4. You seem way too fixated on this, and you should probably just accept that, yes, there are people that can manage 7 min/miles for an hour without training. It isn't all that great of an achievement, to the extent that a number of people in a small city in Australia can achieve it without training. They probably couldn't go much faster in a race, but that's how untrained, 'exercisists' tend to run; 'greyzone'.
Even assuming that what you said is true, it's far easier for an untrained person to run 7 min/miles for an hour than it is for him to run a 3:46 marathon.
Honestly, it's very believable. I ran my first marathon on a whim. I did have a running background from my teens but hadn't run in 10 years. I had been back doing a 4 mile loop twice a week for 6 weeks before I decided to do it but had not run or done any sport in those off-years. I ran 4:05 after going through 16 miles at 3:30 pace and split 1:44/2:21. If I went out slower, I probably wouldn't have cratered as much and would've run in the ballpark of him.
I ran 3:13 4 months later off 25 miles a week. My lifetime PR ended up being 2:32 off 80 miles a week. So pretty good but not an earth shattering level of talent.
Honestly, it's very believable. I ran my first marathon on a whim. I did have a running background from my teens but hadn't run in 10 years. I had been back doing a 4 mile loop twice a week for 6 weeks before I decided to do it but had not run or done any sport in those off-years. I ran 4:05 after going through 16 miles at 3:30 pace and split 1:44/2:21. If I went out slower, I probably wouldn't have cratered as much and would've run in the ballpark of him.
I ran 3:13 4 months later off 25 miles a week. My lifetime PR ended up being 2:32 off 80 miles a week. So pretty good but not an earth shattering level of talent.
In my first marathon (and first race I “trained” for in over a decade), I got under 3:30 off an 18 mpw average (> 25 in a robust 4 week peak) after a layoff of only a few runs total over 4 months. But I was only a bit over 30 years old then.
And I was never fast at all, so I have little trouble believing lots of stories about what’s possible in low mileage.
Honestly, it's very believable. I ran my first marathon on a whim. I did have a running background from my teens but hadn't run in 10 years. I had been back doing a 4 mile loop twice a week for 6 weeks before I decided to do it but had not run or done any sport in those off-years. I ran 4:05 after going through 16 miles at 3:30 pace and split 1:44/2:21. If I went out slower, I probably wouldn't have cratered as much and would've run in the ballpark of him.
I ran 3:13 4 months later off 25 miles a week. My lifetime PR ended up being 2:32 off 80 miles a week. So pretty good but not an earth shattering level of talent.
Doing a 4 mile loop twice a week for 6 weeks is a lot more than what he did, which was 3 runs in 2 months (with each run being a 6-mile loop). He split 1:47/1:59, so while you might have run in the ballpark of him with better splits, he would also have been faster than 3:46 with better splits. It's pretty telling that you had a 2:32 lifetime PR and still couldn't beat him when both you and him were relatively untrained.
But the really suspicious part is not just the times, it's this:
"Mile 18 - I'm still feeling good, I'm just bored with the whole running thing at this point."
What sedentary person do you know of who would be feeling good but bored after running 18 miles??
In my first marathon (and first race I “trained” for in over a decade), I got under 3:30 off an 18 mpw average (> 25 in a robust 4 week peak) after a layoff of only a few runs total over 4 months. But I was only a bit over 30 years old then.
And I was never fast at all, so I have little trouble believing lots of stories about what’s possible in low mileage.
18 miles a week is a world apart from his 18 miles in 2 months.
Honestly, it's very believable. I ran my first marathon on a whim. I did have a running background from my teens but hadn't run in 10 years. I had been back doing a 4 mile loop twice a week for 6 weeks before I decided to do it but had not run or done any sport in those off-years. I ran 4:05 after going through 16 miles at 3:30 pace and split 1:44/2:21. If I went out slower, I probably wouldn't have cratered as much and would've run in the ballpark of him.
I ran 3:13 4 months later off 25 miles a week. My lifetime PR ended up being 2:32 off 80 miles a week. So pretty good but not an earth shattering level of talent.
In my first marathon (and first race I “trained” for in over a decade), I got under 3:30 off an 18 mpw average (> 25 in a robust 4 week peak) after a layoff of only a few runs total over 4 months. But I was only a bit over 30 years old then.
And I was never fast at all, so I have little trouble believing lots of stories about what’s possible in low mileage.
I ran 2:54 at 16 off of 28 mpw 14 mile long run and very few over 10. Hit 20 in 2:08 feeling amazing and then then the bags of bricks came at 22.
Running isn’t the only way to condition. And he did train, 6 miles is decent even done every few weeks. I haven’t opened the article but it’s very possible he has fitness from other activities, as well as fast athletic experience that gives him more efficacy to what minimal training he does
3:46 off of three runs in the past two months before the race may be possible, but the guy's story of how he did it has more red flags than a communist parade.
Mile 18 - I'm still feeling good. I'm just bored
Mile 19-21 - Solid, I'm feeling good
Mile 22 - No pacer...I'm a little bummed because I literally wasn't doing any thinking or calculating for the past 18 miles, just playing follow the leader and now I'm trying to figure out if I'm going too fast and got ahead of him
Um, no. I don't care if you're Bekele or Kipchoge - if you really did nothing except run 3 times in two months, you would not be feeling good at 20 miles even if you could keep up the pace.
So this guy has run a 3:46 'thon and claims to have done it off of virtually zero training:
"I had no intention of running a marathon within the next 3 months and had not been running much at all. I ran the 6 mile loop at Forest Park about 3 times within the past 2 months and thats it as far as running goes"
I find that hard to believe. Heck, I was a 4:26 miler in college, and I don't think I can run a 3:46 right now. And I definitely ran more than 18 miles within the past 2 months.
BS. You do not hear it often but there are crazies out there. Someone told me in high school that he could run 3 miles in 12 minutes. I asked a teammate about what the guy said in front of him, my teammate said, "maybe he can." In retrospect what else can you say?
Honestly, it's very believable. I ran my first marathon on a whim. I did have a running background from my teens but hadn't run in 10 years. I had been back doing a 4 mile loop twice a week for 6 weeks before I decided to do it but had not run or done any sport in those off-years. I ran 4:05 after going through 16 miles at 3:30 pace and split 1:44/2:21. If I went out slower, I probably wouldn't have cratered as much and would've run in the ballpark of him.
I ran 3:13 4 months later off 25 miles a week. My lifetime PR ended up being 2:32 off 80 miles a week. So pretty good but not an earth shattering level of talent.
Sure and what kind of pushups did my skinny friend do? He claims that he did over 100, I am calling BS.
Didn't Bekele run either 2:52 or 2:42 at 15, at altitude (7000+ feet) off of no training?
The lifestyle in countries like East Africa is a lot different. People can't just sit on their coach all day and eat pizza. They have to be active just in their daily lives, which usually involves a lot more walking. There is a reason people are not obese there.
I have no doubt Bekele or Kipchoge could have run 3:46 at age 22 with no training, just off natural fitness.