I'd bet money that the person who proposed this match race to the runners got the idea from letsrun.com
mighty porn stache wrote:
I'd bet money that the person who proposed this match race to the runners got the idea from letsrun.com
Right. Same for the Bailey-Johnson 150m matchup.
Reasons I'm potentially right and you are definitely wrong:
1- I dont think lrc was around in 96 when that idea sprouted
2- the 150 matchup was brought up immediately after the olympics when Bob "i dont know a damn thing about track but that never stopped me from discussing it like I know something" Costas mentioned that MJ might be the world's fastest man because of his 9.66 average for 100m in his 19.32 200m (CLEARLY not taking into account the flying start for the 2nd 100)
3- The 600m race between Bolt and Bekele has been discussed on lrc for months now, well before the WCs.
Bailey-Johnson race was about being the fastest man and it was serious. Bolt-Bekele race would just be silly.
Berlino was silly and everyone, well, most anyway, loved him.
It was a good way to draw attention to the sport.
It would be a very sporting thing of Bolt to participate in basically a PR gimmick that would do more for Bekele than for him, given how much he days he dislikes the 400, much less a 600.
I hope they go for it.
I think Bekele would dust him in a 6.
Agreed. Bekele FTW
first post was this past March. Damn, I didn't know it was around that long.
mighty porn stache wrote:
I'd bet money that the person who proposed this match race to the runners got the idea from letsrun.com
It's not like LetsRunners are the only ones in the track world who could come to this idea. Anyone who is a decent fan of the sport could go "huh, Bolt is the best sprinter in the world and Bekele is the best distance runner, I wonder if we could come up with a race for them. Hmmm, Bolt could win a 400m for sure, and Bekele could win an 800 m for sure. But a 600m would be intersting."
i agree w/ mighty porn stache on this one. dude. the it's called the WORLD FAMOUS MESSAGE BOARD for a reason.
i would bet a paycheck that if the idea wasn't sparked on LR, that at the least, it served for confirmation that it would be of interest. that's far more probable than some guy dreaming it up and it getting to the point where it's a news article.
I think 450m is about the right distance for a good fight. I can't imagine Bolt having much gas after 400m.
i couldn't care less who gets the credit for the idea. i just want to see them actually on the track racing.
mlj wrote:
I think 450m is about the right distance for a good fight. I can't imagine Bolt having much gas after 400m.
Agreed, though I'd say more like 500-550m. Bolt might be able to hold on for 50m after his 45...
In the USA today article they mentioned 700m - that could get ugly, and fast. If it were that long, Bekele would blow by bolt at 400m (Assuming Bolt goes out hard), and Bolt folds immediately. OR, Bekele takes it hard from the beginning, gaps Bolt right away because Bolt wants to conserve. At 200m, Bolt realizes he'll never catch him, and gives up. Either would would be bad.
It's not like Bekele is slow. If Bolt goes out in 46-47 in a 550m race, Bekele is right there going out in 48, and beginning to close.
I think people are over-assuming Bolt's aerobic capacity, and under-assuming Bekele's speed. Make it 500 or 550.
I highly doubt that Bekele has 48 "starting speed" in a 600. He would be juiced.
gutsss wrote:
mlj wrote:I think 450m is about the right distance for a good fight. I can't imagine Bolt having much gas after 400m.
Agreed, though I'd say more like 500-550m. Bolt might be able to hold on for 50m after his 45...
In the USA today article they mentioned 700m - that could get ugly, and fast. If it were that long, Bekele would blow by bolt at 400m (Assuming Bolt goes out hard), and Bolt folds immediately. OR, Bekele takes it hard from the beginning, gaps Bolt right away because Bolt wants to conserve. At 200m, Bolt realizes he'll never catch him, and gives up. Either would would be bad.
It's not like Bekele is slow. If Bolt goes out in 46-47 in a 550m race, Bekele is right there going out in 48, and beginning to close.
I think people are over-assuming Bolt's aerobic capacity, and under-assuming Bekele's speed. Make it 500 or 550.
You know that Bekele would struggle to break 50 in an open 400m?
on the runs wrote:
You know that Bekele would struggle to break 50 in an open 400m?
Uhr... no. A guy who closes a 10K in 1:53 certainly has the wheels to get under 50. He's also run 3:32. You don't do that with a 50 sec 400 pr. No way.
I knew a lot of dudes in high school who could run 50-51 secs and they were great xc runners. Bekele is the greatest xc runner ever and ran a 3:32 just off of his endurance. He's probably a 1:46 low guy for the 800m at best. You're crazy if you think he can't run sub 50. I'm not saying he can bust out a 46 or 47 quarter but a 48.8x is something that he's definitely capable of. I think a lot of posters on this board just don't want to admit that he can run a 48-49 sec quarter if trained. Don't know why.
gutsss wrote:
on the runs wrote:You know that Bekele would struggle to break 50 in an open 400m?
Uhr... no. A guy who closes a 10K in 1:53 certainly has the wheels to get under 50. He's also run 3:32. You don't do that with a 50 sec 400 pr. No way.
Way.
If you're a 3:32 guy AND a 26:17 guy, you do run those times off of that speed. You're a high 49 guy in the 400m at best. You're seriously underestimating what phenomenal levels of aerobic endurance can do for you. There's a seesaw when it comes to performances and gets tilted in one way or another depending on FT/ST fibre distribution and aerobic development. Bekele is certainly on the ST side of things and has one of the best cardiovascular systems on the planet. That's going to allow him to run very close to his maximum 400m speed at the end of moderately paced 5000m or 10000m, something someone like El Guerrouj couldn't have done because of the type of athlete he was.
Bekele max capabilities
Barely sub50 almost certainly
1:46 likely
3:31 definitely
7:23ish for certain
12:35
26:10
mlj wrote:
I think 450m is about the right distance for a good fight. I can't imagine Bolt having much gas after 400m.
No, Bolt would kill him at 450. He can run 45 flat, and Bekele no better than 49 flat. So at 400 Bekele would be about 35 meters behind when Bolt hit 400, and yes, Bolt could literally jog in the last 50 at about 5:30 per mile pace and still win.