Show Kipchoge or Bekele a nice prize purse and appearance fees and I beg to differ.
It’s possible that either of those two could convert to ultra distance and dominate IF the ultra was on the roads or nice dirt trails. There is no way either of those guys are going to hang with elite trail racers over mountainous, technical trails. It’s just totally different.
How can you be so sure? Bekele was a cross country GOAT.
With enough motive and a bit of dedicated training, I don't see why he would not be up there.
It’s possible that either of those two could convert to ultra distance and dominate IF the ultra was on the roads or nice dirt trails. There is no way either of those guys are going to hang with elite trail racers over mountainous, technical trails. It’s just totally different.
How can you be so sure? Bekele was a cross country GOAT.
With enough motive and a bit of dedicated training, I don't see why he would not be up there.
Cross country lasts how long? An hour maybe. Ultras are much longer. No way a Kipchoge or a Bekele would have an advantage. And a UMTB, no way.
Yeah I'm usually of the ilk that trail runners are categorically sub-elite, and while still true that doesn't quite capture the scope.
Example: a popular hiking route in Yosemite is JMT from Tuolumne meadows over Donohue pass (11,000) and by thousand island lake and stay on JMT till Mammoth, CA and the bus stop for the return.
It's like 28 miles and 5k vert, my dude jogged this in 3.5 hrs as a training run, that's amazing. Sure everyone else is carrying 40# on that route and I think he brought a lifestraw and a couple gus but I'm impressed.
I live in mammoth. That is one of our classic runs. Usually do some variation of it once or twice a year. Very runnable. Good times!
Very different skills. I was running Pikes Peak several years ago pretty far from the Peak going uphill still and I saw Killian Jornet coming downhill at what must have been about a 5:30 mile pace somehow putting his feet where they needed to be while avoiding tumbling or twisting an ankle. I'm sure most of us could bomb downhill for 100 yards but the top trail runners are a breed apart
Very different skills. I was running Pikes Peak several years ago pretty far from the Peak going uphill still and I saw Killian Jornet coming downhill at what must have been about a 5:30 mile pace somehow putting his feet where they needed to be while avoiding tumbling or twisting an ankle. I'm sure most of us could bomb downhill for 100 yards but the top trail runners are a breed apart
Yeah, I think that the skill/fearlessness of negotiating big, rocky descents is what would keep lots of elite road runners from become elite trail racers. It was wild to see how comfortable some people were basically jumping from rock to rock when there is a 15 foot drop about 20 inches from the edge of the trail.
How can you be so sure? Bekele was a cross country GOAT.
With enough motive and a bit of dedicated training, I don't see why he would not be up there.
At this point, he is too old and injury prone to switch. If he had focused on trail racing from his youth, he may well have become a world record holder but we can’t know for sure. His success at cross country doesn’t mean he has the requisite skill to be an elite trail racer. Cross country doesn’t feature leaping down 1000 ft of descent going rock to rock with a real risk of significant injury if you misstep.
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