Why did Daniel Komen quit running when he could have become the untouchable GOAT?

Moore off wrote:

Do you have any idea how difficult it was for him? He worked so hard and took drugs to be the best. Have you reached your potential?

True. He became frightened by the drug use, while a lot of his competitors didn't care or weren't smart enough to worry. His suspension over the "excess caffeine" also added to the pressure. However, Rosa, Hermens, MacDonald and others were sucking up the money and at the same time kicking off a trend that will eventually kill the sport unless officials break free from the folks peddling the shekels behind the scenes and clamp down on everyone using drugs, not just PC bad guys like those mean old Russians.

My understanding is that It was a means to an end, a job for him. He made enough money and moved on. Not everyone who runs is as passionate as to keep putting their body through the rigors of being a WR athlete.

"By 1998, Komen was the Kenyan equivalent of an American billionaire, and with that kind of money to fall back on he just couldn’t bring himself to suffer as he once had.

“Moses Kiptanui really loved to run, loved to compete,” says Ratcliffe. “He wanted to be a great athlete. And he had a long career because of that. But I don’t know if Daniel ever had that. He enjoyed winning, he enjoyed the fame, and he enjoyed the financial success, but he didn’t love what he was doing.”

Komen fell into a tragicomic cycle of taking time off, getting fat, suddenly appearing at a training camp full of big talk, shaking off the rust and getting his managers excited, and then disappearing.

“I think he always saw himself as starting where he left off,” Ratcliffe says. “Not to say he couldn’t have come all the way back, but he would have had to work very hard. It’s a day-in and day-out slog. And if you don’t really love that, if you don’t love the pursuit of excellence, you’re not going to be successful.”

Read more at

http://running.competitor.com/2014/06/features/what-ever-happened-to-daniel-komen_27486#1jM6P0ZTgTzGFatG.99

Announcing wrote:

Read more at

http://running.competitor.com/2014/06/features/what-ever-happened-to-daniel-komen_27486#1jM6P0ZTgTzGFatG.99

This article must be one of the most read and most linked newspaper columns on a distance runner ever.

Those articles are crap, you should read this one to figure out what really went on http://running.competitor.com/2014/06/features/what-ever-happened-to-daniel-komen_27486

WHY KOMEN AND GEB STOPPED RACING EACH OTHER

To begin with, Geb and Komen were arch-rivals and seldom raced each other. Then after Zurich 1997 they avoided each other completely, even though it cost them some big paydays. Komen was unhappy with Geb's refusal to do his share of the leading. or really any leading at all. This was important because the two were close in ability and their races were at hot paces [low 12:40s],

Geb, the faster kicker, used Komen as his rabbit, never the other way around. In this way they split two major races. In Zurich 1996, Komen ran the kick out of Geb; in 1997, Geb out-kicked him [12:41 WR]. Sucker play.

Disgusted, Komen chose to not run with Geb. He got his revenge by running 12:39.7 or so to break Geb's WR. In the same meet, Paul Tergat broke Geb's 10,000 WR, and Geb tried to break Komen's 3000 WR but did not come close.

Geb later reclaimed the 5000 WR by shaving a fraction of a second with a 12:39.3 or so of his own.

When one distance runner breaks another's record by a tiny margin, he replaces the former and gets almost all the glory. For WR purposes that big discrepancy based on a tiny margin may well be deserved. But for the purpose of comparing two athletes against each other, a tiny margin may negligible compared to the advantage enjoyed by the later of the two runners, of knowing just how fast he had to run to break the former's record.

For Komen to have run 12:39.7 when he needed only 12:41-low, may be more impressive than for Geb to have run 12:39.3 when he needed 12:39.6. Had Komen gone after Geb, he probably would have ended up with the faster 5,000 time.

Geb and Komen ceased to race each other because Komen didn't like serving as rabbit, while Geb didn't like facing a superior opponent.

WHY KOMEN COULD HAVE BEEN THE UNTOUCHABLE GOAT

Komen had even more natural talent than Geb, certainly at around 3,000 and two miles.to 5,000. His physique was better: a few inches taller at 5'7 or so, narrow hips, and no waist, His gait was unusually efficient, with his feet coming up close to his rump at the end of his strides, This increased his stride length and reduced the moment of his trail leg, allowing him to bring it forward at less mechanical disadvantage.

WHY KOMEN QUIT RUNNING

Komen was lucky to have the great Moses Kiptanui to guide him. Then after a couple world-beating years, Komen decided he didn't really need such guidance or discipline. That assumption proved incorrect, and he lost that advantage.

Komen had the advantage of being pissed off from having been left off the 1996 Olympic team, but that motivation faded in 1997 and 1998.

Komen started out poor and hungry, but did not stay that way.

Komen's short career was from the ages of about 19 to 22, which happens to be when the human heart is at its best. His best distance happened to be around 3,000 or two or three miles, and maximal heart rate is what you need for that. It's not the limiting factor for long races such as Marathon or HM. That depends more on endurance which can take years to build, into the mid- or late 20s, not sheer maximal heart rate, Shorter distances such as 400, 800, or even 1,000m require more raw speed and they do not require the heart to beat so fast for so long.

These factors are why Komen did not maintain his superiority.

I don't know that Komen had unnatural advantages over everybody else, and see no need for that hypothesis. It's important to remember that doping does not mean illegal doping or cheating. For example, pseudoephedrine was legal until about 2006, and it has been shown to be worth about 2% off men's 1500 meter times. See PubMed.

You're a moran. So many inaccuracies. I don't even know where to begin. Just STFU.

Angry Willy wrote:

Could it be that "Malaria" = PRCA or Pure Red-Cell Aplasia?

A number of cases of PRCA were reported in Europe during this era and were associated with subcutaneous injections of epoetin alfa / Eprex.

PRCA is an autoimmune response in which EPO antibodies are produced and the antibodies attack EPO (natural or otherwise).

PRCA is typically thought of as a myelodysplastic syndrome where bone marrow precursors fail yo produce red cells only for a variety of different reasons. Autoimmune reaction against EPO is one of them, but definitely not the only cause. Either way, making the jump that this was PRCA based on a supposed malaria diagnosis and, to be fair, near definite doping, is a bit of a stretch for someone who likely spent a lot of time in an area where malaria is endemic.

Insanely Fast! wrote:

His 3000m and 2 mile times were other worldly. His talent level was clearly superior to that of Haile Gebrselassie,Kenenisa Bekele and Hicham El Guerrouj. Disappointing that he quit the game so young when he could have run faster times in the 1500,5000 and 10,000 meters. I believe talent wise he is the GOAT Runner

Maybe he was like the Kenyan Jim Brown of running. He wanted to go on to other pursuits. Does anyone know if he became a Kenyan movie star, businessman or professional in some pursuit or field? On the other hand I know a few cases of Kenyan male distance runners having alcohol issues

TrackBot! Compare Haile Gebrselassie vs Daniel Komen

Head-to-head record between Haile Gebrselassie (left) and Daniel Komen (right):

WK Zürich 1995-08-16: 3000 m: 7:43.1h (2) VS 7:43.9h (4)

WK Zürich 1995-08-16: 5000 m: 12:44.39 (1) VS 13:14.94 (11)

ISTAF Berlin 1995-09-01: 3000 m: 7:44.0h (3) VS 7:43.7h (1)

Berlin 1995-09-01: 5000 m: 12:53.19 (1) VS 13:04.62 (6)

GP Fin Monaco 1995-09-09: 3000 m: 7:35.90 (1) VS 7:38.09 (7)

WK Zürich 1996-08-14: 5000 m: 12:52.70 (2) VS 12:45.09 (1)

WK Zürich 1997-08-13: 5000 m: 12:41.86 (1) VS 12:44.90 (2)

BUPA Birmingham 1999-02-14: 2000 m: 5:09.2h (2) VS 4:59.93 (4)

Haile "MF" Gebrselassie total wins: 6

Daniel "DEVASTATED" Komen total wins: 2

I am a bot. Info: habs.sdf.org/trackbot

What's up with the last result there?

Trackbot is confusing Komen's 2000m result with Geb's 2000m split from his 5000m at the same event.

Are you sharing a piece written by someone else or are these your original words? Cause that was amazing. Sheer poetry. I like this:

"Komen's short career was from the ages of about 19 to 22, which happens to be when the human heart is at its best"

Jeff Wigand wrote:

Wtfunny wrote:

What's up with the last result there?

Trackbot is confusing Komen's 2000m result with Geb's 2000m split from his 5000m at the same event.

Ahhhh, thanks.

If he didn't have a winning record against El G or Geb while he was at his best, how could he have had a chance at being the GOAT if he ran for more years?

He had one Gold medal against a weak field and holds records in non championship events.

bloodshotwho wrote:

Jeepers wrote:

Looking back at Komen and remembering how dominant he was, how easy it looked for him, and most importantly those big blood shot eyes. Really makes you wonder how doped out of his mind he actually was.

Uhh... What do blood shot eyes have to do with doping?

Learn some biology.

Prove to me that it doesn't.

Seriously, I'm getting so tired of these lame troll responses. It's a simple formula: (1.) Tear down the person by stating in some way that they're wrong, or questioning their validity; (2.) Re-inforce your condescension by telling them to "Learn some (insert the name of a relevant science or academic field)." As if "Learn some ____" makes you sound learned or knowledgeable at all. Anyone actually knowledgeable would provide specific references, the names of sub-disciplines to research, or just downright teach you the truth. This type of trolling requires no skill, and reveals you to be exactly the opposite of what you claim to be. 0/10.

TrackBot wrote:

Head-to-head record between Haile Gebrselassie (left) and Daniel Komen (right):

WK Zürich 1995-08-16: 3000 m: 7:43.1h (2) VS 7:43.9h (4)

WK Zürich 1995-08-16: 5000 m: 12:44.39 (1) VS 13:14.94 (11)

ISTAF Berlin 1995-09-01: 3000 m: 7:44.0h (3) VS 7:43.7h (1)

Berlin 1995-09-01: 5000 m: 12:53.19 (1) VS 13:04.62 (6)

GP Fin Monaco 1995-09-09: 3000 m: 7:35.90 (1) VS 7:38.09 (7)

WK Zürich 1996-08-14: 5000 m: 12:52.70 (2) VS 12:45.09 (1)

WK Zürich 1997-08-13: 5000 m: 12:41.86 (1) VS 12:44.90 (2)

BUPA Birmingham 1999-02-14: 2000 m: 5:09.2h (2) VS 4:59.93 (4)

Haile "MF" Gebrselassie total wins: 6

Daniel "DEVASTATED" Komen total wins: 2

They were 1 & 1 from 1996 onward.