Kenenisa vs mo . Can we stop comparing the incomparable

I agree

Triple double >>>>> Double double

Mo also ran the third fastest 10k championship race in history. He also won the slowest 5k championship race in history. Thus, demonstrating that there is no way you can beat him. Slow or face, he'll be there at the bell and he will out kick you.

Anyone here watched Bekele's championship races? He set those fast times not because he ran it himself as some people like to believe, but because he sat on the shoulders of those who tried to run a fast time in order to drop him. Bekele only waited until the final lap before out sprinting the likes of Tadese for example.

bobgob wrote:

Triple double >>>>> Double double

Mo also ran the third fastest 10k championship race in history. He also won the slowest 5k championship race in history. Thus, demonstrating that there is no way you can beat him. Slow or face, he'll be there at the bell and he will out kick you.

Anyone here watched Bekele's championship races? He set those fast times not because he ran it himself as some people like to believe, but because he sat on the shoulders of those who tried to run a fast time in order to drop him. Bekele only waited until the final lap before out sprinting the likes of Tadese for example.

1st paragraph, "fastest" does not mean "fast". Further, you are also combining two different events which makes no sense. Furthermore, Farah was perfectly paced evenly for his 10000. Bekele ran 26:49 with the second half almost as fast as Farah's 5000m PR. Big difference between those performances. Farah hasn't demonstrated that he can always win in a fast race in either the 10000 or the 5000. He's only done maybe 1 of each and those were a few years ago.

2nd paragraph, false. Olympic 5000 record was a solo run by Bekele. And in the 10000 championship record run, he shared the lead.

1) I'm not combining the two events, I'm combing the two strategies. People have said that the Kenyans should run as a team and hit a fast time. They did exactly that and they dropped and lapped everyone, apart from Farah and Rupp.

2) Just seen a clip from the 5k Beijing olympic record. 7 minutes in, Bekele is third in the pack with two Ethiopians ahead of him. That is not what I call solo. If you call taking the lead from 3 or 4 laps to go a solo race, then go ahead, call it solo if you want but he was leading 3 or 4 guys up until the last lap. As for the 10k Championship record, show me where he shared the lead? Here's the race in full, you never see him take the lead until the final lap -

Bekele and Farah used the exact same tactics. People create this myth that because bekele has the WR, he used to win all his races at the major championships solo. That's bullshit. Bekele used to sit on the shoulders of those leading and the blast them away with a quick last lap. He did it Gebrselassie, Tadese and Sihine.

Bekele is the better runner. There is no doubt. Bekele did sit on people or use teammates in most championship track races. HG said the he owed lots of his success to teammates. kb might say the same. I think Bekele took the lead early in XC races but can't recall specifics other than the race where Komon was second. The last mile in the Beijing 5000 was great. I always thought he did that to burn off the kicks of Lagat and Kipchoge but Lagat was a non factor that year. I want to see more track performances like that

Sorry, but even if Bekele is drafting off of someone for championship races, he regularly broke the field from 3k to 10k in Golden League races and was generally in his own league most of the time (ahead of the field by the final lap by 50m). Maybe a couple people stay with him, but no one can match his kick after a brutal pace.

Farah has the advantage over the last lap, but he does not have the strength to break the field. He just has a monster kick, which is respectable on its own.

If we don't look at world records, the reason why Bekele is better than Farah is because Bekele has guts and is willing to risk it to win. He is willing to go sub 13:00 to win a 10k. He is willing to go sub 4:00 for the last mile to win a 5k in sub 13:00. He is willing to drop suicidal 59 second laps in the middle of 3k or 5k to drop an entire pack of world class athletes. Oh, and we didn't even get to XC yet. No one was on his level there. Kipchoge got wasted trying to stay with Bekele and that says a lot. He displayed tenacity ever since he started running races in 2002/2003, kicking at the end and going with the leaders.

So why isn't Bekele competing anymore? Maybe because he performed at such a high level (look at his 5k season's bests each year from 2003-2009) that it probably took a lot out of him. His slowest 5k season's best is Farah's PB (12:52 I think???). The harder you perform, the more it takes out of you and of course you're not going to last very long. Farah on the other hand, has enjoyed a level of running similar to the pre sub-13 era in the 1980s and 1990s. Of course he can win races run at that pace. Of course he can last longer on the professional scene. 12:37 will take a lot out of any athlete. Do you see how Bekele peaked in 2004 with his 5k time? Yeah.

Honestly, I don't even know why there's a comparison. Bekele is just on a different level.

bobgob wrote:

He set those fast times not because he ran it himself as some people like to believe, but because he sat on the shoulders of those who tried to run a fast time in order to drop him.

Watch this, idiot:

12:37 - best run in history wrote:

bobgob wrote:

He set those fast times not because he ran it himself as some people like to believe, but because he sat on the shoulders of those who tried to run a fast time in order to drop him.

Watch this, idiot:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSSBtxvd5BI

Read my post again, idiot.

Why are you providing me a link to Bekele setting the 5k WR? That's a race outside a championship/Olympics with pacemakers. What has that got to do with my argument? My argument is that Bekele ran fast championship/olympic times, not because he ran it solo, like the myth people seem to try and create, but because he sat on the shoulders of others who ran a fast race in order to drop Bekele.

Thanks for the video, but my argument still stands. Bekele's tactics were no different to Farah.