You guys might laugh but I ran it as well today and conditions were slightly uncomfortable! It was much hotter than it has been recently and nowhere to hide from the sun. There was a slight breeze but I found the cooling effect to be more beneficial than a hindrance.
Loads of top runners ran much slower than predicted so for Cole to run 64:59 is very very impressive.
This is my (much slower) PB course and it is very fast - but today was a hot day and there's nowhere to hide from the sun on the course. Well done Cole!
My club, Paddock Wood AC organises the race and it supports local charities and grassroots athletics, oh and is rather fast top 10 is regularly sub 70, a race worth including to the calendar of training for London.
It's great, I love end of year 10 miler, and Marden half marathon over that way
Mate, masters (and club running as a whole) athletics is RIFE with doping.
Every other amateur sport is full of it but somehow running isnt? Go to any non chain gym, or martial arts centre and you'll be offered PEDs. There's people documenting making substances at home in the UK on social media. Vice made a documentary about it.
For some reason runners have their heads in the sand but get super pumped that their club mate took 5 minutes off their half PB out of the blue, or run an obscene amount of races and run PBs in a short space of time, whilst working and being a normal adult, with no fatigue? If an elite runner made 5%+ PBs across multiple distances in the space of a few weeks, these boards would be drowning in suspicion, but it happens all the time in club running now. It isn't just shoes.
Mate, masters (and club running as a whole) athletics is RIFE with doping.
Every other amateur sport is full of it but somehow running isnt? Go to any non chain gym, or martial arts centre and you'll be offered PEDs. There's people documenting making substances at home in the UK on social media. Vice made a documentary about it.
For some reason runners have their heads in the sand but get super pumped that their club mate took 5 minutes off their half PB out of the blue, or run an obscene amount of races and run PBs in a short space of time, whilst working and being a normal adult, with no fatigue? If an elite runner made 5%+ PBs across multiple distances in the space of a few weeks, these boards would be drowning in suspicion, but it happens all the time in club running now. It isn't just shoes.
This is interesting! I agree with the gym, or martial arts centre. I used to do Crossfit (I know!) - 20% of people were on PEDs just to lift a bit more weight. It's tragic: people risking health for fake gains.
Especially in masters running, the whole point of running is to test your own potential - it's not like we win anything!
If this is the case, and they are going around saying "I just trained a bit harder to there club mates" - they are complete scum bags. I did know of a 17min 5k guy that slept in a altitude tent - lol.
Also, I know that MessyHappy dude just got a 10-min PB in the marathon, in his 40s after training for years (could this be legit?) - now you are making me question these people!
This post was edited 11 minutes after it was posted.
What would be the response if this was a pro runner doing comparible feats?
And why do people do really risky SARMs and home made PEDs, just to look good? SARMs are so risky, and if you watch the Vice documentary you'll see super shady blokes in their kitchens smoking whilst making PED stacks.
Good result for him, shame about him being an a**h*** to a few people after the finish. Doubt that will make the race video ofc
What happened after the race? I've raced him a few times and he's never come across as anything but friendly.
sounds like the usual BS from posters on here. Cole is a very timid chap, hes not going to be making a big song and dance like a Bester character would
looking good that he beats Bester and Ben is Begging at London now. will be interesting to see how Bester copes being battered by a rookie
I think big PR’s in mid to late 40’s are possible but I’d need to hear the explanation. A lot of mediocre runners have some bottleneck preventing them from reaching their potential that they eventually figure out.
That said, any honest person will be shocked by how many people are willing to cheat. Kind of a weird comparison but I’ve been involved in competitive gaming / esports since the mid 2000’s and seen it over the years. It’s the same human behavior.
A lot of it is just how convenient it is. If someone doesn’t know how to cheat (in the case of running, how to acquire PED’s) then they won’t. But if someone is offering, it can spread like wildfire through a community.
I think big PR’s in mid to late 40’s are possible but I’d need to hear the explanation. A lot of mediocre runners have some bottleneck preventing them from reaching their potential that they eventually figure out.
That said, any honest person will be shocked by how many people are willing to cheat. Kind of a weird comparison but I’ve been involved in competitive gaming / esports since the mid 2000’s and seen it over the years. It’s the same human behavior.
A lot of it is just how convenient it is. If someone doesn’t know how to cheat (in the case of running, how to acquire PED’s) then they won’t. But if someone is offering, it can spread like wildfire through a community.
I think it really depends from person to person, what their background is, natural ability etc.
Example, I didn't start taking this sport seriously until 2-3 years ago (in my early 30's); used to be very overweight, smoked cigs and drank but also played a lot of basketball so I had some sort of endurance. A few years training got me to a sub 17 5k and 2:50 marathon.
Now that I'm approaching 40 I've taken it easier on the roads and switched to trails because I want to climb mountains. Could I have kept pushing at hit sub 2:40 for the M and 16 for the 5k? Maybe. But I know of a few people in my age group who did, and I KNOW they used some form of help.
Makes no sense to me. Unless I had a medical condition where I needed steroids or any other PED to keep me from dying the whole point of this sport for me is to challenge myself and accomplish something. Sad to see what people will do for a few likes on IG
F with these sub-2:30, sub-2:20 etc. marathon goals. How nobody has the balls to make a sub-30 or sub-14 series? These are both achievable goals for a semi-talented individual (male) and you don't need to ruin your body with endless marathon miles.
Personally I think it's cooler to run high 13 5K than being in the dead zone between elite and meh which is 2:08 to 2:18 (roughly).
"Semi"talented? 29:59 to me is a fair amount worse than 13:59 (I'd put it at roughly 29:10) but that takes more than being 'semi'talented.
Workouts also are different - someone I know running 14:10 runs about 70-80 mpw with 5-6x mile threshold Tuesday, a variable workout (typically steady or 10k pace) Friday, and a slow long run of ~90 minutes weekly. Rest of week is easy mileage. I don't think he could break 2:20.
What happened after the race? I've raced him a few times and he's never come across as anything but friendly.
sounds like the usual BS from posters on here. Cole is a very timid chap, hes not going to be making a big song and dance like a Bester character would
looking good that he beats Bester and Ben is Begging at London now. will be interesting to see how Bester copes being battered by a rookie
Looks like Cole 2:18 beats BIR 2:20 who beats Bester 2:22 (with my predictions/guesses after) based on recent performances.
I think none of these guesses are super optimistic or totally unkind. I'd actually say they all aim for 2 mins quicker then I've quoted, but fade a bit whilst avoiding the wheels coming off in last 10k. Just my 2 cents.
A lot of people watching YouTubers like the real life of it all. We're all striving to get better at running which juggling a job and kids and many can relate to FOD Runner or Mid Life Runner.
Floberg, Kofuzi start off like this but gain some sort of money/following which means they actually stop being what made them watchable (was Floberg ever watchable?) - Instead of trying to fit workouts in between the school run and work they have a coach and supplements sent to them and can train when they want with a camera man following them and it's a job. It was fun but now it is a job.
You can't just run now. You need to sell. It's not art anymore. It's work
I saw a clip of someone breaking down exactly why these fitness influencers feel so fake/wrong: working out is not hard for them. A lot of people have gotten into this idea that going to the gym or running is really tough and makes you some kind of warrior. I think of a David Goggins, Jocko Willink, or Cameron Hanes where it's all about "staying hard" or "learning to suffer." But at this point, these guys aren't suffering when they workout, that's their enjoyment for the day. They aren't getting to the gym after a hard day of manual labor or some soul crushing office anymore. Working out is easy when you build your whole day towards it and can recover all you want and fuel up however you want.
I know shoetubers are a total different dynamic than the gym bros or wannabe Navy seals that Jocko and Goggins go after but I think there's some crossover and a lot in common. As others have said, running when you have other priorities in your life can get hard. It's very impressive to run a PR at any distance when you have a full time job, kids, or whatever else is going on. For someone who is focused on running as their work and can shirk any other responsibilities (kids, household chores, etc) because of it, it's not impressive and it's not a sacrifice. Running at that point is pretty easy. No shoetuber is squeezing a run in after a long day at the office or fueling up for their interval session with crappy McDonald's because they were starving and that's all they had time to get. They're now at the point where they can still have that "hard work and sacrifice" mentality but the reality is they can sleep in and spend time between runs posted up in their Normatec recovery boots before doing their double in a fresh pair of the bounciest free shoes.
The OG is open to being convinced to bring back shoe reviews. Indicates viewership has gone down considerably since having stopped his reviews. Suggests he stepped away from them because Shoe Tubers were copying his content. Closes out the video by saying he’ll bring reviews back next week if the video gets 100k views.
For someone who is focused on running as their work and can shirk any other responsibilities (kids, household chores, etc) because of it, it's not impressive and it's not a sacrifice. Running at that point is pretty easy. No shoetuber is squeezing a run in after a long day at the office or fueling up for their interval session with crappy McDonald's because they were starving and that's all they had time to get. They're now at the point where they can still have that "hard work and sacrifice" mentality but the reality is they can sleep in and spend time between runs posted up in their Normatec recovery boots before doing their double in a fresh pair of the bounciest free shoes.
This is the most accurate description of Ben Parkes (and others) I've ever read. Summed up what most of us are thinking very nicely.
F with these sub-2:30, sub-2:20 etc. marathon goals. How nobody has the balls to make a sub-30 or sub-14 series? These are both achievable goals for a semi-talented individual (male) and you don't need to ruin your body with endless marathon miles.
Personally I think it's cooler to run high 13 5K than being in the dead zone between elite and meh which is 2:08 to 2:18 (roughly).
I think Anthony O’Brien has just started a sub-30 series (
). He's made crazy gains over the past year or so.
He pays a videographer who injects Flowberg style drone shots over dramatic music. The production quality is almost too good; it makes it too un-relatable for my liking.
Anyone notice Matt Fox has gone AWOL? Nothing on socials for over a week, and he's usually posting multiple times a day. Give us your theories on what he's up to.
A lot of people watching YouTubers like the real life of it all. We're all striving to get better at running which juggling a job and kids and many can relate to FOD Runner or Mid Life Runner.
Floberg, Kofuzi start off like this but gain some sort of money/following which means they actually stop being what made them watchable (was Floberg ever watchable?) - Instead of trying to fit workouts in between the school run and work they have a coach and supplements sent to them and can train when they want with a camera man following them and it's a job. It was fun but now it is a job.
You can't just run now. You need to sell. It's not art anymore. It's work
I saw a clip of someone breaking down exactly why these fitness influencers feel so fake/wrong: working out is not hard for them. A lot of people have gotten into this idea that going to the gym or running is really tough and makes you some kind of warrior. I think of a David Goggins, Jocko Willink, or Cameron Hanes where it's all about "staying hard" or "learning to suffer." But at this point, these guys aren't suffering when they workout, that's their enjoyment for the day. They aren't getting to the gym after a hard day of manual labor or some soul crushing office anymore. Working out is easy when you build your whole day towards it and can recover all you want and fuel up however you want.
I know shoetubers are a total different dynamic than the gym bros or wannabe Navy seals that Jocko and Goggins go after but I think there's some crossover and a lot in common. As others have said, running when you have other priorities in your life can get hard. It's very impressive to run a PR at any distance when you have a full time job, kids, or whatever else is going on. For someone who is focused on running as their work and can shirk any other responsibilities (kids, household chores, etc) because of it, it's not impressive and it's not a sacrifice. Running at that point is pretty easy. No shoetuber is squeezing a run in after a long day at the office or fueling up for their interval session with crappy McDonald's because they were starving and that's all they had time to get. They're now at the point where they can still have that "hard work and sacrifice" mentality but the reality is they can sleep in and spend time between runs posted up in their Normatec recovery boots before doing their double in a fresh pair of the bounciest free shoes.
This is so true.
I used to think wow these people are amazing and so committed to what they do it must be difficult to do all that training ect but when you think about it they are really very fortunate .A couple of hours training a day and the rest is theirs to do whatever they want.Add onto this jet setting around the world to exotic places doing altitude training and you have a pretty good lifestyle way better than most of us who have to fit in our training round a 40 hour workweek and bringing up a family!
Anyone notice Matt Fox has gone AWOL? Nothing on socials for over a week, and he's usually posting multiple times a day. Give us your theories on what he's up to.