Bekele cheapening his legacy

Bekele just finished two marathons. Healthy. That's progress.

fat kenny wrote:

westsouthrunner wrote:

Have you run 2:01? Can you run 2:12 in NY 6 weeks after running a 2:06?

I think it was alright. He should take a break and just gear up for MAYBE. One more really good marathon. He is older now so we should be reasonable

What does it matter what I’ve run (2:16:xx)? If you didn’t play in the nfl or champion’s league, that means you can’t be critical?

The guy craters and dnf’s way more than normal or what is acceptable. I don’t think you can refute that. Totally cheapening his legacy. I hope it’s just because he can’t let go instead of an outright money grab.

So you jealous?

Perfectly said.

What a BullS#it statement. Nothing can take away what he has achieved over his career including multiple world titles and world records. The marathon is the only event he has ever struggled with, consistency wise but it doesn't make him any lesser of an incredible athlete.

I just hope the media and Rojo brothers stop the Kipchoge and Bekele marathon hype!

He has only been running 25 mpw whilst running kenenisa hotel and spa!

Wise Old Man wrote:

westsouthrunner wrote:

Have you run 2:01? Can you run 2:12 in NY 6 weeks after running a 2:06?

I think it was alright. He should take a break and just gear up for MAYBE. One more really good marathon. He is older now so we should be reasonable

Wow, let’s just close down these boards. You mean the only person who is allowed to post a critical comment about KB is Kipchoge? No wait, Kipchoge can’t post either because he’s never run NY. Nobody on earth is allowed to say a negative thing about Kenny.

Everyone slows down as they age. Racing a marathon 6 weeks apart is difficult at any age let alone age 38

ImNotYourGuyBuddy wrote:

I like that he got out and finished. I would love to see this guy line up for 5 more years even if it meant he ran a bunch of 2:10 plus races. He is old, the times he has run the past couple years are very impressive. He is one of the goats. Kipchoge gets marathon goat but Bekele is the all time goat. His resume is crazy, I could care less if he ran a bunch of 2:30 marathons. Doesn’t erase what he did in the past. Same for Kipchoge if he started running a bunch of slow marathons he would still be marathon Goat. Not sure why athletes have to hang it up to hold onto a legacy. Would be amazing to see one of these guys keep at it for another 5 plus years.

COULDN'T care less, ffs.

Wise Old Man wrote:

And yes, when you are the goat, run with the stated intention of winning and only manage to beat True by 1 sec, it absolutely tarnishes your legacy. It might not be fair, but it’s a fact. The 2nd half of KB’s career has been marked by rare flashes of brilliance and mostly disappointment.

Lol. What a bunch of snowflake crybabies you all are. He beat Kandie, did he not? He wound up in 6th in NYC...a totally respectable finish on an unpredictable course in, above all, a very unpredictable event. Big whoop.

To OP -- has he really even dropped out of that many marathons? I think the general perception is worse than his record actually is.

Fact is he ran 2:01 only TWO years ago and that was long AFTER plenty of haters had declared him toast.

Maybe he'll never recapture that magic, maybe he will. If anyone is gonna pull a rabbit out of the hat at his age, though, it's him. So I say to KB, please keep on showing up for major marathons in pretty damned good shape as long as you want. I'll be cheering for ya, even if I don't expect you to drop a 2:00.

Sorry so many of you guys let your emotions get all excited and assumed we were gonna see some course record today or whatever. But for the love of God, don't equate a 2:11 on a tough course (only three minutes behind the winner) only six weeks after a 2:06 third place at perhaps the world's most competitive marathon be considered a "humiliation"/disaster/somehow tantamount to a DNF or DFL.

Get a life. Also, don't hate the playa, hate the game.

I think it brings attention to the major marathon courses in the USA. None of the major American courses are flat. And Bekele is a legend regardless. He was considered the favorite and by not winning. I hope more famous foreigners will come here to challenge.

Does the OP realize that Bekele is 39?

He keeps running and he might break the M40 or M45 masters records. Bekele should not stop.

fat kenny wrote:

Pay back the appearance fee, and call it good.

You're like the guy who complained about Elvis showing up fat and old.

GreatDane01 wrote:

What a BullS#it statement. Nothing can take away what he has achieved over his career including multiple world titles and world records. The marathon is the only event he has ever struggled with, consistency wise but it doesn't make him any lesser of an incredible athlete.

How about this? We will stop pointing out that Bekele is becoming more of an "also-ran" if people on LRC will stop pre-race posting about a possible CR or even WR before any marathon he starts. There was a lot of this gab before New York. Yes, he's had a great career but that was then and this is now. He must be pulling in huge bucks but it's all hype at this point.

runnerdave wrote:

GreatDane01 wrote:

What a BullS#it statement. Nothing can take away what he has achieved over his career including multiple world titles and world records. The marathon is the only event he has ever struggled with, consistency wise but it doesn't make him any lesser of an incredible athlete.

How about this? We will stop pointing out that Bekele is becoming more of an "also-ran" if people on LRC will stop pre-race posting about a possible CR or even WR before any marathon he starts. There was a lot of this gab before New York. Yes, he's had a great career but that was then and this is now. He must be pulling in huge bucks but it's all hype at this point.

Thank you. Bekele is an all time great, the all time great, but the negativity is a reaction to the hype. Wasn’t there talk of a wr attempt in Berlin this year? Of course he can continue to run, and if he does, sure he will post amazing times for a 40 yr old, but as far as being an elite runner, one who is going to win another major or run under 2:03? No, those days are done. Why is any of this notable? it’s simply because KB is the goat, and when the goat can no longer truly compete with the world’s best, it’s worthy of comment. Today sealed the deal, KB is no longer relevant as far as majors or records are concerned.

Legacy smegacy.

Bodyshaming Bekele is hilarious, thank you for the laugh good sir.

He had a bad day. So did many other elites. Even Youtube Elite failed miserably. He was 2 seconds off WR just 2 years ago. Cut him some slack.

Gidey would have beaten him.

fat kenny wrote:

westsouthrunner wrote:

Have you run 2:01? Can you run 2:12 in NY 6 weeks after running a 2:06?

I think it was alright. He should take a break and just gear up for MAYBE. One more really good marathon. He is older now so we should be reasonable

What does it matter what I’ve run (2:16:xx)? If you didn’t play in the nfl or champion’s league, that means you can’t be critical?

The guy craters and dnf’s way more than normal or what is acceptable. I don’t think you can refute that. Totally cheapening his legacy. I hope it’s just because he can’t let go instead of an outright money grab.

🙄🙄

This is just stupid. Sorry.

The man is a multiple world record holder multiple cross country champion multiple Olympic medalist and on and on and on.

He doesn’t owe us anything. He can do whatever he wants, he’s a grown man. He isn’t tarnishing anything, it’s inspiring to see someone still setting goals and going for them.