What if he's actually doing nothing wrong but the competition at this "middle" distance with the prize purses that he's racing has just jumped up to the best fields in the world?

---

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

He should do what the winner of PTO Dallas has done :)

The way he words his recent social media captions makes me wonder if he's had a specific setback/injury or just a "slump".

I certainly think this contributes, but the guy was an Olympian and it seems like he's getting smoked by guys who may not have the same pedigree as him.

---

Team Zoot 2023

The same that happens to most of us....marriage and a kid.

He was an Olympian, but was never what I would class as one of the top ITU guys. He was more a midfielder and now that there is more competition racing 70.3 and mid distance he is closer to a midfielder again.

Hard to say. Seems mostly like his issues are on the run side, how do his run times compare to the past? Seen him get off the bike in the lead or top 3 fairly often but then fade fast on the run.

---

My Strava | My Instagram | Summerville, SC | 35-39 AG | 4:41 (70.3), 10:05 (140.6) | 3x70.3, 1x140.6 | Cat 2 Cyclist

If you can't run a 1:10 at least, you can't win big 70.3s anymore. The quality of racing is so much higher than even a few years ago.

Looks like he's gone 1:11 a few times, but his 1:06 at the PTO this past weekend was really far off the winning pace and about 5 minutes slower than his collins cup time he ran in 2021.

It seems like he's getting worse when he should be getting better. While I agree that he's not KB or gustav, he should be doing a lot better. I think he needs to get a new coach and try something else because this route isn't working.

---

Team Zoot 2023

how do you think that you know better than he does.
its good that you think, as this is what a forum is about , but how much have you seen of his training how much do you know how he communicates with his coaches ... ie he has more than one coach which one do you want him to drop .

sounds to me your approach is a bit simplistic , change for the changes shake. and of course it does not have to be wrong but i guess a bit more of an evidence based reasoning would be better .

Oh I obviously don't know the whole picture, I'm providing the most simplistic overview. He's going in the wrong direction in terms of performance. Sometimes a coaching change can make a huge change. He's been with Jim Vance since the Olympic days. It's probably time to try something else because to me it seems like he has a decent pedigree to be competitive even in these big fields.

Obviously I don't know anything though, so perhaps he's on the verge of a huge breakthrough. So my approach is simplistic because I have never claimed to be an expert on the topic, hence why I was hoping others who do have that knowledge could shine light on what he could do to improve.

---

Team Zoot 2023

I think people underestimate this. His wife may be fully on board, but your mind and heart are now not 100% triathlon. I am not saying this is the reason, but it may it be a contributing factor.

This weekend is a bad comparison too because he said he's historically done poorly in the heat. Although I agree his whole year tends to have been trending downward and even his posts on social media agree that he seems to be doing worse than he would expect.

---

My Strava | My Instagram | Summerville, SC | 35-39 AG | 4:41 (70.3), 10:05 (140.6) | 3x70.3, 1x140.6 | Cat 2 Cyclist

Being an Olympian isn’t a good metric and his Olympian status was basically the same result as he’s gotten now. He’s never been a “front pack” result. He was 20-30’s in most itu races because of his run.

And I think he took advantage of “soft” 70.3 schedule to get some top results and yes he even snuck onto a 70.3 worlds podium I believe. Middle distance racing game has now exploded with all these big money races.

But a lot like his mtr status I simply think the bar has been risen super high at 70.3 races much higher than even 5-6 years ago.

So I think this is what the new middle distance is and if you only race the best of best races and your weaker in a key area your “improvements” don’t always show up. If he raced the weakest paying 70.3 races and won and skipped all the big boy races would he be better or worse?

---

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

Yes he was 2nd to Gomez at Chatty in 2017. Led off the bike and got run down. His career definitely seems to be on the downturn. Running in Hokas probably isn’t helping him.

---

Let food be thy medicine...

But is his performances falling off or have others risen to his level. That happened to him in MTR. He easily outsplit and out ran every American for a 3 + year period (he was routinely top 3 overall split for races) until suddenly like everyone else was on equal time w So that he no lover was a “weapon” . For years before MTR came an Olympic event he was always strongest top 3 split. Then suddenly he wasn’t. I have my theories including racing too much middle distance while trying to race an 18 min race the best. The 2 energy systems don’t jive at all neither does the training demands.

---

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

I met him and his wife and baby at a coffee shop after Oceanside 70.3 this past March. New dads can be super-busy. He was a very nice guy, I wish him the best, and babies are tiny but a lot of work. It would take any athlete time to adjust to the demands of a new family member.

---

Sharon McN
@IronCharo
#TeamZoot
Clif Bar Pace Team 2003-2018

How interesting this thread would bepretty much the same if we replace the name "Ben Kanute" with "Lionel Sanders" or "Eric Lagerstrom" ...etc

I've wondered about the hoka thing as well, there's been quite a bit of anonymous talk about the time hoka sponsored athletes are losing in these races.

It's not just that the competition has gotten better though, he's literally getting slower and more inconsistent himself. While he's never been a top runner, his swim and bike used to always put him into T2 with the front group. Lately he hasn't even been coming into T2 with the others.

---

Team Zoot 2023

he won the island house triathlon in 2017 and that was no chopped liver field with schoenman, royle, murray, kienle and mola.

I wonder how many Hoka sponsored athletes are testing the other shoes to see how much time they are losing.

---

Let food be thy medicine...

Nope.
Something's going on with him physically. Has to be.
He is a front pack WC/70.3 biker. Always has been.
He had the 20th fastest split in TX.
Something's going on we don't know about...

---

"Good genes are not a requirement, just the obsession to beat ones brains out daily"...the Griz

That was a brilliant format for him with what was it an individual time trial in all 3 sports and then a pursuit style sprint over 2 or 3 days of racing? If you put him against others in a TT format I’d put him top 5 likely.

---

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

But it’s the coaches fault? That’s what this thread is saying.

---

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

Yeah, something has to be up because he is literally getting worse when he should be progressing.. His Island house performance showed he had a big engine. Plus when he was doing superleague he was always a powerhouse on the bike. There's just no way that his weapons have completely fallen off, especially since it seems like his bike fit is the best it has ever been.

Much like in football, when things go bad the coach is the first to go.

---

Team Zoot 2023

He was a guest on How They Train Podcast just today!
He didn't really suggest there is anything wrong with him, his coach or training and he is firmly committed to becoming faster.

Imo, triathlon is simply getting faster and more competitive, everyone is turning over every single stone and it is simply harder to shine these days.

---

Dayoutsports.com.au| Australia's Newest Cycling and Tri Apparel Brand

What if it’s a mental thing? What if he’s peaked as an athlete, I know plenty of athletes who never have “long” careers. You bring in football, the avg life of a pro is less than like 3.5 years.

Add the fact that his weakest leg is the most important and the depth of middle distance is so deep right now, it could be a whole bunch of issues that has zero to do with a coach.

Eta: like it can simply be he’s not good enough anymore. Full stop. No excuses, no slams, it’s just the reality, and that has nothing to do w a coach most of the time. Sometimes your best just isn’t good enough. I contend that’s likely way more accurate than he’s being coached wrong. So back to my point- the middle distance racing is now LOADED.

---

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

Yeah, maybe that is the sad truth. As a fan of his maybe I was hoping there was something that could be done to flick the switch and make things better for him.

---

Team Zoot 2023

I think the point i was suggesting that the competition has gotten better. No longer is he able to get away on the swim and “hold on” on the run. There’s plenty of front pack swimmers who can sit on his feet now. Which means there is now a full group of athletes he has to contend with.

And then throw in the fact that we’ll if his run sucks, the only way to run better is to focus on it, which means at some point thr S and B need to take a back seat. Oh yeah but he’s still going to race world class fields in the middle of that training transformation. That could take 2 years, could take 7 years. There really isn’t an magical time oh yeah and throw in the fact that middle distance racing has gotten stronger and is it a coincidence that a guy like Kanute has struggled with stiffer competition?

ETA: A famous football coach once said to the fans bitching about his job...."the other team is trying to win too". Sometimes you gotta give them credit, where credit is due, and I certainly think the level of competition has increased. So maybe it is bad coaching, under performing, etc. I just think it's silly not to recognize we are in a golden era of elite middle distance racing.

---

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

Coach’s fault in that perhaps Kanute may be in need of a different stimulus, new ideas, new strategy. Gets out of the water firstish, blasts the bike and others draft off of him…and it seems he is holding on out in front less and less.
A coach may tweak his philosophy or perhaps try to change entirely but how much can he really change? Kanute has been with Vance for a decent amount of time. The Pendola/McGee stuff is kinda unorthodox to say the least.
I give him credit for not changing coaching because that does come with a huge transition period, which RvB is moaning about currently.

vance did have him do a run specific focus and that is when he was getting success. I remember him having compete in 1500m race where he did close to or under 4:00. Probably he hasnt done that recently

I wouldn't say Eric Lagerstrom is falling off at all now. Two years ago probably but with his recent wins at 70.3 Santa Cruz, Xterra, and Escape from Alcatraz tells me that his new focus on off road racing and training is probably helping him alot.

not deep fields

I guess it’s all about perspective. Kanute gets into all of the big races while Lagerstrom does not, unless his mother in law is race director. In these big races Kanute is trying to have an impact. On an off year Lagerstrom places 7th at 70.3WC and is super stoked. Kanute is disappointed placing around that. Should he change to racing and hunting from the back and not lead out of the water? Again, he’s been at a certain level and has not continued the progression, by place or time.

I know they are not as deep of a field but even then he still has had top 10 finishes at Xterra worlds and 70.3 World Championships last year which is a big improvement from how he was performing in 2020.

I think Ben does a lot of things right. He’s one of the fastest triathletes in the world.

The pointy end is just that… small and razor thin.

At that level I honestly think it’s largely genetics. Lionel is in the same boat, that it’s difficult to accept you might not have what it takes, but then again what a ride they’ve both been on. I have a world of respect for Ben for the success he has had and still being all in. I sure hope he hits it right and puts some more big wins on his resume.

He’s 10,000 times the athlete I am, so I certainly don’t have the ego to think I can critique his training or racing.

Ok, so after reading this thread, I need to apply for unemployment soon, hahahaha! Let me answer and address some of the topics here, and questions, but I want to say that I am not here to make excuses, nor would Ben want to make any excuses, this is racing and you need to be ready on the start line. I'm simply answering the questions. I hope this helps people understand the complexities of professional racing, and balancing with family demands.

First, let me state the obvious:

• Kanute's 2022 is his worst season of results under my coaching, and we're not happy about it
• For a guy ranked 17th in the world ranking, and being an Olympian, he is a victim of his own success, where the spotlight is a little bigger on him, so his sub par results are magnified
• No, he has not been injured. He has NOT missed a single workout this season due to physical injury, (other than sickness).
• There is no question that the sport's competitive level is the highest it has ever been, especially long course, and you can't make mistakes if you want to be in contention for the podium.

Next, let me fill in some of the things which have set us back:

• January, wife gets covid, have to basically manage the toddler on his own for about a week. Then toddler gets covid. Then he got covid. This all progressed about 2-3 weeks, where training couldn't be prioritized, he had to be there for his family. And when he got covid, we were down another 2 weeks.
• February, wife gets flu so bad, he has to take her to the hospital. Making things even more stressful, she was pregnant, and they hadn't told anyone. Once again, he had to be a dad, and take on full toddler duties and support his bed-ridden wife, so lost another 7-10 days of training.
• Somehow, the rest and recovery seemed to be a blessing, went to Miami, Oceanside and St Anthony's, and had very solid races, and we felt excited about the season ahead. But the likely truth is the rest and recovery allowed him to hide a lack of base, especially for so early in the season. I believe we are still battling this, and I also believe it is quite possible he is experiencing some long covid symptoms, as his recovery abilities seemed to have regressed, and some of his race performances didn't make sense.
• Chattanooga and Alcatraz had us so puzzled, but he was so run down, the doctors put him on antibiotics, and he finally turned the corner in late June. So something was going on that we couldn't account for.
• This is the first season where Kanute hasn't had to balance World Triathlon and Olympic pursuits. He was able to create his full schedule and focus on PTO, 70.3 races, and a few focus events like Alcatraz. With this, we shifted the training to a bit more volume, and trying to take the next step in his 70.3 performances. While this seems simple and easy, it really meant a lot of new variables and a new training approach, which at times created a scenario where I was not in sync with him and his recovery needs.
• Coming into Chattanooga, he was going great, and we felt good about it, but I overcooked him. I had changed to more of a "recovery on demand" approach, (in contrast to our usual approach, which Ben outlined in the How They Train podcast), which required more and better communication for us to be effective. This was new for us, and we didn't execute it as well we should have, (Ben and I are in agreement on this). Now we have returned more to a structured and predicted rest phase, and he is responding well. But it was more of a challenge focusing on 70.3 than he and I expected, given the other variables we've had this season with covid, etc. I basically had to relearn a lot about him this season, and I took much of it for granted.
• Over the last 12-16 weeks, he has put in a lot of great work, and I thought he would have a good showing at Dallas, with the heat prep we did, and he almost did. We are closer, but not good enough. Collins Cup was actually a positive step forward, but he took a lot of risk on the bike, which he probably wasn't ready for, but had nothing to lose.

Let me touch on a few other topics:

• Hoka is Ben's sponsor, and they have been wonderful to him. Did he sacrifice and potentially lose some places in races due to Hoka compared to the super shoes of other athletes? Yes, I believe so. (Miami, Oceanside, St A's are potential races). But Ben is loyal, and he waited for Hoka, and they have delivered a super shoe, which our initial testing has been much better than we even expected. You will see more on this in the future.
• It's not a mental thing with Kanute. He is the most mentally healthy and prepared athlete I've ever worked with.
• Having Bobby McGee and Matt Pendola on staff for me has been wonderful. They fill coaching gaps I have. If you're a coach or athlete looking for breakthroughs, I would encourage you to consider their programs (SHAMELESS PLUG CLICK HERE)

One of the things I told Ben when he and I first started together, was that he needed to not bury himself in training, and simply stay healthy, come to the start line ready to express fitness. In 7 years together, we have had only 1 injury, (post 2018, torn adductor from Super League Mallorca, last race of the year). Really incredible when you think about it. I told him he needed to force the other athletes to take crazy risk in training to catch up, and we didn't really think many could do it successfully. Since then we have had a few pop up, like Sam Long, RVB. But even they have struggled with health and consistency. Even Brownlees, Norwegians, Jan, etc, have struggled at times with consistently staying healthy. Kanute has missed zero starts in 7 years. Does that matter if we aren't fit enough to win? If he performs at a high level, that will extend his career, whether win or podium, and we haven't done well enough lately, but each start line is a new opportunity.

So I appreciate all the calls for him to fire me, hahaha! If Ben decides that, I understand, this is a results oriented business. If you think he isn't good enough, or he's on a downward trajectory of his career, I think people need to realize he is only 29. There is a lot in front of him, and we will continue to adapt.

---

Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

Give the How They Train episode a listen. Skip to 50 minutes in and hear what he has to say about his recent performances. Much better answers to the question than the armchair quarter-backing on this thread.

That's because he changed coach . oh wait he did not...

Thank you for taking the time and energy to respond.

Speculation sucks.

---

"Good genes are not a requirement, just the obsession to beat ones brains out daily"...the Griz

Awesome response, glad to hear some truth spill into this thread and really interesting insights you have pointed out. Hoping Ben can turn things around soon!

---

My Strava | My Instagram | Summerville, SC | 35-39 AG | 4:41 (70.3), 10:05 (140.6) | 3x70.3, 1x140.6 | Cat 2 Cyclist

Thank you for shedding some light on the situation. Hope to see Ben on some podiums soon and excited to see what Hoka has developed.

---

Team Zoot 2023

This is a really thoughtful writeup, Jim, way more than the wild speculators here deserved. Thanks for sharing that through your coach's lens, as it helped remind me the perspective that's needed when athletes shift their focus. Ben didn't become the athlete he is overnight, nor is he going to be able to become mid-distance (70.3/100k) focused overnight. I also hope the folks here recognize how much work goes in to keeping an athlete so healthy for so long - wow. I didn't realize Ben has been without injury in 7 years (touch wood), that is absolutely awesome and a testament to how well you two work together. Super cool, and thanks again for sharing all of that.

PS - the link in your shameless plug isn't working for me. :)

---

KJ
Swim and Triathlon Coach
AllTerrainEndurance.com
KJ@allterrainendurance.com

I was pretty impressed with Ben's poise on the How They Train podcast with maintaining his commitment to the process and hard work as the path back to the podium - as opposed to a lot of pro's who try to reinvent the wheel after a bad result of two. Hoping for a great performance at 70.3 Worlds this year! And pretty interested to follow whenever he decides to jump in the 140.6 ring! Sounds like he's considering it in the next year or two.

How about: https://www.pendolaproject.com/team

That one works, thank you!!

---

KJ
Swim and Triathlon Coach
AllTerrainEndurance.com
KJ@allterrainendurance.com

I'll be for sure giving that episode a listen. Also hoping for a great performance at Worlds, will be excited to watch!!

---

KJ
Swim and Triathlon Coach
AllTerrainEndurance.com
KJ@allterrainendurance.com

Fully agree, what a great write-up! Keeping my fingers crossed for him; he is such a great guy and a wonderful ambassador for the sport.

Awesome reply, thanks for the insights! Also listened to How they train podcast today

Well whatever he was doing wrong, he seems to have fixed it!!!

Hahaha im cheering for him right now; comen Kanute we want you WC

Regardless of how Ben finishes today, someone needs to ask him about his struggles this season and what have they done differently for this race (if anything).

---

blog

Well his coach comes on here from time to time, so he will probably fill us in. He actually did an interview with Bob this week, it was pretty enlightening on what struggles ben has been going through, and how they handled them, right and wrong..

Huge fan and cheering him on but man I just can’t think he’ll be able to hold it with how his running has been going this year. Either way he’s doing great as of now!!

---

My Strava | My Instagram | Summerville, SC | 35-39 AG | 4:41 (70.3), 10:05 (140.6) | 3x70.3, 1x140.6 | Cat 2 Cyclist

a few infections this year, apparently. covid, a bacterial/sinus thing, some stuff like that.

---

____________________________________
https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

Thanks. Will definitely watch the video.

---

blog

Wow what a performance! Truly remarkable result for Ben.

---

My Strava | My Instagram | Summerville, SC | 35-39 AG | 4:41 (70.3), 10:05 (140.6) | 3x70.3, 1x140.6 | Cat 2 Cyclist

Yep, real happy for him (and Jim). Big result on a big stage!

---

Aaron Bales
Lansing Triathlon Team

Yip Prime BK is back.

Love how understated and old school he seems. Just gets on with it without the hype.

I also loved seeing Ben finally have a good race this year. Can’t be easy competing at that level while raising a young family.

I was laughing when I saw this thread rekindled. Didn’t seem to age well. 🤣

(And I know Monty, you didn’t start it).

---

Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

Apparently the only thing done wrong was yelling "mixed relay" or something along those lines, because it's when Kristian hit the gas. :P

Congrats to Ben, and to your work on this. Maybe a front page interview next week?

---

----------------------------------
Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter

Same here.

---

All I Wanted Was A Pepsi, Just One Pepsi

Team Zoot, Team Zoot Mid-Atlantic

Thanks. And what can I say? It was meant to motivate Ben. It motivated Kristian too, I guess. 🤷‍♂️🤣

Happy to do an interview. Just message me here, or my email is coachjimvance at gmail.

---

Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

Yeah, clearly everything lined up today and he was awesome. Super proud of him to represent the US and to have a run that is way more representative of what he's capable of. It was really exciting to see him run up on Kristian early in the run.

Congrats to Ben and to you coach.

---

Team Zoot 2023

That’s the best thing about him, you get the impression he just “races”. Takes everything on feel and gives what he’s got, no strict plan as such. His coach will probably tell me I’m full of shit, but it would be nice to not break this myth I’ve built up of him 😂

I was laughing when I saw this thread rekindled. Didn’t seem to age well. 🤣

(And I know Monty, you didn’t start it). //

That is why I was so happy to bring back this zombie thread, kind of an kick in the groin to all the haters!! I follow you guys fairly closely, and I knew that ben had many hardships to overcome this year. Just really glad that he was able to, and then prove to himself and the world that he is a contender. Good stuff, can't wait for the epilogue..

Amazing what you can do when healthy and able to train to your ability.

Jim, was Ben running in the new Hoka prototype that they are hyping up?

---

Let food be thy medicine...

Yes. And I think Hoka should give Ben a big bonus for today 😆. If you had Ben with the 3rd fastest run split of the day on your bingo card, (less than 20 secs off top split), you hit the jackpot.

---

Jim Vance
http://TodaysPlan.com.au (Disclosure: I am contracted with Today's Plan)
http://www.CoachVance.com/
Twitter @jimvance

Me too! He is a great talent with so much potential. Great to see him in form again and stir things up in 2023 or another late 2022 race perhaps?

so basicaly what you are saying is that all year you had him running on inferior shoes
so now we know what you did wrong lol.
more seriously consistency goes a long way, is what people can learn from this. issues always happen but a longeterm athelte coaching relation ship is useful in those times , which we can also see with 2nd placed female.

Post #38 explains some things

Hopefully he DID have a podium bonus in his Hoka contract.

---

Let food be thy medicine...

Congrats Jim, nice to be vindicated like that.

Following Ben's story on YT and seeing his struggles this year, it was just an amazing moment to see him breach up to KB on the run and keep it together through the run.
What an accomplishment for Ben, its was just awesome to watch.

Thank you. I completely missed that post earlier.

---

blog

I didn’t go through 4 pages but I was so excited to see him running with KB yesterday. Super fast swim, always the fastest and best T1 & T2, always get on with the first bike group but he usually fades slowly but not yesterday. I was hoping another win for the US but KB was just too strong. I’ve been following BK’s YouTube channel since the beginning and it looks like next year will be better for him. I really wish all Hoka runners switch to better super shoes because definitely Hoka can’t do the job done. They just throw money at pros for sponsorship but no, they are not up there with other super shoe companies.

Prototype hummmm... Stack height?

As Jim stated, Hoka has caught up and their new unreleased model that Ben and Emma were in appears to be pretty fast

---

Team Zoot 2023

Can't help thinking that Asics design/R&D wallahs will be bouncing a few ideas around.
Five of the top 8 ranked women are running in (and assume sponsored by) Asics, plus Blummenfelt.

If you go to marathon world, Adidas, Nike and Saucony do well there. Adidas dominated in Berlin except Kipchoge. You will see not many runners with Hokas. I bet Ben Kanute’s run time could have been better if he wore Nike, Asics or other shoes.

but maybe this new prototype is better than nike or adidas so....

If that’s true, I’m buying and trying them for sure.

Duffy and LCB are sponsored by ASICS, I know Paula isn’t. Not sure about others. Don’t think Blum is either.

---

Let food be thy medicine...

Oh man Jim, as soon as I saw Ben running down the hill ahead of Kristian, this thread immediately popped into my mind!! Ben looked so strong yesterday. Literally as he ran past my mom and me on Main Street I said to her, "I really really hope Ben stays in this, he's had such a hard year and he's such a fun athlete to watch!" and he did!! Such a cool day and a fantastic result. :)

---

KJ
Swim and Triathlon Coach
AllTerrainEndurance.com
KJ@allterrainendurance.com

Lol. Highly unlikely. It's possible but would make for a stupid bet. Hoka has been so far behind and the others are on their 2nd/3rd iterations. Extremely unlikely the Hoka will be competitive on their first supershoe try, let alone leapfrog the others.

Thank you for adding value there. 'Think' and 'not sure'
https://stats.protriathletes.org/rankings/women

You mention 2 - 3 iterations of super shoe models, then say this is their first super shoe...

If you read again: "the others" are on their 2nd or 3rd iteration (4%/Next%/AF, FuelCell v3, Adizero v3, Endorphin v3, Sky+, etc). This is Hoka's first attempt. Their priors were just standard EVA shoes with a plate, a combination which does nothing super.

Look how far he's come though...I remember watching him & McDowell & Lukas duke it out at Jr. Nats in Colorado Springs...knew he had potential then to be our next superstar. It's taken a while, but family first, and consistent progress. Jim, knowing you from our USAT L2 coaching cert clinic in San Fran (yes, I did wear that shirt backwards for my presentation!) you are very detail oriented & really care...nobody here to blame aside from knowing Ben is just living life & both of you need to only remember that not a SINGLE road in the world is made with out its bumps. No road is 100% perfectly smooth. Just absorb the bumps and keep on rolling!