So just to make sure all of us are feeling old and slow, here you have news from Finland.
Alisa Vainio 17 years old just ran her first marathon in 2.33.
She needed to run of some steam from a test… You cannot argue with that
http://yle.fi/uutiset/17-year-old_finn_runs_first_marathon_in_world-class_time/8318166
So just to make sure all of us are feeling old and slow, here you have news from Finland.
Alisa Vainio 17 years old just ran her first marathon in 2.33.
She needed to run of some steam from a test… You cannot argue with that
http://yle.fi/...d-class_time/8318166
Man, she looks just tiny in that picture, maybe 90 lbs at most, and she looks like she’s about 13. Of course, i know being small and light is very advantageous in running but wow, for 17 yrs old she is just tiny:)
I wonder how long her career as a runner will be be? Too hard too soon seems like a recipe for disaster. Here speaks an old curmudgeon…
she should be allowed to run in the olympics… they have girls under 17 doing gymnastics so why not…
I bet she doesn’t drink. See how fast she can run after a few years of drinking cheap grog every fri, sat night.
she should be allowed to run in the olympics… they have girls under 17 doing gymnastics so why not…
She can run in the Olympics just not in the marathon according the the article.
How old was Zola Budd when she set her best times? The 17 year old looks younger than 17, she might get slower if she matures and gains weight in the next year or two.
I misread the title as “17y old Skinny girl…”, which would have also been true.
If Finland is like any other Scandinavian country I’ve been to, then the grog will be anything but cheap.
I bet she doesn’t drink. See how fast she can run after a few years of drinking cheap grog every fri, sat night.
What I was thinking, I ran a 4:52 mile and jumped 6’1" on the high jump in 7th grade. Things are a lot easier when you weigh 135 compared to 160, that’s a lot of beer between now and then
Some women peak in terms of athletic performance in their teens and early 20’s, so she arguably might be near the peak of her career, even if lacking experience. However, it takes years of high volume training to achieve elite level and you can;t safely put in that kind of volume until you’ve passed puberty.
The reality is she likely has incredible genetics and run mechanics, and the right body type, so 2:33 isn’t anywhere near her potential.
She has only been running for 2 years, previously did multiple different sports like ice-hockey etc… It was her first marathon and according to her she did not pace it or have any particular goal in mind, just ran as felt good.
Wait. Do we know she ran 2:33, I mean, has someone meticulously analysed her garmin file and all the race photos?
She sure knows how to Finnish strong!
I know Red Bull gives you wings – but we need something that gives us Finns!
Thank you, I’ll be here all week
Finland, Finland, Finland, that’s the country for me
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she should be allowed to run in the olympics… they have girls under 17 doing gymnastics so why not…
The article says she could run in the 10k if she qualified in that. Not sure what a 2:33 predicts for a 10k
Some women peak in terms of athletic performance in their teens and early 20’s, so she arguably might be near the peak of her career, even if lacking experience. However, it takes years of high volume training to achieve elite level and you can;t safely put in that kind of volume until you’ve passed puberty.
The reality is she likely has incredible genetics and run mechanics, and the right body type, so 2:33 isn’t anywhere near her potential.
Tell that to Paula Radcliffe
She’d have to drop from 5:50’s (her marathon pace) to 5:11’s (based on the 32:15 10k standard mentioned in the article). Or 24 seconds less per km. That is not a trivial increase in pace. …at least not to me… Of course, there is the old adage that a marathon is really just a 20 mile run with a 10km race at the end, so maybe she already did that!
That would be awesome if she could do it!
She actually did a 32:58 in August, in her 1st track 10K ever. That’s about a 4 second per km difference. Certainly doable.