Mr. Me wrote:
For those who think the record is soft, here's the American top ten list, note that there are only 6 American runners under 27:30 all-time. I have mixed feelings about Rupp looking for perfect conditions to go after the record, on the one hand it seems like taking some legitimacy out of the record if he gets it, on the other hand, he'll need perfect conditions to get it. Hell, 4:22 per mile pace for 6.2 miles is pretty astounding (and Bekele's record pace was a freaky 4:14)
1. 27:13.98 - Meb Keflezighi - Palo Alto (2001)
2. 27:16.99 - Abdi Abdirahman - Eugene (2008)
3. 27:20.56 - Mark Nenow - Brussels (1986)
4. 27:22.28 - Dathan Ritzenhein - Berlin (2009)
5. 27:25.61 - Alberto Salazar - Oslo (1982)
6. 27:29.16 - Craig Virgin - Paris (1980)
7. 27:31.34 - Todd Williams - Knoxville (1995)
8. 27:33.48 - Galen Rupp - Palo Alto (2007)
9. 27:33.93 - Alan Culpepper - Palo Alto (2001)
10. 27:34.72 - Alan Webb - Palo Alto (2006)
The most interesting thing about this list is that 6 of the top 10 took place on US soil. You don't necessarily need to go to Europe to run fast (although several of those races did have Kenyan/Ethiopian rabbits).
I had the pleasure of watching 4 of these in person, including the top 2 (Bekele's 26:25 at 9:30 in the morning in Eugene was probably the most impressive performance I've ever seen). Pretty cool. |