I got tired of reading everyone's post because it doesn't make sense. And then it makes sense. You are all saying the same thing pretty much.
I am glad Rupp won. He earned it and I won't take any credit away from him. And plus at this moment, considering what the country is going through it was good to see an American win. I like the guy.
Now here is how my other side feels. I feel he is so much better then 2:09 so I was disappointed. All the 2:06-07 talk was not necessary. I know things don't always go the way you want them. But Rupp should have pushed from the beginning. Forget the pacers or your secret undercover pacer. The pacer obviously did a terrible job of helping Rupp to even break 2:09. And then looking at how fast he ran the last 4 miles don't you guys think he left a lot in the tank and didn't really race the best way for a better time? Seriously. You have to race your own race against the clock. Forget the crowd sometimes. So next time Rupp make sure you have your watch on you unless you have someone telling you how fast you are running on the course. That's the reason why to a degree I loved Ryan Hall. Ryan Hall would have pushed that sucker a lot harder in the beginning.
My last point. I am glad he won and he earned it. But did he really win? I get where the negativity and suspicion is coming from. There is a world record holder and Stanely Biwott just all of sudden drop and the announcer even took a long time to notice it and say it. Where they there just to enhance the race and make it look like Rupp went against a tough crowd but were suppose to drop out. Are you telling me that even on a bad day that a 2:02:57 guy can't run a 2:09? The same for Stanely. Well lets justify those two by saying oh they have a habit of dropping out. Then come Tadese who was so relaxed and he drops suddenly. Alright lets say Tadese never finished a marathon that good. But then comes Abel Kirui. Was he suppose to hang on as much and then let him go at the end by giving him a little distance. But make it look like a spectacular competitive race between two guys almost down to the end? Yes he did. Because Abel could have won the race if he wanted to and decided that from the beginning of the race because it would have been a much faster race.
At last this is why I give credit to Rupp. When you run that slow the whole race when it comes to the last 4 miles none of them would have handled him. Maybe Dennis Kimmeto if he was for reals. So I give Rupp credit for kicking ass in the last 4 miles because he can and they can't. Because he still has the 10k wheels. During the race I was actually wondering if Rupp is a real marathoner or should he just focus on the 10K or maybe half marathon. I really wanted him to run 2:05-07. I wish it was an honest race. I rather see him 4th with a 2:06 time than the 2:09. Now whether the other runners just came to collect appearance fee or not we don't know but I see why some are questioning if they were suppose to let Rupp win. There will always be another race.
