What nonsense. "Something wrong with him" because he doesn't run fast times. Something wrong with his rivals training if they can't beat this slow chump.
What nonsense. "Something wrong with him" because he doesn't run fast times. Something wrong with his rivals training if they can't beat this slow chump.
Pete Campbell wrote:
What nonsense. "Something wrong with him" because he doesn't run fast times. Something wrong with his rivals training if they can't beat this slow chump.
His rivals moved to the marathon long time ago. The marathon- that thing that many go sub 2:05. Sub 2:05- that thing that Farah will never achieve and that's why he stays in that boring track
No, people want to see transcendence, not showmanship.
If Mo hadn't been doing this shtick since 2012, maybe I'd have a higher tolerance for it.
Of course, when it comes to high stakes, high calibre races Mo isn't the only one to blame: it's all those other pea-brained Kenyans and Ethiopians who never, ever, ever take risks and never, ever try to out-race him. The most we ever see in 5k or 10k is someone pushing the pace with 2 laps to go. Well, my question is: when you have a team of 3 Ethiopians or 3 Kenyans why on earth aren't you working together, starting out at a brutal pace to destabilise Mo? They never try it. They always run tactically and lose to Mo's superior turn of pace in the final 400m.
Remember that saying, apocryphally attributed to Einstein? "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results".
It's rather frustrating that the most successful long-distance track runner of this generation, one of the most successful of all time actually has genuinely mediocre PBs (31st fastest 5k runner, 16th fastest 10k) , and what's more frustrating is that he seemingly hasn't really tried all that hard to to improve those PBs. Take Genzebe Dibaba, for instance: every year now she goes for a WR attempt at least 2-3 times. Well, her PBs are pretty good, and of course she now has the 1500 WR previously held by the turtle soup Chinese and thought unattainable.
Do you know how big the difference between 7th and 1st is...? Do you know much how absolutely massive the difference between 7th and getting 1st, 1st, 1st, 1st, 1st etc is? Same as the difference between a man who runs 13:07 and a man who runs 12:53.... DRUGS. Alberto dope.
Mrr82 wrote:
[quote]Mohammad's EPO wrote:
Exactly. Watch his races from 2009 and earlier. He improved magically at an older age. I don't care about his races, I can't stand him because I believe whole heartedly that he's a doping cheater. So many blatant red flags.
Completely false,
He was 7th at the world champs in 2009 and had the 13th fastest time in 2010. Both much better than top 20....In 2011 when he joined NOP he had the fastest time at 12:53. Mo improved...but I think it's safe to say the rest of the world post bekele's best years slowed down too.
It's not that massive when the rest of the field is worried about getting busted.
All this pining for the old days when runners where unabashedly running fast times off of no testing is odd.
Whether Mo is drugged up or not, what we are witnessing is probably the lowest level of drug infueled racing in decades.
All this mashing of teeth over slow times makes it seem as if the complainers want to return to the days where the best chemicals win.
K
It's rather frustrating that the most successful long-distance track runner of this generation, one of the most successful of all time actually has genuinely mediocre PBs (31st fastest 5k runner, 16th fastest 10k) , and what's more frustrating is that he seemingly hasn't really tried all that hard to to improve those PBs. Take Genzebe Dibaba, for instance: every year now she goes for a WR attempt at least 2-3 times. Well, her PBs are pretty good, and of course she now has the 1500 WR previously held by the turtle soup Chinese and thought unattainable.
Compare the competitive record at world level of Dibaba vs Farah. In particular how did she turn a 5 second advantage over 1500m into Silver?
At the very least, Mo should phone you to apologize for not being the runner you want him to be. I think he's got a bloody nerve
anonymous tool wrote:
No one's disputing that Mo doesn't have to care about running fast *all* the time. The problem is that he doesn't seem to care about running fast *any* of the time.
Like many, I don't think he can touch Bekele's records, but my respect for him would rise if he actually showed some guts and tried -- even just once. But he never has, and he never will.
college boiiii wrote:You really think that Farah at this point gives a shit about running fast at some rinky dink meet? It's always nice to see guys, especially someone with Mo's popularity, go for fast times but the reality is that not every athlete cares about running fast all the time, even if it's what the fans want. You see this same knuckle-dragging type mentality in MMA and boxing, where if a good fighter doesn't constantly go for the knockout, and instead takes less risks and goes for an easy win, then the athlete is somehow a scumbag for not giving the fans what they want to see.
Actually it's still the best chemicals that win.
ukathleticscoach wrote:
Compare the competitive record at world level of Dibaba vs Farah. In particular how did she turn a 5 second advantage over 1500m into Silver?
It takes some true talent to do that!
smh, here we go... wrote:
Does the name Isaiah Kipkoech Koech ring a bell? What about John Kipkoech?
No?
Exactly. No one really cares about a fast time. The guys i listed ran 12:48 and 12:49, which is wayyy faster than Farah's pr, but no one remembers their name except seeing them on the all time list.
This is ridiculous. No one's saying that times are the only thing that matters. But fast times and championship wins aren't mutually exclusive. Why does Mo just sit and kick in these kinds of races? Why doesn't he just freaking go for it? Everyone's talking about him doing it for the fans, but don't you think the fans would love to see if Mo went for it from the gun and absolutely crushed the field instead of just sitting and kicking? Why doesn't he? It would be awesome
Kiplop wrote:
It's rather frustrating that the most successful long-distance track runner of this generation, one of the most successful of all time actually has genuinely mediocre PBs (31st fastest 5k runner, 16th fastest 10k) , and what's more frustrating is that he seemingly hasn't really tried all that hard to to improve those PBs. Take Genzebe Dibaba, for instance: every year now she goes for a WR attempt at least 2-3 times. Well, her PBs are pretty good, and of course she now has the 1500 WR previously held by the turtle soup Chinese and thought unattainable.
Only the 16th fastest 10k in history? Useless.
Bob De Nero wrote:
Pete Campbell wrote:What nonsense. "Something wrong with him" because he doesn't run fast times. Something wrong with his rivals training if they can't beat this slow chump.
His rivals moved to the marathon long time ago. The marathon- that thing that many go sub 2:05. Sub 2:05- that thing that Farah will never achieve and that's why he stays in that boring track
You've got it backwards. Nobody watches marathons. The Africans onl ydo them for the money. 80000 people will fill the stadium to watch Farah in London with millions watching at home.
His rivals are whoever shares the podium with him. Good sub 13 runners. But they can't beat Mo. One month before the London olympics 5 of the top 12 fastest 5k times ever were run. These 5 guys were all smoked by Mo in the final. Maybe they should focus on training instead of time trialing.
Mo Farah is the GOAT. He doesn't lose. Why would he risk trying to go all out for a stupid NR? He gets paid to WIN, WIN, WIN.
If he is, as you say, not in great shape right now, then that is a good reason to not go for a PR.
He's working on getting race sharp.
Makes sense.
Now if he was in great shape I would agree that he should go for time in that situation.
Mo Farah is the epitome of non-amateur athletics. He is a paid shill of his sponsors. Racing for money, contract bonuses and solely focused on the bottom line result of a win.
That's the problem. He's a boring "professional" sportsmen who dodges competition, unless there's a payday (WC, OG, etc). Somehow AlSal forgot the roots of his UO days and bought himself and his "team" into the Nike world of manufactured competition and commercialized racing.
I respect Mo's accomplishments, speed and ridiculous range. I'm disappointing in his career because he avoided the humanizing elements of athletics that draw all of us in and pursued the goals of his career with a for-profit checklist.
A winner may be remembered, but won't always be respected.
Drug Of Choice wrote:
I think he is a drug fraud but these races are more about the promoters than Mo. He does deliver in the champs where it counts.
This.
Win and make bank.
Ryan Deak III, Esq. wrote:
Mo Farah is the epitome of non-amateur athletics. He is a paid shill of his sponsors. Racing for money, contract bonuses and solely focused on the bottom line result of a win.
That's the problem. He's a boring "professional" sportsmen who dodges competition, unless there's a payday (WC, OG, etc). Somehow AlSal forgot the roots of his UO days and bought himself and his "team" into the Nike world of manufactured competition and commercialized racing.
I respect Mo's accomplishments, speed and ridiculous range. I'm disappointing in his career because he avoided the humanizing elements of athletics that draw all of us in and pursued the goals of his career with a for-profit checklist.
A winner may be remembered, but won't always be respected.
How many Olympic gold medals would the guy need for your approval?
john utah wrote:
How many Olympic gold medals would the guy need for your approval?
The more interesting question is whether there would be the same hate if he were an American athlete
ExpertKipWatcher wrote:
john utah wrote:How many Olympic gold medals would the guy need for your approval?
The more interesting question is whether there would be the same hate if he were an American athlete
I think everyone is hated on letsrun. enough hate to go around
john utah wrote:
Ryan Deak III, Esq. wrote:A winner may be remembered, but won't always be respected.
How many Olympic gold medals would the guy need for your approval?
The problem is that you think the Gold Medals and "winning" somehow outweigh the lack of substance he's provided. Winning is great. Kudos to him.
That doesn't mean it makes up for not choosing to push himself and explore his true potential. Winning when it counts doesn't make up for skipping competitions when it doesn't count, because AlSal has a better plan.
Like I said, I have respect for what he's done/won, but for his career and competitive profile, I don't have as much respect for the things he's avoided. That's my opinion, my interest in the sport, and why I've been a denizen of the hell-hole that is Letsrun for 17 years. We want the real deal; we want to dream and see true greatness pursued. Times are a factual benchmark; they last; they prove your ability and the efforts you went to.