ALL-TIME TOP 10 BOSTON MARATHON LIST (AMERICAN, ALL-CONDITIONS)

DI Coach Here · 2022-04-18T11:46:37-04:00

TOP ALL-TIME BOSTON MARATHON (AMERICAN, ALL-CONDITIONS) LIST 1. Ryan Hall, 2:04:58 (2011) 2. Meb Keflezighi, 2:08:37 (2014) 3. Bob Kempainen, 2:08:47 (1994) 4. Alberto Salazar, 2:08:51 (1982) 5. Scott Fauble, 2:08:52 (2022) 6. Dick Beardsley, 2:08:53 (1982) 7. Greg Meyer, 2:09:01 (1983) 8. Elkanah Kibet, 2:09:07 (2022)9. Jared Ward, 2:09:25 (2019)10. Bill Rodgers, 2:09:27 [i] LRC note. Initially, the list had Scott Fauble twice so we took his slower time off and put in Bill Rodgers at #10.

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4 years ago 04/19/2022 12:22pm EDT

re: DI Coach Here

You also have to look at current American Marathoners times vs. the current world record. Roger's 1979 Boston was only ~20 seconds off the world record. Salazar also ran less than a minute off the world record at Boston, New York, and Fukuoka and arguably his best marathon in NYC in 1981 would have likely been within 5 to 10 seconds of the world record had the course not been short.

At Boston yesterday and at most marathons as of late, the top American finisher is usually several minutes between the winner and 5 to 7 minutes off the world record. It really does show how much American Marathoning has declined in the past 35 years. What's odd is it isn't like we don't have great marque races, like Boston, NYC, and Chicago and training and shoes have come very far since the 1980s.

4 years ago 04/19/2022 12:26pm EDT

re: ClubRunnah

ClubRunnah wrote:
16 of the top 25 times were run before 2000. sad.

apparently, it's NOT 'the shoes'.

4 years ago 04/19/2022 12:47pm EDT

re: Shorter Than Frank

Shorter Than Frank wrote:
ClubRunnah wrote:
16 of the top 25 times were run before 2000. sad.
apparently, it's NOT 'the shoes'.

It’s mostly the inaccurate list by the OP that people keep referencing to make a point.

4 years ago 04/19/2022 1:42pm EDT

re: Scubacane

Scubacane wrote:
Didn’t realize Craig Virgin ran Boston- I always thought of him as a 10k/ XC guy- good time though

Craig Virgin

San Diego ‘79 2:14:40 1st

Fukuoka ‘79 2:16:59 17th

Boston ‘81 2:10:27 2nd

Chicago ‘82 2:17:29 16th

4 years ago 04/19/2022 2:46pm EDT

re: Kee wee

Kee wee wrote:
You can remove #20 John Campbell, he was 40 yr old from New Zealand when he ran 2:11.04

Correction he was 41 years old when he hit that time.

4 years ago 04/19/2022 2:52pm EDT

re: Barabbas

Barabbas wrote:
Scubacane wrote:
Didn’t realize Craig Virgin ran Boston- I always thought of him as a 10k/ XC guy- good time though
Craig Virgin
San Diego ‘79 2:14:40 1st
Fukuoka ‘79 2:16:59 17th
Boston ‘81 2:10:27 2nd
Chicago ‘82 2:17:29 16th

That's a kinda weird/unique/interesting marathon resume. One mediocre time in a non-major marathon, 2 flops in major marathons, and one very good duel and performance against a legend in a major.

4 years ago 04/19/2022 3:33pm EDT

re: 18rabbitskiing

18rabbitskiing wrote:
It really does show how much American Marathoning has declined in the past 35 years.

I think this is kind of short-sighted. The quality and depth of Kenyan and Ethiopian marathoning was far, far less back then. If there had been dozens of elite East Africans back then like there are now, the picture would have been completely different.

4 years ago 04/19/2022 4:05pm EDT

re: michimanx

michimanx wrote:
18rabbitskiing wrote:
It really does show how much American Marathoning has declined in the past 35 years.
I think this is kind of short-sighted. The quality and depth of Kenyan and Ethiopian marathoning was far, far less back then. If there had been dozens of elite East Africans back then like there are now, the picture would have been completely different.

Good point, and the picture would be different because the bar would have been higher and those Americans would have run even faster, Rodgers would have gone 2 minutes faster at least and with the new super shoes, 4-5 minutes faster, he was a bouncy runner

4 years ago 04/19/2022 4:27pm EDT

re: Kee wee

Kee wee wrote:
michimanx wrote:
I think this is kind of short-sighted. The quality and depth of Kenyan and Ethiopian marathoning was far, far less back then. If there had been dozens of elite East Africans back then like there are now, the picture would have been completely different.
Good point, and the picture would be different because the bar would have been higher and those Americans would have run even faster, Rodgers would have gone 2 minutes faster at least and with the new super shoes, 4-5 minutes faster, he was a bouncy runner

Folks, the rise of East Africans explains why Americans and westerners don't do as well in races as they used to. As with ANY deepening of a talent pool.

What it doesn't explain is why Americans/westerners largely haven't been able to keep up with them?

And it REALLY doesn't explain why current Americans/westerners are running only as fast, or SLIGHTLY faster, than Americans/westerners were 30 and 40 years ago? While the East Africans are now in the low 2:00's?

4 years ago 04/19/2022 4:33pm EDT

re: virginseko

virginseko wrote:
Kee wee wrote:
Good point, and the picture would be different because the bar would have been higher and those Americans would have run even faster, Rodgers would have gone 2 minutes faster at least and with the new super shoes, 4-5 minutes faster, he was a bouncy runner
Folks, the rise of East Africans explains why Americans and westerners don't do as well in races as they used to. As with ANY deepening of a talent pool.
What it doesn't explain is why Americans/westerners largely haven't been able to keep up with them?
And it REALLY doesn't explain why current Americans/westerners are running only as fast, or SLIGHTLY faster, than Americans/westerners were 30 and 40 years ago? While the East Africans are now in the low 2:00's?

Put another way, and removing the issues of shoes, in about 35 years (early 80s to mid-2010s), I believe that we had no more than 2 American-born marathoners run meaningfully faster than Rodgers, et al - Hall and Rupp.

As discussed many, many times on this site, that seems like a whole lot of stagnation.

4 years ago 04/20/2022 8:35am EDT

re: virginseko

virginseko wrote:
virginseko wrote:
Folks, the rise of East Africans explains why Americans and westerners don't do as well in races as they used to. As with ANY deepening of a talent pool.
What it doesn't explain is why Americans/westerners largely haven't been able to keep up with them?
And it REALLY doesn't explain why current Americans/westerners are running only as fast, or SLIGHTLY faster, than Americans/westerners were 30 and 40 years ago? While the East Africans are now in the low 2:00's?
Put another way, and removing the issues of shoes, in about 35 years (early 80s to mid-2010s), I believe that we had no more than 2 American-born marathoners run meaningfully faster than Rodgers, et al - Hall and Rupp.
As discussed many, many times on this site, that seems like a whole lot of stagnation.

....sorry, and maybe Ritz? Anyway, it's definitely a really short list in many decades.

4 years ago 04/20/2022 8:39am EDT

re: virginseko

virginseko wrote:
Kee wee wrote:
Good point, and the picture would be different because the bar would have been higher and those Americans would have run even faster, Rodgers would have gone 2 minutes faster at least and with the new super shoes, 4-5 minutes faster, he was a bouncy runner
Folks, the rise of East Africans explains why Americans and westerners don't do as well in races as they used to. As with ANY deepening of a talent pool.
What it doesn't explain is why Americans/westerners largely haven't been able to keep up with them?
And it REALLY doesn't explain why current Americans/westerners are running only as fast, or SLIGHTLY faster, than Americans/westerners were 30 and 40 years ago? While the East Africans are now in the low 2:00's?

pretty clearly the East Africans are getting their best athletic talent to run marathons, while in the US our best athletic talent does sports where people can actually make money doing it.

And of course in Africa there aren't many options to make a lot of money...running is much more appealing that way. In the US anyone with a college degree can be rich, in a global sense. The wish to make money in a job draws off a lot of D1 runners who would, no doubt, be 2:08 marathoners if they stuck with it after college.

4 years ago 04/20/2022 8:41am EDT

re: michimanx

michimanx wrote:
18rabbitskiing wrote:
It really does show how much American Marathoning has declined in the past 35 years.
I think this is kind of short-sighted. The quality and depth of Kenyan and Ethiopian marathoning was far, far less back then. If there had been dozens of elite East Africans back then like there are now, the picture would have been completely different.

Nobody is arguing that had there been e. africans on the scene back then the place results would be different, but the CLOCK is the same.

Very very little progress in 40+ years of marathons from the US.

4 years ago 04/20/2022 8:50am EDT

re: virginseko

People acting like the year Hall ran 2:04:58 was the only year with a tailwind. The reason that fast time was run was because Hall had the balls to set a fast pace. If he hadn't done that, it would have been won in 2:05 or 2:06 most likely. He took it out hard, and that ensured the finishing time would be fast. He deserves more credit. And considering the winner ran 2:05 in New York six months or so afterward and the guy who got second place won Chicago in a course record (after going out at like 2:03 pace and then hanging on), it was definitely a performance worthy of being the top American at Boston.

4 years ago 04/20/2022 9:02am EDT

re: DI Coach Here

40 years later:

4. Alberto Salazar, 2:08:51 (1982)
5. Scott Fauble, 2:08:52 (2022)
6. Dick Beardsley, 2:08:53 (1982)

4 years ago 04/20/2022 9:19am EDT

re: olyrun3

olyrun3 wrote:
This is a great snapshot of US men's marathon decline. I cannot believe how many people on this list are from the 70's and 80's.

This list is only from Boston. I think if you look at a list of all-time best US times (that includes *every other marathon*) you'll see lots of improvement from the 70s and 80s.

4 years ago 04/20/2022 10:19am EDT

re: agip

agip wrote:
virginseko wrote:
Folks, the rise of East Africans explains why Americans and westerners don't do as well in races as they used to. As with ANY deepening of a talent pool.
What it doesn't explain is why Americans/westerners largely haven't been able to keep up with them?
And it REALLY doesn't explain why current Americans/westerners are running only as fast, or SLIGHTLY faster, than Americans/westerners were 30 and 40 years ago? While the East Africans are now in the low 2:00's?
pretty clearly the East Africans are getting their best athletic talent to run marathons, while in the US our best athletic talent does sports where people can actually make money doing it.
And of course in Africa there aren't many options to make a lot of money...running is much more appealing that way. In the US anyone with a college degree can be rich, in a global sense. The wish to make money in a job draws off a lot of D1 runners who would, no doubt, be 2:08 marathoners if they stuck with it after college.

In what endurance sport is our best athletic talent going to?

4 years ago 04/20/2022 10:22am EDT

re: PeeWee Herman

PeeWee Herman wrote:
agip wrote:
pretty clearly the East Africans are getting their best athletic talent to run marathons, while in the US our best athletic talent does sports where people can actually make money doing it.
And of course in Africa there aren't many options to make a lot of money...running is much more appealing that way. In the US anyone with a college degree can be rich, in a global sense. The wish to make money in a job draws off a lot of D1 runners who would, no doubt, be 2:08 marathoners if they stuck with it after college.
In what endurance sport is our best athletic talent going to?

I'm going on the assumption that from an early age our best athletic talent goes to revenue sports, and if that draw didn't happen we'd have a lot more top-notch endurance athletes.

4 years ago 04/20/2022 10:46am EDT

re: agip

deep american boston lists:

Updated all-time U.S. Boston Marathon performance lists.https://t.co/brzUSmR4h0 https://t.co/iUYdhylKQ3 pic.twitter.com/QVXFHLK97u
— Dan Lilot (@Lilot1TrackMind) April 19, 2022

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4 years ago 04/20/2022 10:55am EDT

re: Beantown Willy

Top 25 performers at Boston (men):

1970s 4

1980s 7

1990s 1

2000s 2

2010- 11

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