guye adola wrote:
Bekele is not very good at assessing his shape... before his victory in Berlin he said he was "80%", while before his DNF last year he said he was "90%". He's probably gonna embarass himself one more time. Guye Adola could be the real treat.
Extrapolating from all that, he has probably flown home already.
cpmfa wrote:
Bootsontheground wrote:
It could be that bekele is claiming to be healthy
for publicity for financial reasons
How so?
He may have been told to say he's healthy by the organizers to boost publicity for the race
Alternatively he may be claiming he's in top shape to boost his fee
Bootsontheground wrote:
cpmfa wrote:
How so?
He may have been told to say he's healthy by the organizers to boost publicity for the race
Alternatively he may be claiming he's in top shape to boost his fee
Ridiculous. Have you ever heard of a pre-race favorite claiming to be 100% during a press conference right before the race and then dropping out the night before? Please stop with the conspiracy theories
We're finally getting our big spring marathon with biggest stars of the sport after the disappointment that was Boston. It's going to be EPIC!
Bootsontheground wrote:
cpmfa wrote:
How so?
He may have been told to say he's healthy by the organizers to boost publicity for the race
Alternatively he may be claiming he's in top shape to boost his fee
The organizers have never financially incentivized any professional runners, coaches, or agents that I know to make statements a couple days before the race that they are 100% healthy. Granted Bekele is better than my sample size, but I'd say there's less than a 1% chance (or as Rojo would say, 0%) that happened.
El Keniano wrote:
We're finally getting our big spring marathon with biggest stars of the sport after the disappointment that was Boston. It's going to be EPIC!
If Kenenisa is on top of his game, it will be. I'd like to see Eliud Kipchoge pushed a little bit. For the last few years, he almost made it look like he was in control all of the time, just picking his moment to fly away (except maybe Berlin 2017, for a few minutes).
Kenenisa for the win. He hasn't been seen in training lately, because he moves so fast, the eye can't catch him. Expect great things.
Bootsontheground wrote:
eattrainrace wrote:
An overlooked part of Bekele’s interview is his statement that he’s been eating better. Hermens has said in the past that his training suffers and his diet deteriorates when he has too much time between races, and that this has made Marathon training difficult; unlike the track and cross country seasons which are packed with races. I would love to see him go the spartan Eliud route to keep him accountable, but that’s not his style and it seems like he likes his fitness to remain a mystery so he can exploit that in a race. A lone ranger, not a charismatic ambassador for the sport, but an assassin when he’s at his best and my favorite runner to watch race of all time.
What about the EPO never mind the food
I'd like to hear hermens and bekeke discuss the EPO regimen leading up to London
Gotta love the trolls who post baseless accusations about PEDs just because they are top of the world.
El Keniano wrote:
We're finally getting our big spring marathon with biggest stars of the sport after the disappointment that was Boston. It's going to be EPIC!
Maybe a disappointment for you, because your compatriots couldn't handle a little weather, but certainly not disappointing in terms of excitement worldwide!
ummm? I've never heard of it wrote:
Bootsontheground wrote:
He may have been told to say he's healthy by the organizers to boost publicity for the race
Alternatively he may be claiming he's in top shape to boost his fee
Ridiculous. Have you ever heard of a pre-race favorite claiming to be 100% during a press conference right before the race and then dropping out the night before? Please stop with the conspiracy theories
Isn't that what Hasay just did ???
eattrainrace wrote:
An overlooked part of Bekele’s interview is his statement that he’s been eating better. Hermens has said in the past that his training suffers and his diet deteriorates when he has too much time between races, and that this has made Marathon training difficult; unlike the track and cross country seasons which are packed with races. I would love to see him go the spartan Eliud route to keep him accountable, but that’s not his style and it seems like he likes his fitness to remain a mystery so he can exploit that in a race. A lone ranger, not a charismatic ambassador for the sport, but an assassin when he’s at his best and my favorite runner to watch race of all time.
My first thought when I saw these pre-race photos is that KB's face looks leaner. I do honestly think he may have dropped weight during this buildup and you can see it in his face at least. He's looked somewhat chunky the last few marathons he's run. He's always had big powerful quads, but look at the photos of him when he was tearing up the track and compare them to him at marathons these last few years - he looks downright fat compared to when he was on the track. Albeit he looked pretty gaunt when he was in top track form, but weight is a big thing in the marathon.
Doubtful wrote:
Bear in mind that conditions aren't optimal for the race, so it's unlikely we'll see a new WR by any of the top guys.
My general recollections of when Bekele has not performed well (apart from being injured) is in hot races. Of his many talents, I don't think warm weather racing is among them. But I'm happy to be proven wrong.
After reading about Kipchoge's printed shoe, I think he might suffer a shoe failure. Nike is too clever by half.
guye adola wrote:
Bekele is not very good at assessing his shape... before his victory in Berlin he said he was "80%", while before his DNF last year he said he was "90%". He's probably gonna embarass himself one more time. Guye Adola could be the real treat.
man, it'd be sweet if guye adola won and broke the world record.
letsrun would lose it's mind with excitement and chatter. The thread would prooby devolve in people ripping on Rupp, EPO and PED talk, who is the GOAT, and surely a Jim Ryun mention though...
Wanjiru will win. He will be able to deal with the heat better than the others because he is the thinnest and much younger. He will pull away around 38k. Repeat winner.
grox wrote:
El Keniano wrote:
We're finally getting our big spring marathon with biggest stars of the sport after the disappointment that was Boston. It's going to be EPIC!
If Kenenisa is on top of his game, it will be. I'd like to see Eliud Kipchoge pushed a little bit. For the last few years, he almost made it look like he was in control all of the time, just picking his moment to fly away (except maybe Berlin 2017, for a few minutes).
Kenenisa for the win. He hasn't been seen in training lately, because he moves so fast, the eye can't catch him. Expect great things.
He's gotten lean doing his tempo runs over the water, where there are no snacks. Expect great things.
Of course Bekele can beat Kipchoge.
That doesn't mean it's likely, given Kipchoge's consistency.
I hope Bekele or Wanjiru win.
Kipchoge will win in 2:02:47.
Bekele will be 2nd in 2:02:52.
Discus.
If Bekele is uninjured, it means he has done no speed work whatsoever. Base is all Bekele needs to take these guys down in 2:04.
Tron wrote:
ThatAverageRunner wrote:
That’ll be tough when he drops out
I don't see him dropping out this time. Not sure whether he'll win or not but would love it if he can.
If it came down to the last km with him and Kipchoge, who do you think has the better kick at this stage in their careers? From what I remember, Kipchoge beat him in 2003 but I don't recall another time he out kicked Bekele at the finish.
Remember, last year Bekele was within 7 seconds or so of Wanjiru at 25 miles....his "speed" didn't help one bit.
Pics Don't Lie wrote:
eattrainrace wrote:
An overlooked part of Bekele’s interview is his statement that he’s been eating better. Hermens has said in the past that his training suffers and his diet deteriorates when he has too much time between races, and that this has made Marathon training difficult; unlike the track and cross country seasons which are packed with races. I would love to see him go the spartan Eliud route to keep him accountable, but that’s not his style and it seems like he likes his fitness to remain a mystery so he can exploit that in a race. A lone ranger, not a charismatic ambassador for the sport, but an assassin when he’s at his best and my favorite runner to watch race of all time.
My first thought when I saw these pre-race photos is that KB's face looks leaner. I do honestly think he may have dropped weight during this buildup and you can see it in his face at least. He's looked somewhat chunky the last few marathons he's run. He's always had big powerful quads, but look at the photos of him when he was tearing up the track and compare them to him at marathons these last few years - he looks downright fat compared to when he was on the track. Albeit he looked pretty gaunt when he was in top track form, but weight is a big thing in the marathon.
i agree. i watched a few older KB track races the other day and he did look much leaner, especially his legs.
expect great things.