:
4:22     49%
DNF     26%
6:00     15%
3:41     11%

 

What would have happened : Fenton would have gotten out good early, tucking in mid-pack and biding his time. He would have slowly moved up after about 600 meters, trying to get into proper position by 800. After coming through in about 1:58, he would have gotten a little antsy and made a move to take the lead. He would have come through 1200 in the lead, with Wheating lurking behind him. It's at about 1300, just heading into the final curve, that Fenton would have stepped off the track, citing a stomach ache from a pre-race peanut butter and jelly sandwich. 26% of you had this one right on.

In closing, some character named Mikey B was almost right on. He chose Wheating to win in 3:36. Perfect. However, his guess of 16 runner sub 3:41 was a little high, and he had Fenton running 4:22. Fenton would have dropped out, so that was a little off too. Overall, though, great job.