2017 ASICS Furman Elite 1500Jun 1, 2017 by Dennis Young
Furman Elite 1500 Preview: How Many People Will Get The Worlds Standard?
Furman Elite 1500 Preview: How Many People Will Get The Worlds Standard?
We preview the 2017 Furman Elite 1500.
The Furman Elite 1500s are Saturday evening at 8:00 PM Eastern, live on FloTrack from Greenville, South Carolina. It's just two races, so we'll get right to it. The men's and women's 1500s have cranked out dozens of USATF and IAAF standards in the three years of the meet's existence, and the fields lining up on Saturday night mostly need the world standards. Some healthy prize money should incentivize the standard chase; we break down the races below.
Update: The fields have changed significantly.
Men's race
World championship standard: 3:36.0 (1500m)/3:53.4 (mile) run after October 1, 2016
U.S. championship standard: 3:39.0 (1500m)/3:56.5 (mile) run after July 1, 2016
Pacing: Ryan Martin, 57/58 seconds per lap
The athletes who probably most urgently need standards are Brooks Beasts Izaic Yorks and Brannon Kidder, who were second and fourth at NCAAs last summer but still need the USATF qualifying standard.
Dating back to his college years at Ohio State, Leslie--now an assistant coach at George Mason--has mostly focused on the steeplechase. He has finished in the top seven at the U.S. championships from 2014-2016. But he hasn't steepled since finishing seventh at the Olympic Trials last summer, and that could signal a switch to the 1500 meters. He has the wheels for it--he's gone 3:35, 3:53 (mile), and 3:38 in the event each of the last three years so far. He already has the U.S. standard, and can run aggressively in pursuit of the worlds standard on Saturday night.
Only five American men currently have the 1500m worlds standard, and Clayton Murphy and Eric Jenkins will likely skip the event at nationals in three weeks. Anyone who runs the standard on Saturday night will position themselves well for the summer.
Women's race
World championship standard: 4:07.50 (1500m)/4:26.70 (mile) run after October 1, 2016
U.S. championship standard: 4:09.50 (1500m)/4:28.50 (mile) run after July 1, 2016
Pacing: Megan Krumpoch, 65/66 seconds per lap
This is a race with international implications. Sheila Reid and Gabriela Stafford are the only two Canadian women with the world standard right now, but Gollish is just 0.2 seconds away at 4:07.70 (run two weeks ago) and Sifuenetes was the only Canadian woman to make the Olympic semifinal in Rio last summer. If Gollish and Sifuentes get under the standard on Saturday night, they could make things hard for Athletics Canada.
It will be an aggressive race to get under 4:07.50, because only two women in the field need to worry about running the USATF standard. Stephanie Garcia is a steeplechaser, so only Hannah Fields and Greta Feldman need to make sure they qualify for nationals.
The entire field needs the world standard, though. And it's extremely likely that several of them will get it. This race has historically punched a lot of women's tickets. Last year, nine women ran under 4:07.50, and in 2015 and 2014, the winner dipped under 4:07.50 both times. Gollish has the fastest season best, but Freitas (the 2016 NCAA champ) and Sifuentes are all right there and could threaten the standard.
Prize for the Furman Elite 1500 will be $1500, $1000, $500 for 1st,2nd, and 3rd. If IAAF standard achieved, $3000, $2000, $1000. @FloTrack
— ASICS Furman Elite (@Furman_Elite) May 31, 2017
Update: The fields have changed significantly.
Men's race
World championship standard: 3:36.0 (1500m)/3:53.4 (mile) run after October 1, 2016
U.S. championship standard: 3:39.0 (1500m)/3:56.5 (mile) run after July 1, 2016
Pacing: Ryan Martin, 57/58 seconds per lap
The athletes who probably most urgently need standards are Brooks Beasts Izaic Yorks and Brannon Kidder, who were second and fourth at NCAAs last summer but still need the USATF qualifying standard.
Dating back to his college years at Ohio State, Leslie--now an assistant coach at George Mason--has mostly focused on the steeplechase. He has finished in the top seven at the U.S. championships from 2014-2016. But he hasn't steepled since finishing seventh at the Olympic Trials last summer, and that could signal a switch to the 1500 meters. He has the wheels for it--he's gone 3:35, 3:53 (mile), and 3:38 in the event each of the last three years so far. He already has the U.S. standard, and can run aggressively in pursuit of the worlds standard on Saturday night.
Only five American men currently have the 1500m worlds standard, and Clayton Murphy and Eric Jenkins will likely skip the event at nationals in three weeks. Anyone who runs the standard on Saturday night will position themselves well for the summer.
| Athlete | PB | 2017 Best | World Standard? | U.S. Standard? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andy Trouard (unattached) | 3:42.09 | 3:42.09 | No | No |
| Cory Leslie (Nike) | 3:34.93 | 3:38.10 | No | Yes |
| Charles Philibert-Thiboutot (ASICS) | 3:34.23 | 3:55.33y | No | Canadian |
| Izaic Yorks (Brooks Beasts) | 3:37.74 | 3:41.3 | No | No |
| Lex Williams (Saucony) | 3:38.77 | 3:42.54 | No | No |
| Brannon Kidder (Brooks Beasts) | 3:38.82 | 3:40.85 | No | No |
| Caleb Hoover (ASICS Furman Elite) | 4:03.26y | 4:03.26y | No | No |
Women's race
World championship standard: 4:07.50 (1500m)/4:26.70 (mile) run after October 1, 2016
U.S. championship standard: 4:09.50 (1500m)/4:28.50 (mile) run after July 1, 2016
Pacing: Megan Krumpoch, 65/66 seconds per lap
This is a race with international implications. Sheila Reid and Gabriela Stafford are the only two Canadian women with the world standard right now, but Gollish is just 0.2 seconds away at 4:07.70 (run two weeks ago) and Sifuenetes was the only Canadian woman to make the Olympic semifinal in Rio last summer. If Gollish and Sifuentes get under the standard on Saturday night, they could make things hard for Athletics Canada.
It will be an aggressive race to get under 4:07.50, because only two women in the field need to worry about running the USATF standard. Stephanie Garcia is a steeplechaser, so only Hannah Fields and Greta Feldman need to make sure they qualify for nationals.
The entire field needs the world standard, though. And it's extremely likely that several of them will get it. This race has historically punched a lot of women's tickets. Last year, nine women ran under 4:07.50, and in 2015 and 2014, the winner dipped under 4:07.50 both times. Gollish has the fastest season best, but Freitas (the 2016 NCAA champ) and Sifuentes are all right there and could threaten the standard.
| Athlete | PB | 2017 Best | World Standard? | U.S. Standard? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicole Sifuentes (Saucony) | 4:03.97 | 4:29.27y | No | Canadian |
| Stephanie Garcia (New Balance) | 4:05.39 | 4:32.41y | No | No |
| Marta Freitas | 4:06.54 | 4:08.11 | No | Portuguese |
| Stephanie Aldea (unattached) | 4:13.83 | 4:22.72 | No | Canadian |
| Greta Feldman (unattached) | 4:12.29 | 4:16.11 | No | No |
| Sasha Gollish (Oiselle/Skechers) | 4:07.08 | 4:07.70 | No | Canadian |
| Shannon Osika (Saucony) | 4:09.08 | 4:33.67y | No | Yes |
| Hannah Fields (Brooks Beasts) | 4:11.00 | 4:19.83 | No | No |
| Mariah Kelly (New Balance) | 4:11.88 | 4:12.71 | No | Canadian |
| Erin Teschuk (ASICS Furman Elite) | 4:14.26 | 4:39.59y | No | Canadian |