Forget Farah and Rupp, Geoffrey Kirui should be the favorite to win at Chicago.

I kind of agree with this. I think we can throw the Boston result out this year because the guy was wearing a parachute and the weather was atrocious.

Geremew really should be the favorite. He raced well in Buenos Aries and won Dubai in warm conditions. He has show a lot of fearlessness in racing halfs.

Kirui has not raced much the past year and may be burnt. He is 36, which is generally past the expiration date for most E. Africans given how their managers over race them when they are young. He is a lionhearted runner when he is fit, but his best days may be behind him.

I agree

Precious Roy wrote:

Kirui has not raced much the past year and may be burnt. He is 36, which is generally past the expiration date for most E. Africans given how their managers over race them when they are young. He is a lionhearted runner when he is fit, but his best days may be behind him.

Abel Kirui is not Geoffrey Kirui.

I thought Rupp dropped out of his Boston duel with YK.

I also thought 800+ GOAT Augustine Choge was going to run his debut 2:05 in Chicago. Hard to see that not winning.

Precious Roy wrote:

Geremew really should be the favorite. He raced well in Buenos Aries and won Dubai in warm conditions. He has show a lot of fearlessness in racing halfs.

Kirui has not raced much the past year and may be burnt. He is 36, which is generally past the expiration date for most E. Africans given how their managers over race them when they are young. He is a lionhearted runner when he is fit, but his best days may be behind him.

GK isn't 36, dumb dumb.

Geremew won Dubai and outkicked Bedan Karoki (10000m track specialist) recently in a sub 60 HM...so I don't see Galen or Mo beating him in a sub 2:05 pace effort.

Ben L Wrong wrote:

Geremew won Dubai and outkicked Bedan Karoki (10000m track specialist) recently in a sub 60 HM...so I don't see Galen or Mo beating him in a sub 2:05 pace effort.

10000m track specialist seems like an over-statement - I'd say he's more of a half-marathon specialist (see RAK 58:42 and his 2nd against Kam at World Halfs in 2015 etc), with credentials at XC and 10000m etc.

anacondarunner wrote:

#1 ranked marathoner in the world in 2017 (outdueling Rupp in Boston and Tola at worlds in London) and would have likely won Boston this year in reasonable conditions.

He is a better marathoner than Rupp and Farah and should be favored to win on Sunday.

Renato, any insight as to how his buildup has gone?

“#1 ranked marathoner in the world in 2017” only according to Letsrun’s troll rankings.

Rupp has beat many people with faster marathon PRs than him. For me, that is not a determiner in this race. Rupp closed hard in Prague and in Chicago last year. He has an Olympic marathon medal. He will be just fine and in it until the end if healthy.

Oh Please wrote:

Rupp has beat many people with faster marathon PRs than him. For me, that is not a determiner in this race. Rupp closed hard in Prague and in Chicago last year. He has an Olympic marathon medal. He will be just fine and in it until the end if healthy.

Mo wins fast or slow race.

Think about this. In London off of 61 flat halfway split in 80 degress, Kipchoge ran 2:04 and 5 months later off nearly identical split through halfway, he ran 2:01.

Mo ran 2:06 off 61 dead in 80 degrees 2 minutes behind Kipchoge. Mo can run 2:03 high low 2:04 and can sprint faster than anyone.

Ehso wrote:

anacondarunner wrote:

#1 ranked marathoner in the world in 2017 (outdueling Rupp in Boston and Tola at worlds in London) and would have likely won Boston this year in reasonable conditions.

He is a better marathoner than Rupp and Farah and should be favored to win on Sunday.

Renato, any insight as to how his buildup has gone?

“#1 ranked marathoner in the world in 2017” only according to Letsrun’s troll rankings.

????

He won boston and the marathon WC. Who the hell else was better in 2017?

Surely it wasn't Kipchoge who was getting upstage By Adola for most of the Berlin race that year, and no one else can even be mentioned.

Stop smoking crack. It's so 1980s

Scorpion_runner wrote:

Ehso wrote:

“#1 ranked marathoner in the world in 2017” only according to Letsrun’s troll rankings.

????

He won boston and the marathon WC. Who the hell else was better in 2017?

Surely it wasn't Kipchoge who was getting upstage By Adola for most of the Berlin race that year, and no one else can even be mentioned.

Stop smoking crack. It's so 1980s

Rob Ford would disagree, may he rest in peace.

Scorpion_runner wrote:

Ehso wrote:

“#1 ranked marathoner in the world in 2017” only according to Letsrun’s troll rankings.

????

He won boston and the marathon WC. Who the hell else was better in 2017?

Surely it wasn't Kipchoge who was getting upstage By Adola for most of the Berlin race that year, and no one else can even be mentioned.

Stop smoking crack. It's so 1980s

Upstaged? You only get upstaged if you lose. It's running, not WWE.

If you include Breaking 2, Kipchoge was #1. If you don't, Kirui was. It's pretty clear-cut.

Farah ftw wrote:

Oh Please wrote:

Rupp has beat many people with faster marathon PRs than him. For me, that is not a determiner in this race. Rupp closed hard in Prague and in Chicago last year. He has an Olympic marathon medal. He will be just fine and in it until the end if healthy.

Mo wins fast or slow race.

Think about this. In London off of 61 flat halfway split in 80 degress, Kipchoge ran 2:04 and 5 months later off nearly identical split through halfway, he ran 2:01.

Mo ran 2:06 off 61 dead in 80 degrees 2 minutes behind Kipchoge. Mo can run 2:03 high low 2:04 and can sprint faster than anyone.

This is what's so exciting about this race. Mo is the best overall runner by credentials. And he had an exciting "debut" in London this year. Kirui has been the best (mortal) marathoner the past year and a half, but only in slow races. Rupp is the second best 10k runner here, got bronze in Rio, and had a wicked close to win last year. And who knows what winning in Dubai ever means, but Geremew must be in with a shot. Then you have wild cards, such as Choge.

It's going to be super exciting in exactly the opposite way from Berlin.

easy win for Geoffrey wrote:

Precious Roy wrote:

Kirui has not raced much the past year and may be burnt. He is 36, which is generally past the expiration date for most E. Africans given how their managers over race them when they are young. He is a lionhearted runner when he is fit, but his best days may be behind him.

Abel Kirui is not Geoffrey Kirui.

IKR? Abel and Geoffrey don't even look alike.

Bedan Karoki should also be in the mix, although Mo did beat him soundly in London. I have no idea what to expect from Choge. Also, Suguru could sneak into the top 3-5 if he had a really good day. All in all, this is the toughest marathon field Rupp has ever faced -- including Rio.

Yes exactly! I think Chicago might be the marathon I'm most excited for since I started following marathons (other than berlin 2018 lol ) but anyway you forgot somebody YUKI MF KAWUCHI ( I hope I spelt that right)

He is boring as fukk and won't run a fast time. He is like Stephen Kiprotich which had a lucky year between 2012 and 2013(the years) but never ran a fast time and didn't do anything after that. He will run 2:09 at best here.