Webb, Hall, Rupp, and Fernandez Can All Be Champions

They say all good things come in threes, so longtime track fans should stifle their laughs while observing those less informed deluding themselves into believing the emergence of record-breaking high schoolers Alan Webb, Galen Rupp, and German Fernandez in a singular decade represents a watershed period for American distance running. To those in the know (paraphrasing), Webb is more uncomfortable under the bright lights than an incontinent glossophobic delivering a eulogy after Happy Hour. Rupp is a sub-standard concept prototype conceived by Nike marketers (under direct orders from Phil Knight) to challenge the Africans, but he'll fail because he's, umm, Gay(len). And sure Fernandez is fast, but his Achilles heel is his Achilles heel. Try as they might, though, few can resist refreshing race threads when the aforementioned troika compete.

This generation of runners, led by Webb, Ryan Hall, Rupp, and now German- Dathan Ritzenhein, Matt Tegenkamp, Chris Solinsky, and Leonel Manzano deserve mention, too, among others-, are threatening to break every American record from 1500 meters to the marathon. Webb holds the mile record, is 1.14 seconds off Bernard Lagat's 2005 1500 meters performance, and has- for a short span of time- been the fastest middle distance runner alive. Even if Fernandez falls short of his ultimate ceiling as a runner, his potential is such that he could still claim the American 5,000 meters record in a few years time (assuming Tegenkamp or Solinsky don't lower it first). Sifting through all the criticisms of Rupp and looking at his body of work reveals he's consistently improved his times and started winning races since his days tagging along the back of the pack in elite meets just out of high school; his teeing off on Meb Keflezighi's 10,000 meters record in 2009 will be a compelling story to follow. Hall debuted in the half marathon with a stunning American record and challenged the pacemakers to run faster at last year's London Marathon en route to a 2:06:17 fifth place finish. It will likely only be a matter of months before another record falls.

The United States went two decades without producing a legitimate long distance world-beater (Bob Kennedy tried admirably). Forced to compete with Africans born at elevation, dopers, and the tendency of more mainstream sports stripping away the best prospects, domestic distance was boring and uneventful.

It's hard to pinpoint the impetus behind the overnight popularization (in relevant terms) of the sport, but Tim Layden's 2001 Sports Illustrated profile of Webb and Ritz was likely a contributing factor (along with the dissemination of information brought on by the Internet). Interestingly, Layden accurately posited in the piece: "The two runners, one fast, the other tireless, are just the beginning. Generations of young Americans will follow, training hard, running fast and beating the world. Won't they?"

They did... sort of. Solinsky came two years later. Mega-talent Matt Withrow and Rupp the next year. And now, the best yet, Fernandez.

Fernandez deserves special mention after breaking the indoor World Junior Record in the mile running 3:56.5. Much was made of the fact that he still ran demonstrably slower than the outdoor junior record, but suspicions of age fabrication for all of those records could be supplied as a counter-point. Independent of whether or not he's the faster junior miler in history, German can realistically aim to one day be the fastest professional alive. He'll need to drop a manageable seven or so seconds off his 1,500 pace to challenge for gold someday at that distance. Everyone is anxious for his 5,000 meters debut; the former Applebee's worker will be eating good in the neighborhood (I couldn't help the bad pun) with anything sub-13:20.

Speaking of eating, Webb's 2009 competitive racing debut is fast approaching. Even if he bombs, don't fret. By now we've all seen that he has nine lives. He's got a few to go and will emerge the better from this rough spot. In the unlikely event that he doesn't, the world of American distance running isn't over without him. Celebrate the excitement he provided for the last half-decade and take solace in knowing that he's helped inspire today's purple patch of would-be champions that can be champions.

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