Why couldn't bekele break 7:20 ?

How many serious attempts has he taken at it? I don't think very many

He wasn't fast enough and he didn't prioritize improving that.

7:20 is pretty fast.

Because he's not fast enough. His 1500 PR is 3:32. Daniel Komen's is 3:29.

No one has a combo of credentials like 3:29 and 12:39 as Komen did and therefore no one has been able to run 7:20, no matter how many "serious attempts" they take.

he wasn't able to break 7-20

why would he able if el g and others couldn't

you also need serious dope to beat 7-20 in case you didn't know this

quizzical wrote:

he wasn't able to break 7-20

why would he able if el g and others couldn't

you also need serious dope to beat 7-20 in case you didn't know this

Because Bekele and El G didn't give it very many serious attempts.

a super ped responder like el g could have beaten 7-20

in the right race

bekele can't

jsjskk wrote:

quizzical wrote:

he wasn't able to break 7-20

why would he able if el g and others couldn't

you also need serious dope to beat 7-20 in case you didn't know this

Because Bekele and El G didn't give it very many serious attempts.

1) Did they give it many less serious attempts than Komen?

2) Komen didn't need that many serious attempts before running 7:20, and he ran very fast almost on a number of occasions (7:24i, under 8 in the two-mile twice).

3) Haile Gebrselassie tried very seriously to beat Komen's 3000 times and could not do it.

4) Komen is the best 3000/2-mile runner ever.

Has Bekele ever even attempted to? I can't recall any attempts, which is a shame since he looked totally fine after his 7:26 which he ran in the rain and without kicking much at all. I can't imagine why he couldn't have run low 7:20s on the day with better conditions and a true all out effort, perhaps as low as equal to the WR. A kick alone would have given him 7:24.

Komen was a 3:29/13:39 man, and the 3k was his best distance. It is pretty hard to beat that. I think El G could have equaled or bettered the WR had he actually tried to more than once (he ran 7:23 in his one and only attempt and looked to be mentally out of as early as 2k in).

The name fails me, but isn't there a Kenyan running now with PBs of 3:29 and 12:4x? He could potentially have a shot. I think that's about as slow as one could be to make a serious attempt at it though. Faster than 3:29 would help, but how likely are we to see that post the EPO era?

how do you know ELG responded better to dope than

KB? it could be he is intrinsically more talented?

Couldn't help myself wrote:

1) Did they give it many less serious attempts than Komen?

2) Komen didn't need that many serious attempts before running 7:20, and he ran very fast almost on a number of occasions (7:24i, under 8 in the two-mile twice).

3) Haile Gebrselassie tried very seriously to beat Komen's 3000 times and could not do it.

4) Komen is the best 3000/2-mile runner ever.

Yes, less serious attempts. From what I recall (which could be wrong), Komen ran that 3000 at his peak fitness and with a perfect rabbit. El G and Bekele never had such a rabbit nor went after the record in their peak form.

He did not have sufficient miler's speed.

Definitely a distance runner, not a middle distance guy

I think the 3,000 and 5,000 are very similar races. In my experience and observations, I've noticed that the 3,000 meter race is just 5k pace with a better kick at the end since you get to kick early.

Cow Man wrote:

He did not have sufficient miler's speed.

Definitely a distance runner, not a middle distance guy

Bekele had enough speed. He is a 3:30/3:31 type of 1500 guy

The name fails me, but isn't there a Kenyan running now with PBs of 3:29 and 12:4x? He could potentially have a shot. I think that's about as slow as one could be to make a serious attempt at it though. Faster than 3:29 would help, but how likely are we to see that post the EPO era?

choge?

not quite 12:4x

I bet Asbel Kiprop could do serious damage in the 3000 if he made a few runs at it.

I realize that his 3000m PR isn't that impressive, but he did win World Junior Cross, and he's had a few more good cross races since then.

Even more impressive in Komen's 7:20 was the totally sporatic splits where he ran a totally uneven pace. he went out in like 57

fredricksburgh wrote:

Even more impressive in Komen's 7:20 was the totally sporatic splits where he ran a totally uneven pace. he went out in like 57

And came through 2000m just slightly slower than the 2000m WR at the time. His 2000m split would have been equal to like the 4th fastest 2000m ever run (I'm making that up, but it was in that range, and the announcers commented on it too).

Hell, why not just post the damn video:

we go thru this question periodically

i've been fortunate to have seen every sub-7'27 live on satellite

this is my list for them if all had been fully rested beforehand ( komen ran "tired" looking 13-flat just 2/7 before his wr ) & got perfect pacing to 2k ~

komen - 7'19-high

geb - 7'19-high/7'20-flat

hicham - 7'20-flat/7'20-low

kennster - 7'20-low/7'20-mid

morceli - 7'21/7'22

saidi-sief - 7'22

there really was little to choose between top 4 & you coud move them up'n'down that list & i woudn't complain

i give fractional advantage to komen as he does still have wr but that's more a titular advantage