Official 2018 Dubai Marathon Discussion Thread

Official grabbed her butt

the namo guy is weird. Trying to get some of the spotlight clearly... Didnt move over at all. Almost broke the tape for her... then kept trying to hug her before she even hugged her agent and trainer and bf...

I mean he ran about an 7-8 minute PR, but sheesh....

I really don't like that the women's champion (Roza Dereje) had that male pacer to run with for the final miles. She could basically follow him with the other women having to chase her on their own.

Not saying it necessarily would have changed the outcome, but I don't like it.

Mengstu looks like the Ethiopian Jake Robertson

Jonathan Gault wrote:

I really don't like that the women's champion (Roza Dereje) had that male pacer to run with for the final miles. She could basically follow him with the other women having to chase her on their own.

Not saying it necessarily would have changed the outcome, but I don't like it.

Why, they were pacing off him too, but they couldn't stay up. They had the same advantage.

even Steven wrote:

Jonathan Gault wrote:

I really don't like that the women's champion (Roza Dereje) had that male pacer to run with for the final miles. She could basically follow him with the other women having to chase her on their own.

Not saying it necessarily would have changed the outcome, but I don't like it.

Why, they were pacing off him too, but they couldn't stay up. They had the same advantage.

I agree. Even indeed.

even Steven wrote:

Jonathan Gault wrote:

I really don't like that the women's champion (Roza Dereje) had that male pacer to run with for the final miles. She could basically follow him with the other women having to chase her on their own.

Not saying it necessarily would have changed the outcome, but I don't like it.

Why, they were pacing off him too, but they couldn't stay up. They had the same advantage.

That's a fair point, and I think she still should have won. But once she makes the break, I feel like having him there helps her more than it should.

Jonathan Gault wrote:

even Steven wrote:

Why, they were pacing off him too, but they couldn't stay up. They had the same advantage.

That's a fair point, and I think she still should have won. But once she makes the break, I feel like having him there helps her more than it should.

Sorry, I wasn't being a butthead, I just truly don't see the difference. But yes, he helped her to run faster, I just think she still would have won as the others couldn't keep up. Oh well:) Thanks for the coverage of the race, much appreciated.

If you are going to pace someone, best to do it till the end.

Some people might benefit from having someone there all the way to the finish.

And she did not really draft off him, just ran next to or a little behind the pacer.

The pacer did pull back a few yards before the finish to allow the first woman to break the tape.

Agree that every other woman had a chance to be up there with/next to the male pacer.

You can't blame her for following the pacer while the rest were too lazy to do so.

even Steven wrote:

Jonathan Gault wrote:

That's a fair point, and I think she still should have won. But once she makes the break, I feel like having him there helps her more than it should.

Sorry, I wasn't being a butthead, I just truly don't see the difference. But yes, he helped her to run faster, I just think she still would have won as the others couldn't keep up. Oh well:) Thanks for the coverage of the race, much appreciated.

There was bonus money for the pacers if the runners set a CR. The men's pacer stuck around a long time. The women's pacer did as well, and he realized he could break 2:20 so kept going. He should have moved aside and let the lead woman finish on her own, but the course people should have handled that. There was no separation at the end for any men to be diverted towards.

At least this year, Dubai fixed the messed up start from last year. Next year they should some banners splitting men from women at the end of the race, as most races do.

Great Running. A joy to watch.

The male pacer appeared to have finished the race in 14th place overall for men!

Can't blame him for running all the way through the tape. He was looking around some near the end, perhaps for other men...

He could have been thinking there was a good chance to win some prize money.

He did not win any of the top 10 prize money, but we do not know for sure that he did not know he was finishing out of the money.

In a marathon you just never know. With a mile to go someone can confirm you are in 14th place but at the finish you might be in 9th, without ever passing any other people running. People collapse and end up on the side of the road all the time, and you may not see them.

It's also possible his contract included a bonus for finishing, particularly within a certain time.

Dubai stuff wrote:

Except maybe Haile GebrSilassie, no runner has ever replicated or run faster than their Dubai time. In fact majority have never come within two minutes of their Dubai time elsewhere. So to me, it is just a waste of time except of course for the winner since those bucks can easily get you in retirement especially in Ethiopia or any third world country.

Mare Dibaba

2:19:52 in Dubai

2:19:52 in Xiamen

15 seconds between runners 1-6? That's awesome.

So, what would it take for Dubai to surpass Berlin as the "go to" for those attempting WR performances?

weird wrote:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M04BfA0Md3Q

replay here

Thanks for the link!

Is the audio strange for anyone else? At some points it was five full minutes behind...

But what an incredible race. Mind-blowing finish. America, we've got some work to do.

BYU Student wrote:

weird wrote:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M04BfA0Md3Q

replay here

Thanks for the link!

Is the audio strange for anyone else? At some points it was five full minutes behind...

But what an incredible race. Mind-blowing finish. America, we've got some work to do.

Yes, the audio is out of synch.