Nordås "Track Is for people with talent, the talentless run marathons and half marathons.

He was also being self-deprecating. He has a knack for that in interviews.

Except, track athletes move up and dominate marathon once their track careers are over.

Isn’t he just saying, he didn’t think he had the talent for the shorter distances and that his talents were more suited towards the longer distances?

Distance nerds are too sensitive.

This.

The OP misquotes Nordas and the thread goes this long before RossiCheated corrects the OP's interpretation of what Nordas says.

At 1:32:00 in the interview, he says to his coach, I’m not fast enough, I’m not powerful enough, I have to run long distances because that’s the only thing talentless people can do (laughs)... really."

It's pretty clear from the context that this is what Nordas said many years ago AND that this is self-deprecating humor. In other words, it's not a comment to be taken literally... it's meant as humor.

Sense he's commenting on what he thought several years ago and laughing about it in a self deprecating way, I wouldn't stretch it to say that is what he actually believed either way back then or now.

That used to be the case. Now with much more money on the roads that has changed

But this Is not a matter of money actually. Just a thought about what Nordås said. And It Is 100% concerning athletics. Speaking about endurance running: Is running a Mile or 5000m requiring more talent than running a marathon or half-marathon?

Then of course, road races offer more money than track events.

As others have said, it is speed not talent. There is certainly talent required in the Marathon. I along with many others here probably thought Conner Mantz would immediately be somewhat competitive in the Marathon/Half Marathon (e.g. Sub 60/2:06 on a fast course, top American in Boston). He certainly has the track speed (13:10/27:25) to do it. But he has seemingly less talent when it comes to endurance (compared to say a Ryan Hall) than we thought. Maybe he will get there as he gets older and continues to accrue volume, but it's looking like he's more like a 60:xx/2:07:xx guy until further notice despite track PBs that are competitive with those of many 59:low/2:04high-2:05 guys.

Did he actually say what you’ve quoted, or are you making things up again?

Are you able to read It? I'm not sure you are so i'm posting the quote here for you:

"...it’s also correct that I started as a half marathon runner when I joined the group back in 2014, that was the main goal, just running half marathons locally. Maybe I would be going abroad just to run longer distances because I said to my coach that I’m not fast enough, I’m not talented enough, I have to run long distances because that’s the only thing talentless people can really do."

In college I split 48.high in the 4x400m, ran 1:51 and a 4:06 mile. I have runner friends who picked up running in their mid 20’s who have faster HM and half marathon pbs than me. Guys that probably couldn’t break 60 in the 400m.

the long road races and training are different on the body and you need to be able to handle mileage and be durable. I’d argue that’s a part of talent (think German Fernandez)

you need top talent to run a 2 hour marathon

or 100m

and the dedication package

thanks for the Nobel Prize for this one.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who looked at the World Athletics all-time lists...but...Kipchoge and Bekele are #1 and #3 all-time in the marathon, and they are #14 (12:46) and #2 (12:36), respectively, all-time in the 5000m. Radcliffe and Gidey are #4 and #7 all-time in the marathon, and they are #32 (14:29) and #2 (14:06), respectively all-time in the 5000m. There are certainly exceptions, but elite marathoners are far from lacking talent.

Totally agree.

BUT Nordas is nowhere near (and will likely never be) an all-time runner like Bekele and Kipchoge and Radcliffe and Gidey.

He shouldn't be grouped into a world all-time comparison like you did.

It's worth noting that in Nordas' PB Half Marathon in 2019 he went against a real talent at the distance in Geoffrey Kamworor. Nordas snuck under the 65-minute mark, while Kamworor was 2 seconds away from breaking 58 minutes in the race. So he finished over a mile and a half ahead of Nordas. From what has gone on since, it is clear Nordas might've mistakenly thought he could train himself to being a stud at the 10K and up. However, he was more competitive in the 5,000, 3,000 and 1,500 pretty consistently. I definitely think he could run a better 5,000 (12:55?) now, but I'd be dubious about a great 10K/HM.

Tell that to Eliud Kipchoge, what a stupid comment!

Only problem with your little finding is that both of those are nowhere near their "talented" primes and would easily be beaten by Grijalva or Gressier now in a 5000. That's why they're in the marathon now. Duhhh

It just goes to show that being fast does not equate to being smart

I never realized this was debated. All my life I've watched the marathon while appreciating it as B level talent. That was even more ingrained while attending Los Angeles 1984. I stood there alongside the starting line and looked at Rob de Castella, who was being touted as the favorite. He was making all these odd movements to keep his kit and nose in order. He looked nothing like an athlete, at least compared to everyone I had watched during the prior two weeks.

Kipchoge is an interesting story. I've never understood the commotion. He funneled into an event with lower standards and where his age would not be a negative. Once the roads become higher profile then naturally they will attract younger superior athletes. Kiptum is merely the first. Kipchoge fans already hate that guy. Save your energy. There will be more.

The end of the women's London Marathon was prime example. Remove Hassan and the announcers would have been raving about the sprint finish between the others. That's the marathon caliber they are accustomed to seeing. Hassan's presence was the difference between marathon caliber athletes and someone with extraordinary talent.

Hassan stopping multiple times was the equivalent of Jakob taking water breaks alongside the 5000 guys.