Official 2017 London Marathon Live Discussion Thread

expect great things wrote:

Sam wrote:

4:27 for the 27th mile.

No way. Didn't they also say women's *26th mile was like 4:56? Sounds like a misplaced mile marker.

Yeah, it definitely didn't look like they were running at that pace.

NativeSon wrote:

KIpchoge could have nailed this one without a doubt!

No such thing as without a doubt. Pre race I would've said Bekele wouldve nailed Wanjiru but look how that turned out.

It wasn't a fluke either. It was just aided.

George213 wrote:

It wasn't a fluke either. It was just aided.

Aided by what? Are you saying he had motors implanted in his shoes?

Rigid wrote:

Wanjiru is a skeleton

Yeah, at the finish he kinda went to flex but nary a hint of a bicep and that's with near zero body fat!

You know, Bekele went 38 seconds faster this year than last in London. This should be a great year for him. Looking forward to Berlin, am I right?

Tailwind.

Duuhhh wrote:

ohyesitsgood wrote:

No such thing as a fluke, he ran 2:03:03 because he was capable of it.

Ryan Hall's 2:04 says hi.

Simply terrible post. Hall's 2:04 was on a one-way wind-aided course.

Bekele's PR was on a record-legal course. See the difference?

I love it when people take a smug tone as if they're saying something smart, but in fact they are just embarrassing themselves with ignorance.

kstvbh wrote:

George213 wrote:

It wasn't a fluke either. It was just aided.

Aided by what? Are you saying he had motors implanted in his shoes?

God I'm so tired of this argument.

kstvbh wrote:

Was Bekele's 2:03.03 a fluke? Never to be approached again?

Or is he still combatting injury or whatever?

Would have broken the WR in Dubai if he hadn't been trampled.

kstvbh wrote:

Was Bekele's 2:03.03 a fluke? Never to be approached again?

Or is he still combatting injury or whatever?

1) Everyone was slow today. Possibly a result of that first 5k. But I think we've gone out that fast before at London and people have finished a bit faster

2) Bekele did get tripped and suffered some injury to his calf in Dubai. Jermans said Bekele hadn't had a perfect build up for this race. While Bekele said he was "in the same shape as Berlin", I think that was the usual post race sounding tough talk that almost everyone does; reading between the lines I think Bekele had a pretty truncated/injury plagued build.

My suspicion about Bekele is that he will always be a bit inconsistent. Always a contender, but for him it seems to be so hard to get in solid blocks of training. When he does, he is as good as anyone except maybe Kipchoge, but that's a once every couple years sort of thing.

I'd have to think Bekele would be a low 2:02 or high 2:01 guy if he could ever string together two or three good cycles. There's no way training inconsistently for 8 years hasn't taken something off the edge of what he once was. There is something to be said for consistent training over periods of time. Perhaps less so for someone whose been running at a godly level for 15 years, but not entirely.

SUPERBEKS wrote:

Kenenisa has the stamina. Kipchoge has the master preperation, tactics and mental strength.

Horrible post.

Lilesa is having an unpleasant marathon experience.

kstvbh wrote:

Bekele to just sail by Wanjiru

LOL.

Non elite first British man back in 2.14.49. W Champs standard!

Duuhhh wrote:

ohyesitsgood wrote:

No such thing as a fluke, he ran 2:03:03 because he was capable of it.

Ryan Hall's 2:04 says hi.

There wasn't a 20mph tailwind in Bekele's race.

Can't fluke a WR eligible course...

or at least it would take the most coincidentally lucky swirling wins we've ever dreamed of.

it was an incredibly exciting race. Then it doesn't matter that everyone

is 2 min slower than expected. How were the conditions today?

NativeSon wrote:

KIpchoge could have nailed this one without a doubt!

That's a given. No way he'd have been dropped like that.

What you guys fail to notice is that London is a HARD HARD course.

Kenny has always had a hard time at this course. It took a lot out of him.

I think he himself underestimated the course.

You wanna do fast time, dont come to London.

Had he run the race to win it, he would have done.

He paid for going for fast time.

BUT BUT, it is still breath taking he managed to come back from that after dropping like a stone through water

says a lot about his talent. really