maybe he is better at peaking now. Peaking is an art, remember.
maybe he is better at peaking now. Peaking is an art, remember.
i doubt mo farah now could run 5:20, 7:30 for a 12:50 5k. thats what it will take to win this 5k. otherwise, mo farah wins.
Chris The Man wrote:
I wouldn't be surprised if it was all just a ploy.
I love this, bump
It is my opinion that XC is not as competitive as track or major marathons.
XC is not an Olympic sport. It is not a professional sport.
There is no indication that most participants guide their training towards peaking for this event. Rather they seem to use XC as a method to break the monotony of base training for the real sport that they are training for.
Time trialing has gotten a bad connotation.
Geb is the best ever at racing against the clock.
And the clock never has a bad day.
Back to K Bekele and this year.
I think the reason he didn't run a tune up race is because he isn't fit and didn't want to give the other runners confidence going into Worlds.
Now all they know is they are lining up with someone who always wins and this may get into their heads.
We know Bekele has the mental toughness.
How about his competition? Will they be able to block everything and just run or will they lock up when they see it is Kenenisa right next to them?
toro wrote:
It is my opinion that XC is not as competitive as track or major marathons.
XC is not an Olympic sport. It is not a professional sport.
There is no indication that most participants guide their training towards peaking for this event. Rather they seem to use XC as a method to break the monotony of base training for the real sport that they are training for.
Time trialing has gotten a bad connotation.
Geb is the best ever at racing against the clock.
And the clock never has a bad day.
You are entitled to your opinion, but your opinion is wrong. The XC World Champs have featured all of the top 10k and 5k guys. They damn sure aren't going to run if they aren't going to try and win. And KB beat them all. On both long and short courses. Five. Years. In. A. Row.
Major marathons? How many of those regularly feature EVERY top marathoner in the world?
XC is not a professional sport? What are you even trying to say? These guys are professional runners. Anything that they run falls within the realm of professional competition.
And yes, Geb was a great time trialer. So is KB. As evidenced by he fact that he has run faster than Geb.
jkdsf dfg wrote:
I wouldnot be surprised if Solinsky comes from behind and wins it in a new record time. Let's see what the Bekele backers have to say then.
0/10
KB's cross country dominance has never been and will never be matched. Partly because they did away with the short course race and now world XC is only every two years.
Geb has a few things going for him, too. Namely range and longevity. He's won championships and set records from 1500 to the marathon. And he's done so over an incredible 19 year career.
In my mind the two are pretty evenly matched.
But if Bekele comes back and wins this WC 10k out of nowhere, I think it puts him over the edge.
It would be stuff of legends.
Farah will move from 400 out. Bekele will sit on him and try to edge him out the last 100m. If Bekele wins without racing in over a year that should raise questions about what he's actually been doing during his hiatus... Was he actually injured or was he avoiding PED testing for a while to dope in preparation for Daegu and London?
jkdsf dfg wrote:
I wouldnot be surprised if Solinsky comes from behind and wins it in a new record time. Let's see what the Bekele backers have to say then.
0/10
-10/10
ljklajsdf wrote:
Farah will move from 400 out. Bekele will sit on him and try to edge him out the last 100m. If Bekele wins without racing in over a year that should raise questions about what he's actually been doing during his hiatus... Was he actually injured or was he avoiding PED testing for a while to dope in preparation for Daegu and London?
Yeah, he was totally avoiding testing so that he could dope some more before the meet in which every athlete will be blood tested.
smanimal wrote:
Yeah, he was totally avoiding testing so that he could dope some more before the meet in which every athlete will be blood tested.
Not going to comment on the first part. Regarding the 2nd part: there is still enough cheaters can do without getting caught.
Cant wait to see what the bookies make of this. A half fit Bekele wont touch 2011 Mo. Could be some value to be found.
This can actually work both ways. If he has done time trials and knows he is there or close enough, better to leave the others wondering. They look at him and think is he or isn't he ready? And they don't know what to expect. My view? He would not come to such an event if he thought his fitness was only enough for 5th or 8th or competing in the final. No race is a lock, and he is likely not at his all time best. But if you ever saw him run when not at his best, as I have, you know even his off peak is amazing. Every athlete can have a bad day. KB has had very very very few.As for Bekele and Geb, both are legends, and both deserve. The only reason I love the arguments are that they point out how amazing these two are, remind, emphasize.
toro wrote:
Back to K Bekele and this year.
I think the reason he didn't run a tune up race is because he isn't fit and didn't want to give the other runners confidence going into Worlds.
Now all they know is they are lining up with someone who always wins and this may get into their heads.
We know Bekele has the mental toughness.
How about his competition? Will they be able to block everything and just run or will they lock up when they see it is Kenenisa right next to them?
fff wrote:
Jash Hermons ... Kennunosi Bikali
Wow!! Best spelling ever. Like it.
The man the myth the legend K.Bekele.
Why should he do a tune-up when he's the WR holder and has never lost. Let the field run scared cause KB is back ready to take names and break spirits.
ljklajsdf wrote:
Farah will move from 400 out. Bekele will sit on him and try to edge him out the last 100m. If Bekele wins without racing in over a year that should raise questions about what he's actually been doing during his hiatus... Was he actually injured or was he avoiding PED testing for a while to dope in preparation for Daegu and London?
maybe part of his absence was a much needed break and vacation from the sport. it's probably all he's been doing for the last 10 years.
What Bekele is doing is unbelievable. He is ALREADY a legend. He is putting it all on the line. Passing it up would be easy and would not tarnish his legendary status. Getting beat probably will tarnish it a little. But he's in. Makes me feel a bit like a chump. The chances of him winning are less than the chances of me winning my local race this weekend. And I'm was thinking about chickening out of my race because I'm worried I might not win and worried about who might be entered. Bekele is inspirational. He has to face the best in the world after a long break and he is going to show up. Awesome!!! So now I will show up for my race too.
Bekele's the greatest distance runner of all-time. If he pulls off a win in Daegu, he's like...the Messiah or something.
If Bekele is fit, I see the race going more like Osaka 2007. A video for those who are unaware:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=828BG3poro0
Farah typically goes a bit later than Sihine did here. But I think Kenenisa being there may get to him and he may change his race strategy a bit and go at the bell. Then, Kenenisa will track him and burst by him in the last 200m. Maybe not though. Even if he goes when he usually does, I still think Kenenisa will be right there and burn by him in the last bit. But I'm guessing it'll probably be closer than Bekele would like.
I think that what Bekele has to look out for the most is never coming even with Farah in the last 400. That is, the only way I can see him possibly losing is Kipchoge or El Guerrouj style. If Bekele catches Farah, I think it is over for Farah.