Official Sub-2 Live Discussion Thread and Prediction Thread

Yeah, but you guys ALWAYS do that and you're right, it's highly insecure.They "agree with us". You're credit grabbers. Every time a subject comes up, you claim that you've got the answer, others heard it from you, and the agree with "your" opinion.I called it too, but you won't find one post by me after he finished, not one.I think he came pretty damn close enough to 2 hours, closer than I ever believed he would. So close that I kinda feel like my opinion on the results "wasn't" totally right. He's always had my respect, but he blew me away last, big time.

wejo wrote:

Robert never said it wasn't fun to see. His tweet just said letsrundotcom was right and it was arrogant. Super insecure like Trump and it came at the right time.

The run itself was inspiring. Kipchoge is just so much fun to watch.

I don't think people are trashing the run at all. I think most of us who watched it are really impressed by it. Kipchoge brought his game.

I personally didn't want the first sub 2 to be in a closed competition reserved for one shoe company where the rules were changed. But we could have new events like this, "fastest marathon ever run."

And the fact Kipchoge came close and didn't break the record helps this event. If he ran say 1:57 flat, a lot of hard core runners would be -"it's the new shoes" and not "it's Eliud Kipchoge"

Well done, good guess. I said that they wouldn't break 2 hours, but truthfully, your guess was better (closer) than mine. Respectfully,Congrats and well done Matt James!

The Guru Matt James wrote:

G^3 wrote:

Your prediction will be way off and you surely can't be a Guru of running.

Hmm, how close was your prediction, bro?

My biggest issue with this attempt is that it is against the spirit of running.

Running is supposed to be about the runner, his talent, training and effort. Other sports depend on skill, money, funding, specialized coaches. Running on the otherhand is a much more level playing field, a true measure of one's ability and hard work against another. That's why some of our biggest heroes came from nothing to stardom, like Geb or Bikila, etc. etc.

Now, I am afraid all that will matter is who has the biggest sponsor to pull off a stunt like this. You ran a 2:05 on your own with minimal support? Well now you suck compared to the 25 guys who ran 2:02 or faster thanks to sponsored "stunts" by Nike, Adidas, NB, Asics and anyone else who wants to jump on the bandwagon.

And who's to say this trend won't continue in every single attempt? The 10K? 5K? 1 mile? Sure, they have professional pacers in Diamond League and whatnot but certainly not a phalanx of pacers who can swap in and out. Those races also arent championships so nobody trains for an entire season or "peaks" for that event skipping out on other racing opportunities because they can't afford it.

Imagine if Nike gave Kiprop a million dollars to take 6 months to focus on a record breaking event. It would become a circus.

grox wrote:By the way, this was a sub-two hours attempt. Not about two hours. It failed.

Nothing wrong with a circus where humans do the work the animals used to do.

so why did this broadcast need a "court jester" and why Kevin Hart?

I mean Kevin Hart is a real-world running enthusiast and does 5K runs/races when he tours inviting everyone to run with him. That's fantastic and noble.

So why turn him into the court jester for this?

Well said, great post. The spirit of running is really what it should be about.

nicene99 wrote:

Watch the race, it's on YouTube. If you think a car in front of him and different shoes would have made a "considerable" difference, then that's your belief, not mine.

You think 2:00:XX, do ya? Sorry, you are not too quick on the uptake are you? They could run dead even, 60:00 flat at half way, and they will not come back in a sub 61:00 the second half.

You owe me an apology.

I was wrong I did not think a sub 2:00 or even a 2:02 was possible no matter the stage dressing and props.

I'll carve out a bit of time and watch it in replay. That said I had a good nights sleep

My take on the 150 seconds:

20 seconds: A course 42 meters shorter than what the athletes actually run in because there was no SCPF, also, as you note mainly straight- few curves.

15 seconds: bicycle aid stations

75 seconds: wind breaking and mental support from a pacing car and pack of runners (this is actually the greatest factor)

20 seconds: perfect weather conditions

20 seconds: THE SHOES!!!

I would like to see Adidas guys in these shoes and try the same. Didn't Kipchoge wore the same shoes when he ran 2:03.xx?

btw how about kudos for the pacers, I could be wrong but they seemed to do a fantastic job

I even see a few with watches on - so I wonder if any of those laps will show up on Strava at some point

This, the windscreen, was the biggest factor of the improvements. The temperature at 53 at the start was fine but by the end the temp was probably a little high at closer to 60. I am still astonished by Kipchoge's performance but the windscreen (aided of course by 42km of pacers in a v) was likely the reason for nearly 2 minutes of his drop.

cvxxvzc wrote:

The laser shows that they are in fact being marked to stay within the car and windscreen's slipstream, so that has got to be their ace in the hole--the pacers are some drafting but the windscreen more so. On a side note, it looks a bit windy with some swirling stuff around them.

Moo Goo wrote:

I would like to see Adidas guys in these shoes and try the same. Didn't Kipchoge wore the same shoes when he ran 2:03.xx?

No. One of Eliud's key session was a resistance race where he wore Nike Streak 6s with the insole 3/4 way out and flapping in the wind

Absolutely Dennis. Please accept my most sincerest apologies. Although I totally believed in what I posted, I was wrong and the words that I used about you were childish and uncalled for. Even on an anonymous forum, I shouldn't have posted that. Good call Dennis, you got it right. Have a good weekend.

Dennis T Reynolds wrote:

nicene99 wrote:

Watch the race, it's on YouTube. If you think a car in front of him and different shoes would have made a "considerable" difference, then that's your belief, not mine.

You think 2:00:XX, do ya? Sorry, you are not too quick on the uptake are you? They could run dead even, 60:00 flat at half way, and they will not come back in a sub 61:00 the second half.

You owe me an apology.

wineturtle wrote:

I was wrong I did not think a sub 2:00 or even a 2:02 was possible no matter the stage dressing and props.

I'll carve out a bit of time and watch it in replay. That said I had a good nights sleep

Don't bother, it's over. Super compelling to watch it live though. Couldn't you get a good nights sleep the other 364 nights of the year? You & Lardhopper must have narcolepsy.

No one apologizes on LetsRun. You really have to be new here!

nicene99 wrote:

Absolutely Dennis. Please accept my most sincerest apologies. Although I totally believed in what I posted, I was wrong and the words that I used about you were childish and uncalled for. Even on an anonymous forum, I shouldn't have posted that. Good call Dennis, you got it right. Have a good weekend.

Dennis T Reynolds wrote:

You owe me an apology.

you know it would be VERY easy to make a mythbusters-style proof of the wind drag, any magazine could pay to do it on the cheap and get lots of clicks

get access to a wind tunnel that will hold a tesla

put the tesla in there with a stand-in for Kipchoge

then setup pacer stand-ins in the arrow formation

create 13mph wind

measure force on Kipchoge stand-in

take away pacers, measure force

take away tesla, measure force

(and visa-versa)

don't even need access to the shoes, everyone just stands still and let the 13mph wind move over them

Ross Tucker said the Tesla was the unsung hero.

yyy wrote:

So how much does the slipstream save them????

Serious question.