It’s official- Farah is the most overrated runner in history

Ggggg wrote:

He’s track career doesn’t impress anyone.

6 world championships golds and 4 olympic golds doesn't impress anyone? Tough crowd.

It's His* btw.

Ggggg wrote:

Mo marathon career won’t get significantly better. Third class marathoner. First being Kipchoge, second all the others that run sub 2:04 times and low 2:04, he belongs to a third group of above 2:05 extremely overrated runners. Times that don’t challenge the top times in the world in an era that track has already passed from the scene in favor of road marathons.

Gggggg wrote:

All his track career is nothing but taking an opportunity that the big guns had moved to the road.

You mention marathon tiers and then you state that Mo's championship winning career only happened because of the "big guns" that moved to the road. The "big guns" doesn't get any more specific.

So let's take a look at the "big guns" of the roads during Mo's 2011 - 2017 reign.

Are you talking about Patrick Makau? The guy who broke the world record in Berlin in 2011? Let's see his PRs compared to Mo's, since you mention Mo's times are not worthy.

5k Mo - 12:53

5k Makau - no time

10k Mo - 26:46

10k Makau - 27:27

So you must not be talking about Makau. Are you talking about Wilson Kipsang? The guy who broke the world record in 2013? Let's see his PRs compared to Mo's, since you mention Mo's times are not worthy.

5k Mo - 12:53

5k Kipsang - 14:20 (per iaaf website)

Mo - 26:46

10k Kipsang - 28:31 on track (27:45 on roads)

So you must not be talking about Kipsang either. Are you talking about Dennis Kimetto? The guy who broke the world record in 2014? Let's see his PRs compared to Mo's, since you mention Mo's times are not worthy.

5k Mo - 12:53

5k Kimetto - no time

10k Mo - 26:46

10k Kimetto - 28:30

So you must not be talking about Kimetto either. Are you talking about Stephen Kiprotich? The guy who won the 2012 Olympics and 2013 world championships? Let's see his PRs compared to Mo's, since you mention Mo's times are not worthy.

5k Mo - 12:53

5k Kiprotich - 13:23

10k Mo - 26:46

10k Kiprotich - 27:58

So you must not be talking about Kiprotich either. You get the point by now but I can keep going through the list of "big guns" in the marathon from that time frame and it would be the same. You sir, are a haterrrrrrrrrr

Warriors will sweep the Rockets wrote:

6 world championships golds and 4 olympic golds doesn't impress anyone? Tough crowd.

Over the years, more of the race money has shifted towards the marathon, so more and more Kenyans and Ethiopians decided to skip the 5k and 10k races.

Mohammed Farah took advantage of being at the right place at the right time against weaker competition. He didn't have to face Bekele or Guerrouj in their primes.

Now we're seeing the reality hitting Mohammed in the face.

facts and reason wrote:

Warriors will sweep the Rockets wrote:

6 world championships golds and 4 olympic golds doesn't impress anyone? Tough crowd.

Mohammed Farah took advantage of being at the right place at the right time against weaker competition. He didn't have to face Bekele or Guerrouj in their primes.

Guerrouj ruled the late 90s/early 00s, Bekele ruled the mid to late 00s, and Farah took over in 11 and held it til 17. So what you are saying is that for Mo to be legitimized, he needed to be in his prime for nearly 20 years?

Warriors will sweep the Rockets wrote:

So what you are saying is that for Mo to be legitimized, he needed to be in his prime for nearly 20 years?

I didn't say Mohammed Farah needed to time travel in a machine.

I said Mohammed took advantage of weaker competition by being at the right place at the right time. He's overrated.

Agreed. If you are talking trash on Mo for running a 2:05 then you therefore should also be trashing on:

Meb Keflezighi, Galen Rupp, Tadase, Ryan Hall (his pr was a windy boston and just barely under 2:05), Jared Ward, Scott Fauble, (really any American ever), and so many more.

If it was anyone else who won one of the five world championship marathons then returned to run a 5th place finish to the greatest marathoner in history we would not be having this discussion.

I am certainly not the biggest Mo fan (I do not like Salz or NOP) but you cannot call 2:05 trash just because you don't like the guy. And taking retroactive shots at his career is also cheap: if he wasn't that good on the track as many of you claim, how did he win so often? If he was so slow, why didn't someone just go out and win (and I know, that's how championship races work, but still).

Calm down

youre overrated

Mo wasn't dodging the top runners by racing on the track...

THEY were dodging HIM by moving to the roads!

Mo Farah closed 5ks in 50 seconds...those slow twitch marathoners have probably never broke 53 in a 400 fresh.

Kimetto and Kipsang began on the roads they were never track athletes. Also Kimetto suspiciously came out of nowhere and is a doper as is Farah. His ascension to a top athlete at 28 and association with Jama Aden are damning, I don't give him credit for any medals or titles he won on that suspicious background and after beating Geremew in Chicago he got the floor mopped with him today. Nearly beat him by 3 minutes by Geremew. The clear strategy is to run hard from the gun as Farah can't keep it up. As Kipchoge said his Chicago win was slow and very tactical.

Gggggg wrote:

Obviously the man can’t produce a threatening time (sub 2:04) that will challenge the top runners in the world, not to mention him being two levels below Kipchoge. All his track career is nothing but taking an opportunity that the big guns had moved to the road. He never produced challenging times on the track. Now that he is forced to run fast, he can’t handle it. He can go to Boston next year. If he coulda he woulda

road running is for Opra and those non athletic runners who can't generate enough speed for an 800m race.

Farah blew up at sub 2:04 pace on a windy day but still ran 2:05 for the second or third time. He has a 2:08 to his credit as well. That's a very solid start in the marathon. Compare to Geb:

2008 2:03:59 Berlin (GER) 28 SEP 2008

2007 2:04:26 Berlin (GER) 30 SEP 2007

2006 2:05:56 Berlin (GER) 24 SEP 2006

2005 2:06:20 Amsterdam (NED) 16 OCT 2005

2002 2:06:35 London (GBR) 14 APR 2002

There was a 2:09 in there and a DNF as well, plus quite a few other marathons before he took down his first record and then his second.

Being overrated is entirely relative. 2:05 is a good time, but Mo's still incredibly overrated because his fans act like he's an all time great. Nobody pretends that Galen is better than Geb or Bekele or El G, so if he runs 2:05 I'd consider that a solid performance. But if you want your face on Running's Mount Rushmore, you've gotta do better than 5th.

This applies at every level. If you ran 2:17 I'd be really impressed, but when Ritz runs 2:17 it's a disappointment.

If Lebron James only scores 2 points everyone would trash him for it. If Kyle Singler scores 2 points nobody cares.

Ggggg wrote:

Mo marathon career won’t get significantly better. Third class marathoner. First being Kipchoge, second all the others that run sub 2:04 times and low 2:04, he belongs to a third group of above 2:05 extremely overrated runners. He’s track career doesn’t impress anyone. Times that don’t challenge the top times in the world in an era that track has already passed from the scene in favor of road marathons. Now that he is racing with the greatest talents he is where he belongs- fifth place. I know it, you know it. Case closed.

Meh... I'll bite.

I don't like Farah much either, but I AM impressed by his track career. To say that all the competition moved to the roads??? BS. Who??? Bekele? That guy has been washed up since 2009. There has been no one that is a "Road King" since 2011 that woulda/coulda/shoulda beat Farah on the track if they tried. Who... Kamworor? Tanui? Muchiri? N'Diku? Kiprotich? Kipxxxxx? He beat everyone in his path... repeatedly.

That's not a bad time for a Somalian.

Farah never won World XC. That's one major strike against him. Kipkoge has one one junior title too.

heather wrote:

Gggggg wrote:

Obviously the man can’t produce a threatening time (sub 2:04) that will challenge the top runners in the world, not to mention him being two levels below Kipchoge. All his track career is nothing but taking an opportunity that the big guns had moved to the road. He never produced challenging times on the track. Now that he is forced to run fast, he can’t handle it. He can go to Boston next year. If he coulda he woulda

Piffle... Still 10 minutes in front of the first american... he was in another zip code when Farah finished... that said, at least your countryman toed the line... where are the other American men ? That's right, the others prefer to duke it out amongst themselves within the safe confines of the US cos you know most would get a kicking in London or Berlin.

There are no zip codes in London.

Run007xx wrote:

To say that all the competition moved to the roads??? BS. Who???

This is a strawman fallacy. Nobody said all of the top humans moved to the marathon.

The prize money moved to the marathon. Even the Diamond League removed both the 10k race and 5k race. Anyone who says there wasn't a significant shift from the track to the marathon is a liar or ignorant.

Kimetto raced the 10k in the year 2011, but since then hasn't raced a 5k or 10k at all. This period in time seems to have been untapped potential on the track.

Theoretically, if Mohammed Farah can only run 2:05, then that means the other guys running 2:04s could have bested him in a 5k or 10k if they had access to the same sponsorship money and same coaching from Salazar. Instead, they chose to train for the marathon.

There were probably lots of Kenyans and Ethiopians at the age of 16 to 21 who noticed the prize money going to marathoners. It's common sense that Mohammed Farah would have then received less pressure from younger talents with potential.

the marathon is stupid...it has become idolized by crappy hobby joggers...track is king, and actually takes some balls

A few points.

1. Mo ran a great time -2.05 and finished 5th.

2. Kipchoge and a motley crew of Ethiopians ran 2 mins faster than Mo...so their performances are superlative, but should not detract from Mo's very good run.

3. Mo's bouncy style and full length stride have an energy cost over the marathon. He has almost the same stride as when he runs 1500, albeit at a slower cadence - this has an energy cost, and I think if Mo were still under Al's tutelage the latter would have made adjustments to Mo's marathon technique, and pushed for a more choppy/higher cadence/lower leg lift stride.

Mo's performance in London was very good, but he had 4 faster men ahead of him who have taken marathon running to a stratospheric level, approaching top limits in human physiology.

Ghost in China

Agree. Mo needs to have a more efficient form if he is to transition from a great 5k and 10k athlete to a great marathoner. Good, but not a great one...yet.