The number 42,195 is absolutely meaningless and random. People have already run under 2 for the nicer, rounder distance of 40k which the marathon used to be. Crying about how great an accomplishment sub 2 would be now is like saying well we've run under 13 for 5000m, so now we should try to run under 13 for 5,317 meters!
its been 42.195km for over 100 years. anyone alive today who has ever run a marathon has run a 26.21875 mile / 42.195km marathon
1:59:59 / 2:03:38 x 42,195
= 7199 / 7417 x 42195 = 40,955 meters
If the marathon were 41 kilometers, the record would probably be under 2 hours.
Much better wrote:
well.. wrote:No he didn´t. That pace is about as fast as Kenny B:s 5000m WR. Anyone with a 3 digit IQ understands that it´s impossible.
Anyone with a 3 digit IQ should understand that that means its unlikely but not impossible.
That Lindgren should have run 16,08 for 4 miles XC is not only unlikely but impossible (given that the course was correctly measured).
Leopardly wrote:
The number 42,195 is absolutely meaningless and random.
Not really - the history of the event gives it meaning and fixes it amongst other numbers.
There's a sense in which all the distances typically run are arbitrary. Why 100m? Why not 100 yards instead? Why not some fraction of miles? Why not 50? 75? Some other number?
Certain distances have been chosen (by a variety of mechanisms) as the ones we typically compete over; and we're therefore interested in how people perform at those distances.