Almgren is pretty damn impressive and can't wait to see where he goes from here
All of those times are pedestrian, maybe if he were transported to today he would he competitive at 1500/800 but he would get smoked at any distance over the Mile.
WA tables heavily favor distance events on the points side. A 1:45.7 isn't as good as 3:32 (it's better than 3:36 TF), but for someone who is a distance runner, it's a very good time.
Agreed. Not to mention that nobody else who has ever run in the 26:40s for 10k and the 58s for half marathon, has also been able to run a 1:45 800. So it’s literally uncharted territory. What I just tried to explain to Mac in a new post is that the range conversation is about who has the fastest times over multiple distances when compared to everyone else. That’s all we are talking about, not if Almgren could beat Wanonyi in the 800. He clearly couldn’t.
Likewise, how many guys who've run 3:32 or faster in the 1500m went on to break the world record in the marathon or come within 2 seconds of it, like Geb and Bekele did?
I think the challenge with this conversation is having different interpretations of what it means to be versatile. To me, there's a difference between range and versatility. When I think of range, I think of strictly times, like you're saying. When I think of versatility, I think of both competitiveness and times.
I see it as similar to being a college coach on the recruiting trail looking for versatile athletes who can score points in multiple events. For the sprints, you'd ideally want a guy like Grant Holloway who could run hurdles, flat, both relays, and even jump for you. In the distances, you want someone like Ed Cheserek who can be a low stick for you in XC and then score points for you in multiple events on the track (including DMR), indoors and out.
While it's impressive that Almgren was able to run 1:45 in his younger days, I don't think that makes him the most versatile distance runner because he wasn't competitive in that event at the highest level. His time wasn't in the top 50 the year he ran it, and when he entered that event at the 2015 world championships, he didn't make it out of the first round.
I think the most versatile distance runners are the ones who've shown they can produce elite world-class marks and be top 3 in the world across multiple distances and domains (including track, road, and XC). In my view, it's Geb and Bekele at the top.
With PBs of 1:45, 3:32, 7:31, 12:44, 26:45, 58:41 across the distances from 800m to the Half there would have to be a pretty solid case that he is one of the most versatile runners of all time. Haile and Bekele are the only ones that maybe rival him although it doesn’t appear either have any official 800m times.
Discus.
Huh? Andreas Almgren?
The most versatile runner of all time is Bekele by a mile.
Versatility isn't just a range of performances on the track. In fact as a pure measure of versatility I think the race environment/surface is a better indicator of versatility. Then you can start look at range on a surface (so for the track it's maybe 1500-10000m, XC was for a while 4km/12km and road is 10km-Marathon).
Back to KB.
Multiple world and Olympic medals on the track. Multiple World records - including missing the 5,10, marathon triple crown by just 2 seconds (over 42.195 km no less). Still holds Olympic and World Championships records (OG 5000m, WC 10000m).
Won 5 straight short/long XC doubles on the dirt.
Had an "underwhelming" Marathon career that still included 2 wins in Berlin (plus a third) and podiums at London. Won major half's including the epic Great North battle with Geb and Farah in 2013.
Just looking at his PR range:
3.32.35, 4.49.99 for 2000m, 7.25.79, 12.37.35, 26.17.53, half 60.22 (but obviously this is not indicative at all of his top end ability as a sub 2.02 guy) and of course the 2.01.41. Almgren is marginally faster over 1500m (literally about 2 meters up the track) and isn't as good at any other distance. He has an 800m time on the books, whereas Bekele has a marathon time (and 2.01.41 is comically superior to 1.45.59 btw - it's worth a 1.40.35 800m)
Even if you just compared PR's it's actually not close. Even if you compared PR's with Geb it's not close. Oh and one more thing? Nothing Bekele (or Geb) did was with wavelight (the biggest performance aid on the track) or super critical midsole foam shoes (the biggest performance aid on the roads).
Algrem is a very versatile runner, but to say that Bekele and Geb maybe rival him? What are you talking about? He does not hold a candle to those guys on multiple levels.
Yeah but Mac nobody is saying that his 1:45 is a global finals threat. It’s just that it’s at least a respectable time on a pro level, even if it is in fact about a second off of the qualifying standard. A 1:45 until recently could be enough to make a US team or win a DL race or any pro race on the circuit. 1:45 is still a great 800 time even if it isn’t what it used to be.
Remember this is a thread about versatility where we have to measure every candidate’s PRs across the board. The usual suspects for this range conversation never ran 1:45 for 800, with the exception of Aouita and maybe one or two others. Like I mentioned Aouita and Choge didn’t have Almgren’s longer distance strength and Geb and the distance guys could not run 1:45 if their lives depended on it. It’s who has the best range compared to everyone else, not who has every single PR that is a WR level or close PR. Nobody is that good or ever will be.
And Mac for your last point, I don’t think that global medal success is necessarily a great criteria here for range. You have people with great finishing kicks in various distances who were successful in championships but who didn’t run fast over the whole spread of distances. The focus for this thread should mostly be limited to PRs.
You make a good point that times have gotten faster in recent years. Perhaps a fairer way to look at it is where these guys' times stood when they ran them. For the sake of simplicity, compare Almgren to just Geb:
Almgren
800m: 1:45.59 made him 51st in the world in 2015 (not all-time, just in 2015)
1500m: 3:32.00 made him 26th in 2023
5k: 12:44 made him 2nd in 2025 and puts him at 12th on the all-time list
10k: 26:52 made him 18th in 2024 and puts him at 61st on the all-time list
half: 58:41 made him 8th in 2025 and puts him 31st on the all-time list
Geb
1500m: 3:31.76 indoors made him 1st in the world in 1998 (faster than El G that year!) and 2nd all-time
5k: 12:39 was a world record
10k: 26:22 was a world record
half: 58:55 was a world record
marathon: 2:03:59 was a world record
I think it's fair to say Geb was more versatile.
You make an admittedly very compelling case here for Geb. When it’s laid out like this I feel my choice is less clear cut. The stats you used above were some of my points for why I actually believe Geb is the GOAT in another thread. Versatility is of course a different argument, but it’s evident Geb has a case for the most versatile as well. I’m not entirely ready to concede, because my current thinking is it is more of a tie between Geb and Almgren. 1:45.49 for the 51st fastest time in the world is still really good. Geb ran 1:49 indoors once in the shape of his life. My point here is that it is an advantage Almgren has over Geb. I’m not sure that Almgren can’t still eclipse all of Geb’s lifetime PRs. But for right now I might have to just give them a tie, but it could be that you are right and Geb is more versatile. The 3:31 indoors and the 1999 15/3k double destroying the milers at their own game shows absurd range for a two time 10k gold medalist.
Goddess of Eclecticism QU Yunxia would like to have a talk with all of you guys. QU Yunxia is the only athlete to feature in an annual world best top 3 (1993) over all distances from 800m to marathon: 800m: 3. QU Yunxia 1500m: 1. QU Yunxia (WR) 3000m: 2. QU Yunxia Marathon: 2. QU Yunxia
Aouita is up there as well. Bekele as well depending on how much credence you give XC credentials. There is also that Norwegian runner from a few years(decades?) ago who was able to be world class in track, XC and Nordic skiing.
What about Haile and Bekele? Similar or faster times and WR's at distances from the 1500 to the Marathon. Haile set an Indoor 1500m WR. They also ran very impressive times without mechanical doping.
With PBs of 1:45, 3:32, 7:31, 12:44, 26:45, 58:41 across the distances from 800m to the Half there would have to be a pretty solid case that he is one of the most versatile runners of all time. Haile and Bekele are the only ones that maybe rival him although it doesn’t appear either have any official 800m times.
Discus.
He has an amazing range of times, but I'm certain he'd rather lose some range and be a bit faster at just one event. Half marathon is not yet ratified too, will it be?
He has a bronze in the WC 10,000m. A very nice achievement.
But, look at the medal count of the Bekele and Haile and Kipchoge and the other dudes you're comparing him to. They were perennial winners.
With PBs of 1:45, 3:32, 7:31, 12:44, 26:45, 58:41 across the distances from 800m to the Half there would have to be a pretty solid case that he is one of the most versatile runners of all time. Haile and Bekele are the only ones that maybe rival him although it doesn’t appear either have any official 800m times.
Discus.
Kejelcha doesn’t have a listed 800m time, but he has faster PRs than Almgren at every other distance.
Good point, and even for someone more endurance-based, I’d have to imagine that a guy who ran a 3:47.01 indoor mile WR could’ve broken 1:46 in the 800m.
if you consider all distances, probably coe, ovett, ryun aouita type, they has 21 mid 200, or 47, 46 400m and won some cross country or elite road race. ryun and ovett had 2 mile WR, harbig with 10.5 100m and 1 k WR in the 1930s, and 1500 nationals it seems, he ran cross country at the nationals placing well they say. being near elite from 100m to 1k, so he was at least the greatest long sprinter marathon sprinter if you can call the 1k that. bekele from 2k to marathon, covers the rest
With PBs of 1:45, 3:32, 7:31, 12:44, 26:45, 58:41 across the distances from 800m to the Half there would have to be a pretty solid case that he is one of the most versatile runners of all time. Haile and Bekele are the only ones that maybe rival him although it doesn’t appear either have any official 800m times.
Discus.
Kejelcha doesn’t have a listed 800m time, but he has faster PRs than Almgren at every other distance.
You guys don't respect height on here but I think Kejelcha was a 1:44 open 800 guy at minimum back when he used to hold the world record in the indoor mile and ran a 2:18. He would've been an interesting 800 guy back when he was speedier running 3:31/3:47 1500/mile especially with his height advantage.
Tigst Assefa represented ethiopia in the 800 before the marathon. Although there was a bigger gap before her track career and her dominating the roads, than Alex Bell's very quick transition to becoming a top long distance runner
Kejelcha doesn’t have a listed 800m time, but he has faster PRs than Almgren at every other distance.
You guys don't respect height on here but I think Kejelcha was a 1:44 open 800 guy at minimum back when he used to hold the world record in the indoor mile and ran a 2:18. He would've been an interesting 800 guy back when he was speedier running 3:31/3:47 1500/mile especially with his height advantage.
I love this - we've still got the "El G was only a 1.47 guy" and "Jakob is only a 1.46 guy" - but now we've got a "Yomif Kejelcha was probably a 1.44 guy".