London Marathon outs Farah

Hingle McCringleberry wrote:

Mo might be a champion, but he isn't in the same category as all time greats like Geb, Tergat, and Bekele. The 5,000 and 10,000 meter is taking a backseat to road racing.

In a real race from start to finish Mo can't hack it. He shouldn't have ventured into half marathons, and marathons. Now he has been outed for what he is. He is B-level runner with good speed, running in tier 2 races. All the big boys are running mostly marathons and some other road races.

BBC has been outed too. It is pretty sad when the 8th place finisher get paid more and get more time on tv then real world class talent ahead of him. The announcer pretty much admitted the marathoners of the world were the real deal and Mo should go back to the schoolyard.

Yes, idiot, those Olympic races and world championship races are Tier 2.

Idiots (trolls) like you are the reason I rarely venture onto the boards any more.

How did Jeilan do? WC 2011 @ 10 000m?

Geoff Mutai beat Mo by one second?

Kiprotich?

The marathon isn't what some people think it is.

That said .... It would be funny to see someone ask Mo if he now knows the answer to "well, Bekele did it, why can't I?"

Track Historian wrote:

Yes, idiot, those Olympic races and world championship races are Tier 2.

Is this a serious comment?

Hingle McCringleberry wrote:

Mo might be a champion, but he isn't in the same category as all time greats like Geb, Tergat, and Bekele. The 5,000 and 10,000 meter is taking a backseat to road racing.

In a real race from start to finish Mo can't hack it. He shouldn't have ventured into half marathons, and marathons. Now he has been outed for what he is. He is B-level runner with good speed, running in tier 2 races. All the big boys are running mostly marathons and some other road races.

BBC has been outed too. It is pretty sad when the 8th place finisher get paid more and get more time on tv then real world class talent ahead of him. The announcer pretty much admitted the marathoners of the world were the real deal and Mo should go back to the schoolyard.

Several flaws with this analysis:

1) Mo's lack of judgment does not mean that he is a B-level runner. What I mean by this is that he chose to debut in a race with the incumbent record-holder, the unofficial runner of the world's fastest time, the Olympic and World Marathon champion, former champions and record-holders, etc. Only someone who is delusional could possibly think that he would do well in a DEBUT with this kind of field.

There is a reason Bekele intelligently chose to debut in a MUCH more low key race. He at the very least knew that he could have a debut that was much more reflective of his ability, as he could be in full control.

2) By your logic, Kiprotich, the Olympic and World Champion, both Mutais who are sub-2:04 Marathoners, and Desisa, who is a 2:04 Marathoner and World Silver medalist are also B-level runners because they finished around or behind Farah.

3) BBC hasn't been outed at all. They're a British company. They would be morons if they promoted a bunch of foreigners over a British citizen who was a World and Olympic gold medalist.

Seyta, your analysis is way more flawed than his. The only thing wrong with Hingle's statements is that he called Farah a B-level runner. Farah is definately an A-level runner, but just not an all-time great. The rest of Hingle's statements are true.

Your statements are not.

1) The level of competition in Farah's marathon was completely irrelevant to Farah's performance. His goal was not to beat them. His goal was to break a national record. He didn't even once run with the leaders, did he? He had his OWN rabbits. He was practically in his own race just like Bekele. He couldn't even see the leaders for most of the race. Farah WAS in complete control.

2) No. Those guys did not have Farah's goals or raceplans. They finished where they did because they were competing at the front of the race. They DIED and still finished near Farah. Furthermore, how are you identifying Hingle's logic? He did not explain his logic. What do the credentials of those guys and where they finished have to do with Hingle's logic?

3) Whatever. I don't really have an opinion of this topic. I don't care about the coverage.

ldodk wrote:

Track Historian wrote:

Yes, idiot, those Olympic races and world championship races are Tier 2.

Is this a serious comment?

Actually, I think there is some truth to that. Obviously they're not exactly Tier 2 races, but I do agree that the 5k/10k on the track has become somewhat diluted in recent years, with many young studs going immediately to the marathon, where the money is.

Sometimes its not the pace but the aura that slows your competitors down to 2:08. That is the power Kipsang and Kennster has along with actual real marathon times that are fast.

I think he/she was being sarcastic.

He's a double gold medalist! He could retire today and still be considered one of the greats.

He'll be back. It's good for the sport too. What's next?