BOSTON UPDATE THREAD

Competition pictures

http://www.boston.com/sports/marathon/gallery/0420_eliterunners/

Re: arm carriage and motion. We are all different on this. The arms move automatically to balance the rest of the body.

and come on, he'll drop a minute by raising his arms? Exaggerate much?

Heavens to Murgatrod!

congrats, you beat a woman wrote:

and come on, he'll drop a minute by raising his arms? Exaggerate much?

A minute over 26 miles...possibly, that isn't that much to conserve and improve over 2:08

...I've recently re-tuned into the running scene.

This was the first time I saw Hall live on video, and as others have commented, was surprised at how extremely low his arm motion was. Clearly I was not the only person to notice it.

It hurt to watch, and it was surprising, especially in light of his times.

It looked like the kind of arm motion one has when running up sand dunes, or coming from a crouch start in the 1500.

All I know is that those kind of mechanics things were all coached and trained smooth during my career... I ran with or knew a lot of elite athletes, and yes there is the occassional success with a head tick, or an arm swinging wide, but that arm carry hurt my back and shoulders to watch.

It is my OPINION that most runners, possibly even Hall would run more efficiently if he learned to get comfortable not dragging those wind foils so low.

-Opinion.

Anyone else think it was funny watching these two Sasquatch sized Americans running amongst all these tiny humans?

Hall was a good 4 inches taller and Goucher may have been more!

That was funny!

How can they compete with these lilputians?

I'd say great effort for both!

Post race analysis and splits from both men and women:

http://www.sportsscientists.com/2009/04/boston-marathon-analysis.html

Great effort by Hall and Goucher. I don't know that Hall could have done anything different, though obviously that fast early pace will make people wonder.

Funny how the TV commentators were going on about Hall's ultra-efficient running style, and here on this thread it's different. Each to his own, I guess...

It's the first time in 4 years that Boston has been won by someone as short as Hall.

I think Hall is a lot like Alan Webb when it comes to race tactics. They have both shown they can run fast times, can put their nose in the big races at times, but they don't show the patience and confidence that the winners show.

When Hall went out as hard as he did and 5 miles into it there were still at least a dozen people with him, I knew he wouldn't be the winner. When he didn't tuck in then, I was starting to bet he'd be about 10th.

He showed tremendous guts by regrouping and coming in third. But that just left me wondering what might have happened if he had tucked and responded - the way it seems that most marathons are won. He was clearly very strong - but also impatient.

I thought Goucher ran the better race. She tucked as long as she could and probably realized with what Tune did last year, letting it come down to a last straightaway probably wasn't going to work. In retrospect, I think she might have won it if she pushed it a few miles sooner.

So although they both came in third, Goucher was in the race until about a minute to go and Hall was out of contention for the win for probably about 45 minutes. Better than the Olympics when he was out of contention for 2 hours.

Slowpokeman wrote:

When Hall went out as hard as he did and 5 miles into it there were still at least a dozen people with him, I knew he wouldn't be the winner. When he didn't tuck in then, I was starting to bet he'd be about 10th.

He showed tremendous guts by regrouping and coming in third. But that just left me wondering what might have happened if he had tucked and responded - the way it seems that most marathons are won. He was clearly very strong - but also impatient.

Is this post a joke? I'm serious.

The start wasn't that fast. Do people not understand how downhill it was? Hall has run 2:06 low. He's probably in 2:05 shape now so to run 2:03-4 pace at the start which is 100% way downhill isn't that fast.

So Hall lost because he was impatient yet he lost to a guy who is the most impatient marathoner on the earth - Merga?

Hall led for what - the easiest 6 or 7k of hte course. Then he ran with the pack. When Merga threw down, Hall was amazingly patient and didn't respond all at once. As a result, he ended up 3rd - ahead of last year's Boston champ and last year's Chicago champ.

Why the need to criticize? Hall ran a credible race.

He just lost to a better marathoner. Remember Merga is a guy tha tpushed the pace in the Olympics on Wanjiru in what is the most amazing marathon ever run. Had Merga not hung with Wanjiru he clearly would have medalled?

Did you not realize that Merga was the impatient won. HE threw down at 28k.

Didn't Hall lead for A LOT more than 6-7K of that race?

With a pace like that, it really opens this race up to the kickers. Hell, Shalane should have given it a go. She may have been able to win it on 10k training.

Hall did run a very good race. He needs a great day - like the Olympic Trials effort - to win something like this. Merga is a great runner, and if anything, he seems he would benefit even more than any other with being patient.

Hall was not smart to be out front during the first 10k. He was clearly trying to push the pace from the beginning which is much less efficient than tucking in the pack.How is making a move at 28k more impatient than trying to run everyone off in the first 10k?Hall didn't respond to Merga's move because he got dropped by everyone.It doesn't make any sense to say "he's probably in 2:05 shape". Was Bill Rodgers in 2:04 shape when he ran 2:09:low?I think Hall ran an incredible race, and I can't believe he hung on and picked up almost everyone. But it is obvious that he was impatient at the beginning and could have been in a better position in terms of making a move when the hills came had he not been setting the pace for the first 10k.

Plenty of Monday morning quarterbacking going on here. Let's give credit where credit is due. It doesn't make a particle of difference what passport you hold. This is a sport and today the best man and the best woman won. Almost rans do not matter at the end of the day. In addition, there are certain courses throughout the world on which a negative split is imperative. Boston is one of them. A marathon is almost impossible to predict, so, sit back and enjoy the action. Next stop, London.

I have to go with rojo on this one. Hall did NOT go out too fast. He wanted to keep the pace honest and he realized right away that he was the only one willing to do it. The longer he sits and allows a slow pace to get established, the more the race turns into a half-marathon or 10k contest, which does not favor him. I would say it was his honest pace (but, as rojo pointed out, not too fast) that dropped some of the favorites out of contention later. If Merga dies (like he has in the past) and Rono doesn't hold on quite as well, you would be praising Hall for his smart tactics. He did what he could today and likely could have not run much smarter.

No joke, and I have run Boston so I know how downhill it is.

If he is in 2:05 shape and ran 2:09:40, I'd say he didn't run a smart race. He ran a tough, gutsy race for sure, and the point I was trying to make was that seeing how tough he was over the last 30 minutes makes me wonder if he could have contended longer with a better strategy.

Hall made the race and separated the men from the boys. If it hadn't been a good strategy and he had pushed too hard from the beginning, he never would've been able to claw back for third and almost second. Nobody was beating Merga yesterday. A podium finish was about the best Hall could've hoped for. Frankly, a "medal" at a major marathon is almost better than an Olympic medal, because the competition is greater. There are probably at least 20 Kenyans and a dozen Ethipions who could make a splash at the Olympics, but only three from each country are allowed.

I have posted my race photos here - mainly the elites -

http://www.digitalphotoconcept.com/boston_marathon_photos_2009.htm

Hope you enjoy