A few thoughts on @EliudKipchoge's performance.
It's hard to get across how fast a sub 2hr marathon is. 4:33 mile pace.
But what does that mean? An NCAA All-American distance runner would struggle to keep up with him for 6 miles of the 26.2.
It's hard to get across how fast a sub 2hr marathon is. 4:33 mile pace.
But what does that mean? An NCAA All-American distance runner would struggle to keep up with him for 6 miles of the 26.2.
Think about that in terms of other sports. It's as if the best college football player is not even a quarter as good as an NFL star.
It's hard to get across how quick that is to the lay person.
It's hard to get across how quick that is to the lay person.
Lots of people are going to report "People thought the sub 2 hour marathon was impossible!"
That's not true. Experts thought it would be ~20years until we reached that point. No one thought it couldn't be done, or any of that nonsense.
We don't need hyperbole for this.
That's not true. Experts thought it would be ~20years until we reached that point. No one thought it couldn't be done, or any of that nonsense.
We don't need hyperbole for this.
Going back nearly a half-century, former marathon World Record Holder, Buddy Edelen predicted a 1:50 marathon at some point in the future.
What Kipchoge did was accelerate the progression rate. He made a leap 15-20years into the future in terms of performance
What Kipchoge did was accelerate the progression rate. He made a leap 15-20years into the future in terms of performance
Where'd that leap come from?
Largely the shoes with a little help from pacing, drafting, etc.
That's not taking away from Kipchoge, but the marathon has taken a quantum leap in the last couple years thanks to changes in shoe technology.
Largely the shoes with a little help from pacing, drafting, etc.
That's not taking away from Kipchoge, but the marathon has taken a quantum leap in the last couple years thanks to changes in shoe technology.
The same athletes who were running ~2:04-2:05 3-4 years ago are now running significantly faster. We saw it with Kipchoge. We just saw it with Bekele. More will follow.
Should the shoes be banned? Most likely.
Should the shoes be banned? Most likely.
They aren't publicly available (i.e. certain athletes will get latest prototypes). It's akin to the transition from cinder tracks to synthetic. Only there everyone received the benefits. Now, we have some athletes running on cinder, some on synthetic, but all in the same race.
It is incredibly difficult to deliver consistently great performance for the marathon. Eliud has done just that. He's never had a bad marathon.
That's his legacy. He's accomplished everything.
Now, for the sake of the sport, can we line Bekele and Kipchoge up in the Olympics?
That's his legacy. He's accomplished everything.
Now, for the sake of the sport, can we line Bekele and Kipchoge up in the Olympics?
