The top-5 pre-1990 average is actually: *13:03.46* Here's the data I'm looking at:
1. Aouita - 12:58.39
2. Moorcroft - 13:00.41
3. Maree - 13:01.15
4. Ondieki - 13:04.24
5. Rono - 13:06.20
Average - 13:03.46
You can can double-check rekrunner, but I think you're off by over a second:
http://www.alltime-athletics.com/m_5000ok.htmWith the revised average now, you can include Spaniard Alberto Garcia (EPO positive/Galgo) with a PB of 13:02.54 beating the average by almost a second. So...you'll have to revise your stance on Espana. ?. Also, Alistair Cragg (IRL) with a PB of 13:03.53 is less than just a tenth of a second off the average - so I think you could include him as another non-African in the mix.
Yeah, he could have...or he could have been combining steroids (in his case Nandrolone) with EPO. There were too many distance runners testing positive for roids, particularly Nandrolone, during the EPO-era for a drug in which the studies show no absolutely no aerobic benefit. A popular combination of roids and/or HGH and EPO/blood doping was thought to be used by some runners with the general thinking being O2-vector doping for endurance and roids/HGH for recovery & injury rehab. Also, Baumann ran his 5000 PB in 1997 during the period where the EPO test hadn't been implemented yet & athletes could dope with impunity.