I have probably done more research on Paula and put more thought into her 2:15 marathon record than any other athletics’ performance. I have also participated in some deep discussions with some of T&F's most respected gurus and they are divided as to their personal opinions about Paula being clean or dirty. To be clear, no one absolutely thought she was dirty and they all (every one of them) concludes she has to be accepted as clean. (You can’t indict an athlete because they had an incredible performance.) Myself and no one that I respect has absolutely no information (ZERO) to state that Paula was not a clean athlete. Without a doubt, Paula was extremely talented, her talent showed in cross country, track and her career wrote the book on how to be a great marathoner in terms of her all-in approach.
With all of that said, I do find her performance almost inconceivable in a way that I don't view any other performance. At one time, I viewed Komen’s 3K record as inconceivable, until I saw E’G’s 3:26 1500m and KB’s 12:37 5K, which are about on par with Komen’s 7:20 3K. In fact Bolt’s 9:58 100m record can chalked up to him being an off the charts youth sprinter and at 6’ 5”, he is just an exceptionally unique athlete. But, I don’t see that in Paula, except for her performance, I don’t see her as an exceptionally unique athlete. With the passage of time, records don’t always seen so incredible any more. I felt in time, when Dibaba and Defar transitioned to the marathon Paula’s record would be challenged, but so far I have not seen anything to suggest they will ever get close. Then I thought Keitany and Kiplagat, both of whom have run over a minute faster than Paula in the half marathon could perhaps at least put the record in perspective and they have not come within 3 minutes of the record. Even women who I have always suspected of doping, Junxia Wang and Liliya Shobukhova could not come close to the record. The second half of Paula’s marathon would win all but a few world class half marathons. No more superlatives are needed, the time speaks for itself.
As much as I scratch my head about Paula’s marathon record, with everything know, at end of the day I have to accept the fact that Paula was an off-the-charts talented and clean athlete.