So my brother and I are arguing about what Hicham El Guerrouj is “best known for”

I wish I could GAF

... the effectiveness of EPO on running performance. His world 1500m record, set during the EPO era, has stood for 20+ years -- the longest span in the IAAF era.

He is known for almost dyeing after a race and being submerged in ice for his blood being too thick. Crazy, but true!

I believe there is video online of him screwing a camel.

10 x 400 in 53-54 Yes, I believe that is possible. With less than 45 seconds per rep, no way.

Why are they saying the rest is 30-45 sec? Answer that one.

Nobody outside the US and UK knows a sh1t about his mile WR (except for track nerds).

"Getting away with it."

Mahavishnu1500 wrote:

Title should be "What El G workout is he most famous for?

I would point to the workout he did like almost everyday, running at marathon to tempo pace between track days! Other runners have thrown down ridiculous track sessions, but has anyone run 3:00-3:10/km on "easy" days?

https://www.runnerstribe.com/features/the-best-ever-the-training-of-hicham-el-guerrouj/

John Mayock spent 3 months during one winter to train with El G and he said that they certainly weren´t running 3-3,10/km daily.

Les wrote:

... the effectiveness of EPO on running performance. His world 1500m record, set during the EPO era, has stood for 20+ years -- the longest span in the IAAF era.

Yep...so true.

Right now? Probably for being mile world record holder. He appeared in pretty much every single article on recent anniversaries of Bannister's sub 4. Usually as part of an info graphic showing him finishing with Bannister about 80m back with a subtitle like "the pace of progress". 1500m WR gets far less attention.

Once that record is broken? Probably as being the 1500 / 5,000 Olympic champ. That's much rarer than a former 1,500m / mile WR holder.

Unless he ends up being the longest ever WR holder- long way for that to happen though.

"Unless he ends up being the longest ever WR holder- long way for that to happen though".

That is never going to happen.

sleeeper wrote:

My top 3 are:

1 - Mile WR (coupled with 1500 WR)

2 - Doping (this is Letsrun, so looking at the title, I suspected that one of you and your brother would go there)

3 - Initial failure to win an Olympic medal followed by the double.

This, though only the Brits & Americans care about the mile WR. When he was still active on circuit, it was #3 by far. Very compelling human interest story that the clear 1500m GOAT at the time had such bad luck at the Oly games.

#cleansport wrote:

He is known for almost dyeing after a race and being submerged in ice for his blood being too thick. Crazy, but true!

You wouldn't put someone in an ice bath for thick blood (increased viscosity). Making someone cold would theoretically increase the propensity for clotting (hypercoaguable state)- secondary to vasoconstriction and blood pooling. If anything, you'd warm the person up. IV fluids and something like dipyridamole + aspirin is the resolution.

I don't doubt that El G was a science experiment; but stories/legends like this do not help the "credibility" of accusations.

The continuous running paces are hard to believe for the times listed, as that would mean he was running not far off of 15k world record pace on a regular basis (2:50/km on some runs, =42:30 15k) at altitude with hills.

53-54 on 30-45 seconds rest is the reason he thought he could run sub 3:24.

zxcvzcxv wrote:

The continuous running paces are hard to believe for the times listed, as that would mean he was running not far off of 15k world record pace on a regular basis (2:50/km on some runs, =42:30 15k) at altitude with hills.

53-54 on 30-45 seconds rest is the reason he thought he could run sub 3:24.

For the stat guys:

How many times did El G go through 1200m in 2:44/2:45? Or did he ever?

Bad Wigins wrote:

only he and his training partners/coaches really "know" what his workouts were. That 10x400 would indicate a sub 3:40 mile and I don't believe it. He was not that good.

We'll never know what he would have done with people to chase.

Think about Andrew Wheating at Monaco in 2010. El G never had that -- people clearly out further ahead to chase. Ngeny and Lagat and El G were neck in neck but I think there's something unique for PR-setting about having someone a second or two clear to chase.

T OP, El G is best known as the world record holder in the mile (in the US) and the 1500 (everywhere else). if Americans know his name, it's because when a fast mile is run, they'll often say or show the WR and WR holder (on the scoreboard or over the announcements). Elsewhere, 1500.

(I did not write the above post very well)

Vermonster

RE: Fastest 1200m ever 5/31/2008 8:26AM - in reply to Tony Soprano

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TFN has a 1200m progression list:

http://trackandfieldnews.com/a...ute_m.html

ElG split 2:46.34 in his 1500m WR, but also split 2:44.75 in a WR attempt in 2002.

malmo

RE: Fastest 1200m ever 5/31/2008 9:22PM - in reply to ventolin

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2:53.4 Stanislav Jungwirth (Cze) Stará Boleslav 12 Jul 57 3:38.1 WR

2:53.4 Kichoge Keino (Ken) Mexico City 20 Oct 68 3:34.91

2:52.5 Jean Wadoux (Fra) Colombes 23 Jul 70 3:34.0

2:52.5 Filbert Bayi (Tan) Aarhus 24 Jul 73 3:35.6

2:52.2 Bayi Helsinki 28 Jul 73 3:34.6

2:52.0* Bayi Stockholm 2 Jul 73 3:52.86 y

2:50.3 Bayi Christchurch 2 Feb 74 3:32.16 WR

2:49.5 Sebastian Coe (GBR) Zürich 15 Aug 79 3:32.03 WR

2:48.3 Coe Stockholm 7 Jul 81 3:31.95

2:47.3 Noureddine Morceli (Alg) Rieti 6 Sep 92 3:28.86 WR

2:47.1 Morceli Nice 12 Jul 95 3:27.73 WR

2:46.34 Hicham El Guerrouj (Mor) Rome 14 Jul 98 3:26.00 WR

2:46.22 El Guerrouj Zürich 11 Aug 00 3:27.21

2:46.10 El Guerrouj Bruxelles 24 Aug 01 3:26.12

2:45.78 El Guerrouj Zürich 16 Aug 02 3:26.79

2:44.75 El Guerouj Rieti 8 Sep 02 3:26.96

joel wrote:

sleeeper wrote:

My top 3 are:

1 - Mile WR (coupled with 1500 WR)

2 - Doping (this is Letsrun, so looking at the title, I suspected that one of you and your brother would go there)

3 - Initial failure to win an Olympic medal followed by the double.

This, though only the Brits & Americans care about the mile WR. When he was still active on circuit, it was #3 by far. Very compelling human interest story that the clear 1500m GOAT at the time had such bad luck at the Oly games.

This idea that only Brits & Americans care about the mile needs to be put to bed.

The whole world is familiar with the mile as a historical race. And for most of athletics history the 1500/mile was dominated by Americans and anglo-saxons. Not to mention that even today, Brits, Americans, Canadians, Australasians make up a huge chunk of track fans.

You may as well say that nobody cares about the marathon except the Greeks. If the IAAF, in their wisdom, decided to 'replace' the marathon with '42Km', and many more '42KM' races where held than actual marathons, the marathon WR would still hold prestige and historical interest for decades to come.

Look how the metric Norwegians 'didn't care' about Cram breaking the Mile record in 85 :

But tens of thousands of metric mad Italians packed the Rome stadium to witness history being made and El Epo shattering the 1500m WR