The cash point is valid. If he made anywhere near the reported $200,000 just to run in 2006 and anywhere near that to run yesterday, who would pass up cash like that?
Bill Rodgers was amazing for his time. The competition just wasn't there and things have changed. I remember Tom Fleming saying he ran ran 2:12 at Boston (1975) and got third and how absurd it was. At the time, he was right.
Overall, this board has too many haters. The marathon is a finicky event and things don't always go as planned. It has been suggested that he stick with the track, yet who told Haile to do that? What about if KB moves up to the marathon? It was just over 2 years ago that Haile ran 2:03:59 and I am fairly confident in saying that his track speed helped. Why Dathan has had a couple bad ones is beside me. His 2:10 in London and the 2:12 are both puzzling, kinda.
The only problem that I have is he should be doing what Alberto did back in 1981. He got on 4:53 pace very quickly and pretty much maintained it for the better part of the race, going through halfway in just over 1:04.
My point is if Dathan wants to run 2:08 pace (or 2:07), then after things get settled down, get on that pace and you won't have to worry about leading alone because others will be right beside him. Then if he can't maintain, regardless of his place, he's got to look at some other way.
If he ran the 20 mile workout that I heard about, he should have no problem running close to even splits in a race. If 50 guys are ahead of you or behind you, who cares if his goal is to run a certain time. As far as winning it with a field like that, well, everything would have to go perfect and some top guys are going to have to have an off day.
If he's racing for the win and trying it off of a slow early pace, then he's not going to make it with 5 guys running 3 miles in sub 4:30 pace at 16 miles into the marathon. Two or three of those guys are going to be on that day. Alberto went through the halfway over a minute faster than they did yesterday in very good conditions, why? Well, they have no one to blame but themselves. Is there too much money on the line? Are they playing cat and mouse too much and afraid to go for it?
Dathan needs to run his own race and not be afraid to keep an honest pace and not worry about the others. Hell, I wathced him in highschool throw caution to the wind race after race, even in the heat at track meets.
Trust me, he's at least a 2:07 marathoner, at the very least and maybe faster. It just hasn't happened yet.
Heck, Greg Meyer went 2:09 flat at Boston in 83' and a lot of you guys don't think Dathan can run 2:08. Look at Greg's pr's compared to Dathan's. It's not even close.