RE: 'The Road to Beijing': 3 hour marathoner wants to make British Olympic Marathon team in 2008

I would never underestimate this. While it might be doubtful, who knows.

He is not harming you in anyway.

This is great. Maybe other people will start running with the goal of making an Olympic team because of him. I wish him the best of luck.

do you not think he is trying to con people into giving him 75 grand? he simply has no chance whatsoever!!!!

There are numerous guys attempting to do this aroudn full time jobs and who are far more talented than this chump, and they are not asking for 75k sponsorship, attention seeking twat.

Dude'

We wish you all the best.

belive in yourself and trust your legs.

Nothing is impossible'

impossible is nothing'

heres our man

He's freely admitted he was out of shape before the start!

More recent photo I think...

http://www.theroadtobeijing.co.uk/5t.jpg

He won't run 2:15, but has a good chance of sub 2:30, has run 2:44 in the past.

he could do it

its not liek u need any natural talent to be a good jogger

just the time and inclination to run 150 miles a week

If this man does manage to break 2:20 i predict a huge running boom.

bryn_r wrote:

He won't run 2:15, but has a good chance of sub 2:30, has run 2:44 in the past.

2:44 u sure?

Nope, sorry, my mistake. Read this piece on his site and assumed it was just about him, re-read and about 2 different people.

http://www.theroadtobeijing.co.uk/trtb-runnersworldjan.htm

If he can run near or under 2:30 he'll have done well.

2:30.. maybe..

he ran a 1:15 half recently...

http://www.theroadtobeijing.co.uk/trtb-results.htm

The timescale is ridiculous, have you seen the times he is expecting to hit for his spring marathon this year? And next year at London he thinks he can run sub 2.15! No chance at all, I actually find it a litle insulting, it isn't bloody 'faking it'. Why does he need 75k?

2.15 will not get him on the UK team to Beijing.

I suspect that he will have to run at least sub 2.12

If he doesnt even understand what he has to do then there is no chance, but there is no chance anyway.

Why are Keith Anderson and Bruce Tulloh having anything to do with this stupid publicity stunt, it doesnt reflect well on either of them.

A quick visit to a decent testing facility would give him most of the info that he needs to know that this is just daft.

fat guy wrote:

it isn't bloody 'faking it'. Why does he need 75k?

Maybe for the large amount of EPO he will need to take to even run 2.20

too right - take the 75k and split it between Pete Riley, Dan Robinson and 1 other and i think you'll see a whole better result.

this guy is mouthing off making the achievements of people who've been killing themselves for years look devalued.

after the bullsh1t of that radio 1 dj tart spending 6 months telling her listeners she was going to get on the greek womens 4x400m squad for athens (in the end she ran a not so great 61 sec and wasnt even greek) you think documentary makers would wise up.

Keith Anderson loves the publicity - always used to be in the sh1t running mags, but you'd think Tulloh would know better.

To play devils advocate:

- Is this guy showing there are ways athletes can try to present a good business argument for sponsoring them that many people in the sport are not yet thinking of? Some guys seem to have a view that I've run X therefore give me £Y, without thinking 'What's in it for the sponsor? How can I sell myself.'

- Will he help people understand how good you have to be to make the Olympics or what different times really mean. When I was training for a marathon I got asked by someone who should have known the sport whether I was aiming for close to 2hr 12min (champs qualifying). When I said 'no' they then asked if I was going for sub-3. No concept of anything between.

- Will he help the sport gain coverage in that huge void between those running 2hr 10min and those running in a gorilla suit? Who in the UK knows about the guys running 2hr 15min to 2hr 20min? (Or quicker) If this guy gets coverage some of these guys could get a slice of the limelight and a bit of the credit due.

- He's already had success on Letsrun. We're talking about him and his athletic credentials. It's Big Brother/I'm a celebrity but based on how fast he can run a marathon - not eating cockroaches or being a freak in a house with TV cameras everywhere.

He probably has a lot more chance of making it than Henry Rono running a Masters WR for the mile. His 1:15 Half is worth considerably more on an age related performance than HR's 1:41. The programme which followed the training of our Rowing 4 (Redgrave, Pinsent, Cracknell, Foster) prior to Sydney was excellent viewing and gave outsiders an insight into the level of fitness these guys have to attain. I remember Redgrave throwing up and passing out.

If only colourful characters like David Bedford were around today - now that would be compulsive viewing and would bring much needed publicity to our sport.

slight difference between world number 1 rowing team and some guy ranked about 200th in the Uk at half marathon.