Boston Marathon 2006 Elite Field

5th place at the 2004 USA Olympic Marathon Trials qualifies as Elite, buddy. Learn the sport.

yeah two years ago.

Yeah, and Meb placed 2nd in the Olympics two years ago.

There you go again patronizing American runners...

Brian has no chance in hell for a sub 2:10, you know it, I know and Brian knows it.

I am really getting tired of your crap

you people here are the most bitter, negative mother f***ers on the internet. You sicken mr. sunshine.

Meb finished third in the NYC marathon last year. And has posted many elite times and performances. Such as his recent win at Gate. I believe Sell will go sub 2:10 but thinking that Verran is even close to his caliber is beyond wishful thinking.

Here's an idea -- how about if we arrange a race with Keflezighi, Verran, Cuplepper, and Sell next month, and then we can find out for sure who's a good runner?

Where are the US women?

a few answers

Kastor - London

Rhines - Rome

Russell - not running a spring marathon

De Reuck - not running a spring marathon

Aish - not running a spring marathon

Hanscom - LA

Verran's last marathon:

You make the call if 22nd is considered "elite".

2005 IAAF world championships:

Saturday, August 13, 2005 - 14:20

Intermediate

5Km 10Km 15Km 20Km Half Mar. 25Km 30Km 35Km 40Km

Pos Bib Athlete Country Mark

1 629 Gharib Jaouad MAR 2:10:10

2 902 Njunguda Christopher Isegwe TAN 2:10:21 (PB)

3 539 Ogata Tsuyoshi JPN 2:11:16 (SB)

4 544 Takaoka Toshinari JPN 2:11:53

5 906 Ramadhani Samson TAN 2:12:08 (SB)

6 934 Malinga Alex UGA 2:12:12 (NR)

7 552 Biwott Paul KEN 2:12:39

8 246 Rey Julio ESP 2:12:51

9 1028 Sell Brian USA 2:13:27 (SB)

10 102 dos Santos Marilson BRA 2:13:40 (SB)

11 554 Cheboror Robert KEN 2:14:08 (SB)

12 365 Robinson Dan GBR 2:14:26 (SB)

13 272 Shentama Gudisa ETH 2:15:13

14 541 Okutani Wataru JPN 2:15:30

15 667 Krotwaar Luc NED 2:15:47 (SB)

16 743 Wójcik Rafal POL 2:16:24

17 453 Andriani Ottaviano ITA 2:16:29

18 748 Jesus Luís POR 2:16:33 (SB)

19 275 Tolossa Ambesse ETH 2:16:36

20 519 Irifune Satoshi JPN 2:17:22

21 449 Ayele Seteng ISR 2:17:26 (SB)

22 1043 Verran Clinton USA 2:17:42 (SB)

23 634 Lamachi Abdelkebir MAR 2:17:53

24 751 Novo Luís POR 2:18:36 (SB)

25 214 Asmerom Yared ERI 2:18:46 (SB)

26 17 Bernadó Antoni AND 2:19:06

27 36 Westcott Scott AUS 2:19:18

28 705 Winton Scott NZL 2:19:41

29 570 Riri Joseph KEN 2:19:51

30 238 Martínez José Manuel ESP 2:20:07

31 271 Negussie Hailu ETH 2:20:25

32 756 Ri Kyong-Chol PRK 2:20:35

33 109 Ramos André Luiz BRA 2:21:06

34 649 Vargas Juan MEX 2:21:29

35 482 Pertile Ruggero ITA 2:21:34

36 309 Bagy Abdelhakim FRA 2:21:49 (SB)

37 452 Zvadya Wodage ISR 2:21:57 (SB)

38 166 Cruz Nelson CPV 2:22:12

39 290 Kirwa Francis FIN 2:22:22

39 290 Kirwa Francis FIN 2:22:22

40 1003 Lehmkuhle Jason USA 2:22:46 (SB)

41 110 Rodrigues Claudir BRA 2:23:11 (SB)

42 1051 Ballantyne Pamenos VIN 2:23:18 (SB)

43 706 Wyatt Jonathan NZL 2:23:19

44 360 Lobb Huw GBR 2:23:38

44 360 Lobb Huw GBR 2:23:38

45 745 Chaíça Alberto POR 2:23:42 (SB)

46 800 Andreyev Georgiy RUS 2:23:50

47 451 Bimro Asaf ISR 2:23:58

48 518 Hosokawa Michitaka JPN 2:24:38

49 98 da Silva Clodoaldo BRA 2:25:02

50 253 Ziani Kamal ESP 2:25:06

Look at the TITLE of that race. I'd like to go out on a limb and say that if someone is running in the WC's then they are probably worthy of being considered an elite.

I'd like to add that if someone was in the top 50 players in ANY sport in the USA OTHER THAN RUNNING everyone here would consider them an elite. If there aren't more than 50 guys (or thereabouts) running sub 2:20 then sub 2:20 sounds like an elite time to me.

Rational Rick wrote:

I'd like to add that if someone was in the top 50 players in ANY sport in the USA OTHER THAN RUNNING everyone here would consider them an elite. If there aren't more than 50 guys (or thereabouts) running sub 2:20 then sub 2:20 sounds like an elite time to me.

Maybe it does to you, but it doesn't to shit talkers around here.

I live in a blind yet eternal hope that one day even s$%t talkers will become rational ;)

110th B.A.A. BOSTON MARATHON JOHN HANCOCK'S 2006 ELITE FIELD Men's Open Field Personal Best

Wilson Onsare, Kenya 2:06:47 (Paris, 2003)

William Kiplagat, Kenya 2:06:50 (Amsterdam, 1999)

Tesfaye Tola, Ethiopia 2:06:57 (Amsterdam, 1999)

Benjamin Maiyo, Kenya 2:07:09 (Chicago, 2005)

Patrick Ivuti, Kenya 2:07:46 (Chicago, 2005)

Julius Ruto, Kenya 2:08:10 (Paris, 1999)

Hailu Negussie, Ethiopia 2:08:16 (Hofu, 2002)

Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot, Kenya 2:08:59 (Milan, 2002)

Timothy Cherigat, Kenya 2:09:34 (San Sebastian, 2002)

Alan Culpepper, United States 2:09:41 (Chicago, 2002)

Mebrahtom Keflezighi, United States 2:09:53 (New York, 2004)

John Yuda, Tanzania 2:10:13 (London, 2004)

Luc Krotwaar, Netherlands 2:10:13 (Fukuoka, 2003)

Alirio Carrasco, Colombia 2:12:09 (Chicago, 2003)

Brian Sell, United States 2:13:22 (Chicago, 2004)

Clint Verran, United States 2:14:17 (Chicago, 2002)

John Korir, Kenya Debut

Deriba Merga, Ethiopia Debut

Women's Open Field Personal Best

Reiko Tosa, Japan 2:22:46 (London, 2002)

Jelena Prokopcuka, Latvia 2:22:56 (Osaka, 2005) NR

Derartu Tulu, Ethiopia 2:23:30 (Helsinki, 2005)

Rita Jeptoo, Kenya 2:24:22 (Helsinki, 2005)

Elfenesh Alemu, Ethiopia 2:24:29 (London, 2001)

Alevtina Biktimirova, Russia 2:25:12 (Frankfurt, 2005)

Zivile Balciunaite, Lithuania 2:25:15 (Tokyo, 2005) NR

Olivera Jevtic, Serbia and Montenegro 2:25:23 (Rotterdam, 2003) NR

Bruna Genovese, Italy 2:25:35 (Tokyo, 2001)

Kiyoko Shimahara, Japan 2:26:14 (Hokkaido, 2005)

Olesya Nurgalieva, Russia 2:29:35 (New York, 2005)

Kutre Dulecha, Ethiopia 2:30:06 (Amsterdam, 2005)

Tina Connelly, Canada 2:34:43 (Sacramento, 2003)

verran's times wouldn't place him in the top 150 marathoners from last year. certainly doesn't sound elite to me. remember this is an international event, not a US champs.

The World Champs isn't an international event? The dude is pretty freakin Elite. He has a 2:14 PR & isn't much off of that.

tunafish was in a can and not even aware of Verran's phenomenal World Championship performance, where he defeated Joseph Riri (KEN), cousin to Samuel Wanjiru, who has a personal best of 2:06:49 and won the Lake Biwa Marathon. Verran also defeated Spaniard Jose Manuel Martinez of a 2:08:09 personal best, and Verran also defeated Hailu Negussie of Ethiopia, the 2005 Boston Marathon Champion in their last meeting. The list goes on and on of guys YOU would consider Elite that he defeated at the World Champs.

So, if he can take down the defending Boston Marathon Champion, and Negussie is considered "Elite", than Verran is by far "Elite" as well. Anyone arguing otherwise has a personal vendetta against Verran and is just bitter.

Try subtracting Kenyans, Ethiopians, and Japanese to get a good idea of where he ranks compared to the HUGE MAJORITY of the world's population.

Now... include the Kenyans, Ethiopians, and Japanese and ask yourself whether you would REALLY say that there are only 150 elite SOCCER players in the world?

With regards to this being an "International" event: then the most you are saying is that he is not competetive on the world stage. That doesn't detract from him being an elite.

The man could stand in virtually any state in the USA and claim to be the fastest marathon runner in that state at that moment (or at least top 3-5). I'd say that is fairly elite.

Is it really THAT hard to give someone the respect that he deserves? You can be elite without being the BEST.