We just came across this piece from last week by our friend Toni Reavis.http://tonireavis.com/2016/02/15/meb-now-atop-all-time-u-s-distance-running-list/#more-14714Do you agree or disagree with this conclusion?
We just came across this piece from last week by our friend Toni Reavis.http://tonireavis.com/2016/02/15/meb-now-atop-all-time-u-s-distance-running-list/#more-14714Do you agree or disagree with this conclusion?
absolutely not.
Go back to Billy Mills. Have a look at Frank Shorter.
etc etc.
Meb is a nice human interest story. He's a footnote
Shorter also won Fukuoka a bunch of times (four or five, look it up) when that was considered the world championships of marathoning. You don't have to have a 20-year career if you accomplish so much in half that time.
VEHEMENTLY DISAGREE
Why must we always descent into hierarchies of "greatest"? It is such a boring trope to me. Clarence DeMar, John Kelly, Buddy Edelen, Bobbi Gibb, Joan Benoit, Frank Shorter, Bill Rodgers, Meb ... they were all amazing marathoners in their own right, and all admirable role models. I bow to them all. Does one have to be the greatest? Can you compare John Kelly making the '36 Olympic team as a laborer with Meb making the team at age 41? Joan Benoit making the team right after knee surgery? Rodgers finding his place as a marathoner after years drifting, Frank Shorter winning in Munich after the trauma of witnessing terrorism? I don't wish to pit these achievements against each other. What I do find astounding is how many of marathoning's stars are such decent human beings, which is more than I can say for the top ranks of many other sports.
Most accomplished, by dint of an extended career, but not the greatest.
Shorter. He won two Olympic marathons even though a drug cheater was given the gold in 1975.
Gotta be Shorter by virtue of his hardware and non-OG accomplishments and place within the era, or Rupp, who has astounding range, OG hardware, an all time top-20 mark in the 10k, and competes in the strongest era of running to date (barring the EPO-era).
Disagree.
Thinking out loud here..
He's got Olympic hardware and a 4th! last Oly, but the fastest marathon runners rarely win Oly gold nowadays. The NYC and Boston wins are huge but he's broken 2:09 once. His longevity is top notch and he used to have the AR in the 10,000m.
Frank Shorter should get the nod with his hardware and other accolades that you can read above.
I think Rupp has a chance, but not convinced Saladbar can coach him in the marathon correctly..
Disagree. Just a few days ago on social media at work someone made the statement of Meb being best runner in the world and compared him to Bolt. (I got a good laugh out of it)
Certainly a great American runner and all around great person but unless he wins another Olympic medal, I think he lags behind Shorter, Mills and maybe a couple of others.
He is not even the greatest U.S. immigrant runner. That accolade goes to Billy Mills.
Collateral Damage wrote:
He is not even the greatest U.S. immigrant runner. That accolade goes to Billy Mills.
0/10.....how do you define Mills as an immigrant?
For argument's sake, those Fukuoka wins don't really mean much to people who aren't old enough to remember when it was the "world championship of marathoning". In fifty years, Shorter will be remembered for his Olympic medals and Rodgers for his 4x Boston and 4x NYC wins. No one is going to care about the Fukuoka wins.
What Conceivable wrote:
Shorter also won Fukuoka a bunch of times (four or five, look it up) when that was considered the world championships of marathoning. You don't have to have a 20-year career if you accomplish so much in half that time.
Shorter is Babe Ruth. Meb is Barry Bonds. One is a joke, one is the GOAT. I love jokes and I love goats. Why can't I just enjoy both?
I didn't say anything would remember his Fukuoka wins (except old timers and people who come on here). But they happened.
Id agree. Meb has the resume to show it, he's the best. He's won multiple majors and nearly medaled twice in the olympic marathon. Not to mention he was pretty good on the track as well.
I love Meb, but how can he be the greatest ever if he was behind Hall from 2007 to 2011.
How many #1 rankings does he have compared to Shorter and Rodgers?
Lagat is the "greatest immigrant runner", for whatever its worth. Perhaps it best to state that Lagat, Meb, and a host of others are great runners. In the case of Lagat and Meb, they seem to be pretty good citizens too.
he is not american. wrote:
mebrathom keflazghi is NOT an American. he is an AFRICAN that was born and rasied in AFRICA and can barely speak English and the very word English words he knows, just like lagat and abdi, come out with an extremely strong AFRICAN accent.
he needs to be deported back to Africa and he is a disgusting international criminal who is stealing Olympic glory from real americans like anal webb.
Thanks Don ... or is this Ted, or Marco?
Greatest American distance runner with just on Oly silver and not a single Worlds medal?
Stop joking.
But sure, he's black and immigrant so I guess that's more important for some of the demoracists.
I’m a D2 female runner. Our coach explicitly told us not to visit LetsRun forums.
Great interview with Steve Cram - says Jakob has no chance of WRs this year
Guys between age of 45 and 55 do you think about death or does it seem far away
2024 College Track & Field Open Coaching Positions Discussion
RENATO can you talk about the preparation of Emile Cairess 2:06
adizero Road to Records with Yomif Kejelcha, Agnes Ngetich, Hobbs Kessler & many more is Saturday