RR: Japanese marathon legend takes shot at today's rabbited races. "When it's just the same old script it's boring as hell"

rojo wrote:

I think the WMM need to read this and take not. Having every race be rabbitted (and having every NY and Boston not be rabbited) is boring. Spice it up. I've long argued that the marathons should at least alternate years with and without rabbits. Make it like Comrades, with the up and down years. Winning is nice. But winning both up and down is even more prestigious. Winning a major is great, but defending with or without a rabbit is even better.

What point are you trying to make in this incoherent paragraph?

Ivy League educated lol

rhimby wrote:

LOL basically. I can't stand these guys who think going out at a ridiculous pace that you have no hope of sustaining is "brave" or "real racing" or whatever. At some point you're just a delusional idiot. I blame Pre.

Exactly.

I agree! Some marathons are glorified time trials. I like a race. I honestly don't care about the time- I would rather see an exciting race.

hunter wheres the coke wrote:

So what is he complaining about exactly? People don't race stupid enough to make it exciting?

No, he's not and I don't see how you could even think that. He used one example.

Wjmjlv wrote:

Sammy Wanjiru was not likely to make things boring.

I mean, duh, look at his life and death. He likely had a predisposition for doing stupid sht that carried over into an interesting marathon. Good for us, ultimately bad for him.

Also I like how people describing a new idea for a really hilly marathon are just forgetting about trail races. It's been done. Road runners just need their little flat loops. Otherwise they'd roll an ankle in their 2 foot high supershoes. Zoom!

^^ understatement ^^ wrote:

Also I like how people describing a new idea for a really hilly marathon are just forgetting about trail races. It's been done. Road runners just need their little flat loops. Otherwise they'd roll an ankle in their 2 foot high supershoes. Zoom!

If you want to have a really hilly marathon with some of the best marathon runners entered you're going to need money. That's not an issue when you're talking about a race that attracts a five figured number of entrants. But you're never going to get that in a trail marathon, or any other trail race, because a) trails cannot accommodate anything close to that size of field and b) the vast majority of entrants in those five digit sized fields want the fastest time they can get, 2:56, 6:52, or something in between, and won't "waste" a marathon on course that "slows" their result.

It is boring because we only get to see one of the greatest runners ever do the same 1-2 races per year, which are time trials we have seen before. I wish the best runners would mix it up and race more on varying distances and surfaces.

penguinn wrote:

It is boring because we only get to see one of the greatest runners ever do the same 1-2 races per year, which are time trials we have seen before. I wish the best runners would mix it up and race more on varying distances and surfaces.

Totally agree. But again, you need money to make that happen.

penguinn wrote:

It is boring because we only get to see one of the greatest runners ever do the same 1-2 races per year, which are time trials we have seen before. I wish the best runners would mix it up and race more on varying distances and surfaces.

Agreed. Kipchoge needs to come to Boston and New York in 2022

Quick fix would be for the races to stop providing the rabbits. If Kipchoge or Bekele want to go after a record, then NN can foot the costs and assemble a pacing team for their athlete.

Another option would be to limit race provided pacers to the midway point only. After halfway, you are on your own.

the problem is people have become more obsessed with times than wins. no one even cares about the world marathon major winners unless its won in a fast time.

The US should not weigh in on this issue because we have a self serving motive and cannot be objective. Right now in the men's marathon ranked by time the usa's top three men are 57th, 287th and 371st in the world. The only reason the we care about having no rabbits is that if the race is slower our runners can be closer until the halfway point and maybe finish in the top 10. Because we are a second rate country in this event, we should let the East African countries and Japan decide on rabbits in the WMM.

I got the solution for you: Take the San Blas Half marathon in Coamo, P.R. and do the route twice, either afternoon at 90 degrees with a humidity of around 60% or in the morning, either way will be a treat. All we need is the $$$ to put it in place.

i agree with rojo. the marathon has turned into a 10k. if you don't think pace matters run one where you are on your own and screw up the pace. now the best runner from 30k on often wins as it is like a pack of robots who train for the same pace, not the best or smartest runner from 0k. marathons are both exciting but boring. in contrast boston is different due to it's course and lack of pacers. 2018 boston is a good example. dealing with the elements is part of running.

Haven’t you guys be arguing cross country times from different races on different course over different decades? Which is it?

olyrun 2 wrote:

The US should not weigh in on this issue because we have a self serving motive and cannot be objective. Right now in the men's marathon ranked by time the usa's top three men are 57th, 287th and 371st in the world. The only reason the we care about having no rabbits is that if the race is slower our runners can be closer until the halfway point and maybe finish in the top 10. Because we are a second rate country in this event, we should let the East African countries and Japan decide on rabbits in the WMM.

The countries you mention shouldn't weigh in on the issue. Their self serving motive could be to make sure their people don't lose a tactical race. In a world with something like 300 countries only a half dozen should weigh in?

rhimby wrote:

hunter wheres the coke wrote:

So what is he complaining about exactly? People don't race stupid enough to make it exciting?

LOL basically. I can't stand these guys who think going out at a ridiculous pace that you have no hope of sustaining is "brave" or "real racing" or whatever. At some point you're just a delusional idiot. I blame Pre.

Apparently you didn’t enjoy or were unaware of Filbert Bayi (3:32.16 and 3:51.0 both WR) and his style of winning and record setting ..? Learn more about the history of the sport.

Did he run really run 2:08 in April '85 . Then 13:43 June '85?

Wonder if he hadn't run the 'thon how much faster his 5k might have been? If only 10 sec/mile faster that gets ya in

13:10 game which for 1985 was mixing it up with the big boys coming down the last 80 meters !

Seems he flipped the "pyramid". Find out what your all out 5k in the spring . Move up to 10k summer. Then the 'thon in the fall.