New York thon Vs. Chicago thon

Americans want to see our own africans even if they are 3 minutes slower.

It is blatantly apparant why Meb is running in New York. Much like London, Chicago has 10 guys that have run faster than any other american in the history of the sport accept Khalid.

Here in the Big Apple we've got pdiddy and Lance and the guy that juggles basketballs and..........oh yea Dathan Ritzenhein and when Meb wins we will act like he beat the greatest field ever assembled.

SOOOOOOOOOO WHAT wrote:

Here in the Big Apple we've got pdiddy and Lance and the guy that juggles basketballs and

Oh, that's probably why they gave them the Olympic trials too.

ding ding. Smoke and mirrors.

I read an interview wher Ritz said he got lost while covering the course. This is the guy that we are all hoping is the future for the USA and he has no help out on the course. This morning I was watching Cold Pizza and they were showing Lance Armstrong running on the course with assistance of about 30 people and several film crews. This pretty much sums up the New York Marathon. It is all about the media splash and very little about the athlete. It is a shame. At least the pay is good.

Chicago continues to amaze.

Chicago hope wrote:

I know that everyone is in love with NYRR and feel that they do the greatest job at assembling an elite field but I think Chicago just keeps plugging away and year after year produce a better elite field.

I recognize that New York has Tergat and Baldini but time wise how does the New York Field match up against this.

Felix Limo KEN 2:06:14

Daniel Njenga KEN 2:06:16

Robert Cheboror KEN 2:06:23

Wilson Onsare KEN 2:06:47

Charles Kibiwott KEN 2:06:52

Benjamin Maiyo KEN 2:07:09

Robert Cheruiyot KEN 2:07:14

Jimmy Muindi KEN 2:07:50

Salim Kipsang KEN 2:08:04

Chicago looks great again.

You are not likely to find anyone willing to make a comparison because I believe that Tergat's PB is the only one that breaks into the top 5 at Chicago.

When looking at this field it is easy to see why americans choose to run New York. Meb has no chance of winning at Chicago. Ritz would not look nearly as impressive in Chicago finishing 12th as he would finishing 5th in New York. A guy like Ramaala is a field filler in Chicago (much like Yuda in Chicago) and the guy won New York 2 years ago. I am suprized that the Hansons group would be going to Chicago instead of New York. In New York they could string 5 guys in the top 15 like at Boston. That will not happen in Chicago.

Chicago might be easier to get a trial qualifier for those that dont have one.

maybe???????? wrote:

Chicago might be easier to get a trial qualifier for those that dont have one.

That doesn't explain the Hanson guys that ran Boston and already have their qualifier. Why doesn't Sell and Verran and Humphrey go to New York and finish top 5 to 10? It is obvious that these guys aren't going to run sub 2:07 in Chicago which is what it will take for a 5th to 10th finish.

Isn't El G running the NYC marathon?

Chicago does a very good job but not best. London is #1. It is humorous how Meb as a silver medalist would consistently choose the second best marathon during each season. Last fall he runs New York and skips the better field at Chicago. This past spring he chooses Boston and skips the better field at London. Here we are for another Fall marathon decision and Meb again chooses the weaker field.

I guess maybe I am giving Meb too much credit. I thought that silver medal made him the second best marathoner in the world at that time and I hoped he would prove himself to be even better than that. Maybe I should have listened to others who said that the silver medal was just a fluke and that he would never win a Chicago or London Marathon. I will still be cheering for him in New York but even if he wins I will wonder how he would of faired in the VARSITY RACE.

Chicago obviously has a faster field, but New York got the bigger names....at least from a modest fan's perspective. While the Chicago guys are really fast, I haven't even heard of some of them, and they're probably indistinguishable from one another -- sorry. I'd much rather watch New York than Chicago.

Kefelezighi's PR would look a lot snappier if he had run some easier courses. He ran LaSalle Bank Chi Marathon once, in what he said was a controlled effort to get the Olympic "A" standard 4 months before the USOT. His great race in Athens was on a sick hard course.

In the meantime, he's broken 2:10 twice on the ING NYCM course, which any letsrun.com viewer will tell you is too slow a course to even consider running.

Playing with numbers a bit...all very broad & hypothetical but you get the point...Tergat ran 2:09-mid there. roughly 4:30 slower than juhis WR. If we allow that Tergat's WR run had about 2 minutes of "breakthrough/great race," and that aging 2 years added 0.5-1 minute to Tergat's marks, then there's about 1.5-2.0 minutes of course adjustment... pulling that 90-120 seconds from Keflezighi's ING NYCM marks gets him to high-2:07s/low 2:08s

Hey now, don't question anything about NY or the NY marathon so Joseph McVeigh can keep his defensiveness to himself.

Ritzenhein wasn't the one who got lost; he had "help" in the form of a "guide" who overshot a turn and had to backtrack. Not much of a guide but at least Ritzenhein wasn't left to his own.

Armstrong's "run" was PR event NOT by and for the ING NYCM -- it was an event by and for Nike, the LiveStrong Foundation, and Armstrong. Niketown NYC has a training-group program, and Lance is on Nike's payroll and is trying tio raise money for the foundation, and that means making personal appearances...one of which is running with the regular training group. There was no "assistance" other than what's offered by the regular group coaches, which Armstrong doesn't need. And film crews follow famous people, especially if they call the media and say "I'll be here."

Feel free to criticize the race or NYRR, but make it thoughtful criticism.

At what point did I say anything about the marathon? I'm offering some interpretation on veiled assertions that Kefelezighi's a bush-leaguer and a coward.

How dare any of you question anything about NY, the marathon or this years elite field, which is arguably the best ever assembled.

People, stand back and watch the level of sophistication NY brings to the world of running and learn something.

NY sub elite wrote:

How dare any of you question anything about NY, the marathon or this years elite field, which is arguably the best ever assembled.

People, stand back and watch the level of sophistication NY brings to the world of running and learn something.

It's good to have you back. Could you please elaborate on the majesty of the NYC Marathon course?