The Kenyan MP's who spoke out against the doping question should be ashamed of themselves. Instead of looking at the real enemy, the culture of doping and corruption within the country, they deflect and say that the country needs to educate its athletes TO GIVE BETTER ANSWERS TO DOPING QUESTIONS!!! How about cracking down on doping itself? This is hardly the first time doping questions have been raised of Kenya's athletes. They've had over 300 doping bans in the past ten years. Maybe what they were actually embarrassed about was that Chepngetich, a 30 year old woman on the world scene since at least 2019, couldn't even begin to defend herself from the suspicions.
How is all that an argument that Ruth Chepngetich could reasonably run 2:09:56 clean?
She ran 99% of her 10km pr of 30:29 for the marathon.
Maybe, just maybe, she was in shape to run much faster than 30:29
That was her best one. She's had plenty worse. Was she seriously sand-bagging (okay, tempoing) every time she's ever run a 5k or 10k/km?
10,000 Metres 2022 31:47.9h Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, Nairobi (KEN) 26 APR 2022 2023 32:09.87 Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi (KEN) 23 JUN 2023 10 Kilometres Road 2017 31:36 Port Gentil (GAB) 24 JUN 2017 2018 33:09 Nyahururu (KEN) 03 FEB 2018 2019 31:12 Port Gentil (GAB) 30 JUN 2019 2020 31:50 Madrid (ESP) 31 DEC 2020 2022 30:29 Manchester (GBR) 22 MAY 2022
Radcliffe, April 2003: 2:15:25; next best woman: 2:18:47 (3:22 behind); men’s WR: 2:05:38 (9:47 faster) – stood for 16 years (until supershoes came) Chepngetich, October 2024: 2:09:56; next best woman: 2:11:53 (1:57 behind); men’s WR: 2:00:35 (9:21 faster)
Yes, I’d say Radcliffe’s performance was more, ummm, outstanding.
This is way underestimating what's going on here, because the previous women's marathon world record was itself over two minutes faster than the previous one. Assefa ran 2:11:53 at Berlin in 2023 with huge shoes. The previous record was Brigid Kosgei's 2:14:04 from Chicago 2019. That one, which featured super shoes already was a big drop from Paula Radcliffe's 2:15:25 outlier from 2003. So, in two races, the world marathon record dropped by 4:08! And the new record holder had a 4:22 pr in the race. These runners actually took a bigger chunk out of the record than Radcliffe.
Maybe, just maybe, she was in shape to run much faster than 30:29
That was her best one. She's had plenty worse. Was she seriously sand-bagging (okay, tempoing) every time she's ever run a 5k or 10k/km?
10,000 Metres 2022 31:47.9h Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, Nairobi (KEN) 26 APR 2022 2023 32:09.87 Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi (KEN) 23 JUN 2023 10 Kilometres Road 2017 31:36 Port Gentil (GAB) 24 JUN 2017 2018 33:09 Nyahururu (KEN) 03 FEB 2018 2019 31:12 Port Gentil (GAB) 30 JUN 2019 2020 31:50 Madrid (ESP) 31 DEC 2020 2022 30:29 Manchester (GBR) 22 MAY 2022
Yes, if you look from 2018 to 2024, the women's WR improved by a whopping 1.5 minutes per year. A crazy rate. But then, that improvement was overdue, because nothing happened between 2004 and 2018.
The almost 6 minute improvement since Paula took over 20 years. In the same time frame, the men's WR also improved by over 5 minutes.
Ruth Chepngetich's remarkable marathon in Chicago is a testament to the evolving standards in women's distance running. As a fellow runner, I find her achievement both inspiring and a reminder of the sport's ever-expanding possibilities.
Ruth Chepngetich's remarkable marathon in Chicago is a testament to the evolving standards in women's distance running. As a fellow runner, I find her achievement both inspiring and a reminder of the sport's ever-expanding possibilities.
The sport does have "ever-expanding possibilities" but, sadly, not for the reasons you think.
Ruth Chepngetich's remarkable marathon in Chicago is a testament to the evolving standards in women's distance running. As a fellow runner, I find her achievement both inspiring and a reminder of the sport's ever-expanding possibilities.
My hopeful “ever expanding possibilities” is that they make a rotating track like those walkways they have inside airports. I can finally get that sub 4:00 I’ve been chasing for 30 years.
in 2021 she split 30'21 en route to the half marathon world record, she progressed since then.
The kenyan races are at altitude, In port gentil Gabon in June the weather is around 80F and 90% humidity.
The manchester race 30'29 is probably representative of her fitness at the time but worth noting it is a woman-only race
Chicago Marathon 2022 she ran 30'40 first 10k split
Chicago Marathon 2023 she ran a 31'05 first 10k split and a 30'54 5 to 15k split.
Good stats in this rebuttal plus the fact that Ruth, even though she only was fourth fastest before, was quicker than the other three over the first 25k. That said to me, if she once got pacing and hydration right, she had the pace.
in 2021 she split 30'21 en route to the half marathon world record, she progressed since then.
The kenyan races are at altitude, In port gentil Gabon in June the weather is around 80F and 90% humidity.
The manchester race 30'29 is probably representative of her fitness at the time but worth noting it is a woman-only race
Chicago Marathon 2022 she ran 30'40 first 10k split
Chicago Marathon 2023 she ran a 31'05 first 10k split and a 30'54 5 to 15k split.
Good stats in this rebuttal plus the fact that Ruth, even though she only was fourth fastest before, was quicker than the other three over the first 25k. That said to me, if she once got pacing and hydration right, she had the pace.
this reminds me of the cycling dopers who explained their one-hour 700-watt hill climb effort, after a 100 mile day and 2 other hill climbs, by riding 700 watts on an ergometer for half an hour. "See how strong he is, that's why he's so strong". Throw in the, "He rode this when he was 120 lbs, now he's just as strong and weighs 100 pounds [naturally, somehow, umm...]"
If i can run the first mile of a marathon in 4:30, all i have to do is keep trying , have some friends run in front of me, and drink just the right amount. I have "the pace", i just gotta stop bonking at mile 2...