so on balance i'd probably give monty the edge at the moment. will be interesting to see how it shakes down as gwen starts tuning her running more though. In terms of Jorgensen's ultimate ability as a runner - there are a good deal of unknowns here and only time will tell.
For only a brief period - last two years at Wisconsin, did she focus only on running (to the best of my knowledge). She came over from the Varisity swim program after and year and ran Varsity XC/Track for the final two years. Then it was right into triathlon training from there.
Who knows what the upside is, if she JUST focuses on running. She was able to get faster in her 10K running, while triathlon training. The central system aerobic engine of her's is big - with all the training of swim/bike/run for the past 5 - 6 years added up. Her challenge, will be staying healthy with run only training and a move to more weekly distance than she has ever run in her life!
You mentioned Carol Montgomery - when Montgomery was at her best as a triathlete, she was also a VERY fast 10K runner - fast enough to qualify for the Canadian Olympic Team in 2000 for the triathlon AND the 10000m on the track - an unprecedented achievement in Olympic Sports history.
We all know that Simon Whitfield won the Gold Medal in the first men's Olympic triathlon. The unfortunate part of all that is, that Carol Montgomery, was a REAL serious threat for the win or at the very least a podium spot in that first women's Olympic Games Triathlon. The way she was running at the time, had she been close at the end of the bike, it would have been lights-out for the others. As many know, Carol crashed on the bike, broke her wrist and was unable to continue in the triathlon, and that also took her out of the 10,000m on the track the following week.
Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog