"Mo Farah could never run 12:37/39/40/45/50"

No.

Very first stat is wrong, Farah's PB is 12:53.11

felix savon wrote:

Please can we have a moratorium on people calling him a 1500m runner or a historically lucky 5000m runner that happens to just possess a good finish until there is a shred of evidence for these propositions? Thanks.

I don't think people think he's a "lucky" 5000m runner--he has earned his global medals and it's not his responsibility to make the race fast. People have a problem with him not going for records or high-quality DL (fast, rabbited race) competition--as you said, this has not affected his wallet, so good for him. And people have more of a problem with his sudden improvement post-peak years. That is unheard of (it's not like he just started running late--he was a solid, not medal contending runner) and admittedly a bit fishy.

He's easily the best distance runner of all time. Why tarnish that moniker by chasing doped times?

His 5k and 10k PRs are from 2011. He's only broke 13 once in the past 4 years.

Bekele went from 12:52 to 12:37 the year he turned 22.

Geb went from 12:56 to 12:44 the year he turned 22.

Kipchoge went from 12:52 to 12:46 when he was 19.

Gebremeskel went from 12:53 to 12:46 when he was 22.

Sihine went from 13:06 to 12:47 the year he turned 21.

Farah is 33.

yesssum wrote:

His 5k and 10k PRs are from 2011. He's only broke 13 once in the past 4 years.

Bekele went from 12:52 to 12:37 the year he turned 22.

Geb went from 12:56 to 12:44 the year he turned 22.

Kipchoge went from 12:52 to 12:46 when he was 19.

Gebremeskel went from 12:53 to 12:46 when he was 22.

Sihine went from 13:06 to 12:47 the year he turned 21.

Farah is 33.

Yes, it certainly makes sense to ignore his 3:28 at 30 or whatever and say it was inconcievable for Farah to break his 5k PB then...

Listen, if Farah raced a fast 5k and lost, like Kiprop has done over 1500m in the past despite being the best on paper, all his cards are on the table and athletes can work out what needs to be done to break him. It gives them confidence that they can beat him.

The solo 12:59 he ran just before Rio was an amazing tactical move. An example of the way Farah and Salazar play this game. He remained in control and ran a seriously fast time by himself. That raised all sorts of questions in his competitors heads.

kimani wrote:

I don't think people think he's a "lucky" 5000m runner--he has earned his global medals and it's not his responsibility to make the race fast.

I agree. It's a 5000m race not a 5000m time trial. If he gets to the end of his career without breaking a single World Record, he'll still be one of the most successful distance runners of all time. He's raced and beaten all the top runners of his day, and won four Olympic Gold medals.

As I think John Walker said, world records are temporary, but no one can take away your Olympic gold medal.

People need to understand that if a person is simultaneously in sub 26:40 shape for 10000m, and sub 3:29 shape for 1500m, it is impossible for them not to be capable of under 12:45 for 5000m or under 7:23 for 3000m.

Since when has Farah run under 26:40 and 3:29 in the same season?

Metric Miler and all you other Farah fanboys, here is the problem for your guy. Farah is currently the best guy in the 5/10 at the moment. He isn't as good as Bekele or Geb in the top shape in most people's minds. Which is odd. Historically in the 5/10k when the next guy comes along and is dominant in history he almost always breaks the world record. Mo hasn't done that. Thus people think he is good but if Geb or Bekele were in prime shape they'd have beat him. Which might be true and is just how it goes until he sets a world record. It also needs to be understood that many believe too that the top talent has bypassed the track and gone straight to the marathon. So he isn't even facing the best in the world.

Kick coco wrote:

People need to understand that if a person is simultaneously in sub 26:40 shape for 10000m, and sub 3:29 shape for 1500m, it is impossible for them not to be capable of under 12:45 for 5000m or under 7:23 for 3000m.

Of all those times you just stated the only one Farah has is the sub-3:29. The only other one he has ever gotten remotely close to is 26:40.

It's not like he hasn't had years to produce a fantastic time, but he never has at 5k or 10k. Not once.

I think kipchoge disproves the roads theory. If he could still rip it on the track he would. Instead he destroys all of the talent on the roads and dare not even run a serious 10k.

yesssum wrote:

His 5k and 10k PRs are from 2011. He's only broke 13 once in the past 4 years.

Bekele went from 12:52 to 12:37 the year he turned 22.

Geb went from 12:56 to 12:44 the year he turned 22.

Kipchoge went from 12:52 to 12:46 when he was 19.

Gebremeskel went from 12:53 to 12:46 when he was 22.

Sihine went from 13:06 to 12:47 the year he turned 21.

Farah is 33.

Those are East African years. Probably best to add 5-8 years on to each of those ages listed.

yesssum wrote:

Kick coco wrote:

People need to understand that if a person is simultaneously in sub 26:40 shape for 10000m, and sub 3:29 shape for 1500m, it is impossible for them not to be capable of under 12:45 for 5000m or under 7:23 for 3000m.

Of all those times you just stated the only one Farah has is the sub-3:29. The only other one he has ever gotten remotely close to is 26:40.

It's not like he hasn't had years to produce a fantastic time, but he never has at 5k or 10k. Not once.

He said sub 26:40 shape, he didn't say he went sub 26:40. His statement is accurate.

Metric Miler wrote:

I think kipchoge disproves the roads theory. If he could still rip it on the track he would. Instead he destroys all of the talent on the roads and dare not even run a serious 10k.

Regardless, there is no one among the current 5k/10k that is anywhere near the best in history. In this post-Geb/Bekele era there is just nobody even in the same ballpark as they were. Farah is the best at the moment, but he's not an all-time great, simply the best of his era.

Championships are won by beating the best you have to run against. Times show if you could beat the best in previous eras as well. Farah is slower than a lot of people from previous eras. If he could run a historically fast time he would have by now. Hell he's only got one more year on the track before he retires from the track and goes to the roads. So I guess we'll see, if next year he starts destroying his PRs then he's proved me wrong. If he doesn't then he's proved me right.

Mrr82 wrote:

yesssum wrote:

Of all those times you just stated the only one Farah has is the sub-3:29. The only other one he has ever gotten remotely close to is 26:40.

It's not like he hasn't had years to produce a fantastic time, but he never has at 5k or 10k. Not once.

He said sub 26:40 shape, he didn't say he went sub 26:40. His statement is accurate.

Last time I checked the best shape Farah was ever in was 26:46, as that is the best he ever ran. Hence, his statement is not accurate, instead it is opinion. That's the beauty about Track, either you ran a time or ya didn't, and he didn't.

yesssum wrote:

Mrr82 wrote:

He said sub 26:40 shape, he didn't say he went sub 26:40. His statement is accurate.

Last time I checked the best shape Farah was ever in was 26:46, as that is the best he ever ran. Hence, his statement is not accurate, instead it is opinion. That's the beauty about Track, either you ran a time or ya didn't, and he didn't.

The time of the best you ever ran has only mild correlation to the best shape you were in. It means you were in at minimum that shape, not maximum. You literally have to know nothing about track and field to think Farah's prs at 3k/5k/10k are indicative of what shape he has been in.

Was Farah in at minimum 12:53 shape right before he ran 12:53? Obviously, actually running the time has absolutely nothing to do with that fact, it just validates it. He didn't become in X shape when he crossed the line.

Your logic is pre-middle school level.

And yet my argument still beats yours. You either run the times or you don't. Farah never did.

But I do agree that a hypothetical athlete in sub-3:29 shape and sub-26:40 shape at the same time should be able to run around those 3k and 5k times. However, since that doesn't apply to Farah I agree with the logical conclusion that he has never been able to run close to those 3k and 5k times, which is backed up by the historical fact that he has never run close to those times.

yesssum wrote:

Mrr82 wrote:

The time of the best you ever ran has only mild correlation to the best shape you were in. It means you were in at minimum that shape, not maximum. You literally have to know nothing about track and field to think Farah's prs at 3k/5k/10k are indicative of what shape he has been in.

Was Farah in at minimum 12:53 shape right before he ran 12:53? Obviously, actually running the time has absolutely nothing to do with that fact, it just validates it. He didn't become in X shape when he crossed the line.

Your logic is pre-middle school level.

And yet my argument still beats yours. You either run the times or you don't. Farah never did..

Except it doesn't and you're just talking to yourself..no one at all is suggesting he ran sun 26:40. But you keep repeating it as if it's the same thing as saying what shape someone was in, it isn't.

According to you Bekele wasn't in 12:37 shape until he ran the time. He actually transformed his fitness during the race and his fitness wasn't a factor of his preperation before hand.

You don't have to run the time to be in X shape. The fact that people run times they have never run before proves that hypothesis. It's undeniable logic that is proven every time someone prs. Their previous pr did not define what shape they were in prior to running their new pr.

Well, then I too have been in sub26:40 shape and sub3:29 shape because that is my opinion. Which by extension means I'm capable of running 7:23 3k and 12:45 5k. Man, I can't believe I'm the GOAT of distance! That's fantastic news.

I love it when people use opinions instead of facts to try to prove things that never happened. You just made me the best distance runner ever! I can't wait to tell people. And if they deny it I'll just say they're wrong because they are using pre-middle school logic, silly idiots!