This is why i can’t stand Jos Hermens. This is the same guy who brings his athlete into the race knowing he is underprepared (for example, Amsterdam a few years ago), then calls out his own athlete in public when he unsurprisingly DNF’s.
It's not Hermens' job to be prepared for the race. It's the athlete's. He has played a huge role in increasing the amount of money these elites get paid, and he's made them a LOT more money than they would have made otherwise. If they're showing up at anything less than optimal condition to perform, he's right to manage expectations beforehand and call them out afterwards.
Bekele has dropped out of 4 of his last 9 races. Every time Bekele drops out or poops the bed, he makes it harder for someone else to get an appearance fee.
I dunno, he hasn't started a couple races but hasn't dropped out of a marathon since Amsterdam. He hasn't been the most consistent but he also hasn't been as bad as some are implying here.
It's not Hermens' job to be prepared for the race. It's the athlete's. He has played a huge role in increasing the amount of money these elites get paid, and he's made them a LOT more money than they would have made otherwise. If they're showing up at anything less than optimal condition to perform, he's right to manage expectations beforehand and call them out afterwards.
Bekele has dropped out of 4 of his last 9 races. Every time Bekele drops out or poops the bed, he makes it harder for someone else to get an appearance fee.
I dunno, he hasn't started a couple races but hasn't dropped out of a marathon since Amsterdam. He hasn't been the most consistent but he also hasn't been as bad as some are implying here.
Bekele should replicate his GNR pace here. So that would be 2:02 and a few seconds. It would give him the course record for London, making it the best athletic performance ever seen on British soil. I guess the WR will fall next year. I can't wait to see Bekele in action on sunday. The GNR was just a training run to get in the racing mindset for the full mary. Even if he doesn't get the WR then he will still literally blow the doors off the current over 40's WR
But can he run a 2:01:08?!? The guauntlet has been thrown. They were just about tied before but now Kipchoge made a big power play.
I say he can do it!
Maybe he won't, but that's not logically the same as can't.
I give it a 99% chance of DNF...whenever he makes these bold predictions, he pulls out mid race citing a previously undisclosed injury or something to the like.
Bekele should somehow get stomach flu and head on home because the London Marathon has cut the prize money. He doesn't need to torture his body for that sh*t.
