Bekele would have won London

Neither would have beaten Kipsang

London is a fast course.

Bad Wigins wrote:

Except for maybe Kipsang who was in 2:02 shape on a fast course that day. But KB would certainly have been right there for a 2:04:30 finish. So would Kipchoge.

Bekele chose to debut in Paris PRECISELY because he was afraid of what would happen in London. I.e. They started out with an absurd 5k pace followed by uneven pacing, during which several VERY high class runners including Mutai, Mutai, Desisa, Kiprotich, etc. were left struggling to the finish.

Considering Bekele actively planned to avoid this sort of situation, it's safe to say he probably wouldn't have dealt with it very well, especially considering his inexperience at the distance. As for Kipchoge, I can't say.

KB's stock has risen to now where you can claim he would be right up there with Kipsang. Also G.Mutai's stock has taken a tumble from being equal with Kipsang to the same as Mo's post london value as now KB has surged into that void.

Seyta wrote:

Bekele chose to debut in Paris PRECISELY because he was afraid of what would happen in London.

He was afraid that he'd win?

Because that's what champions do.

jjjjjjjjj wrote:

London is a fast course.

faster than Paris. That's why KB woulda been right up there.

Put him on a WR-fast course and who knows. Especially if Kipchoge is there.

totally agree -- Bekele would have won London, except for Kipsang who actually won London.

J.R. wrote:

Seyta wrote:

Bekele chose to debut in Paris PRECISELY because he was afraid of what would happen in London.

He was afraid that he'd win?

This troll-ish attempt to misinterpret my statement would probably be more amusing and appropriate if I did not explicitly state what my statement pertained to:

Seyta wrote:

Bekele chose to debut in Paris PRECISELY because he was afraid of what would happen in London. I.e. They started out with an absurd 5k pace followed by uneven pacing, during which several VERY high class runners including Mutai, Mutai, Desisa, Kiprotich, etc. were left struggling to the finish.

Yeah Bekele would have been in the mix in London. If he'd come up with the hamstring thing, it might have affected his ability to cover moves.

Holy crap I love Kipchoge, talk about a consistent athlete. I'm fond of mentioning that he bested Mo in an indoor two miles, I think two years back?

It would be cool to see Kipchoge vs. Bekele over the marathon; pick up a great 5000 meter rivalry over a new, classic distance!

did mo get a weak batch of oregon juice?

No way anybody can say Bekele would have won - maybe, but Kipsang looked unbeatable and could have easily run faster.

Bad Wigins wrote:

Except for maybe Kipsang who was in 2:02 shape on a fast course that day. But KB would certainly have been right there for a 2:04:30 finish. So would Kipchoge.

right.

jackrabbits wrote:

Also G.Mutai's stock has taken a tumble from being equal with Kipsang to the same as Mo's post london value as now KB has surged into that void.

G. Mutai (2:03:02) is still the faster runner on the harder course.

Kipsang pulled away easily for the win in London. He didn't to put down the hammer. With KB around he could have gone a minute faster over the last 10K yesterday and dropped KB

in the final 5. Hamstring or no hamstring.

Watch Kipsang go 2:02 in the fall. you heard it here for the

100th time.

Indeed, Kipsang said he would go faster next time in Berlin. Still, breaking 2:03 is a tall order.