Wow, Tommy, that’s an incredible achievement, especially at age 64! Beating the previous record while overcoming a head cold just shows your remarkable determination and resilience. The perfect weather and supportive crowd must have been a great boost too. Going for the over 65's record and aiming to break the 2:30 barrier is ambitious and inspiring. Best of luck with your training and future races. You're truly setting a high bar for athletes of all ages! Keep up the great work!
If some of you think it quite feasible that an athlete should lose only twenty minutes or so on their best marathon time by their mid sixties then we should anticipate Kipchoge running better than 2:20 at 64. (Of course Bekele will still be running 2:04). I suspect most posters are considerably younger than 64, because when you reach your mid-sixties you will realise nobody is Superman. You probably couldn't beat yourself when you were 12. I'm not necessarily referring to myself - I know quite a few still trying to play competitive sport at that age. With the help of artificial hips and knees.
I think anyone questioning the legitimacy of his performances is missing a basic statistical fact: with 8.1 billion people on the earth there are going to be anomalies, outliers, and very lucky and special people who do extraordinary things.
Something none of wants to admit is no matter who you are there will always be someone richer, smarter, faster, and luckier than you. It takes maturity to understand this. If you go down the path of comparing yourself to these special others you will become a very bitter, unhappy person who feels everyone is “better” than you are.
As an aside, I consider Ed Whitlock an icon I idolize. In 2022 I tried to train like him. It ended with me injuring both hips and my ankle. I can now say with humor that “I aint no Ed Whitlock” and feel good about both his legacy and my silly idea to try to emulate his training. The best thing I DID learn from Ed was his humility and humanity. His personality and attitude were the greatest of his gifts.
I think anyone questioning the legitimacy of his performances is missing a basic statistical fact: with 8.1 billion people on the earth there are going to be anomalies, outliers, and very lucky and special people who do extraordinary things.
Something none of wants to admit is no matter who you are there will always be someone richer, smarter, faster, and luckier than you. It takes maturity to understand this. If you go down the path of comparing yourself to these special others you will become a very bitter, unhappy person who feels everyone is “better” than you are.
As an aside, I consider Ed Whitlock an icon I idolize. In 2022 I tried to train like him. It ended with me injuring both hips and my ankle. I can now say with humor that “I aint no Ed Whitlock” and feel good about both his legacy and my silly idea to try to emulate his training. The best thing I DID learn from Ed was his humility and humanity. His personality and attitude were the greatest of his gifts.
This is truly what it should look like IF an Olympian level talent (2:10 or faster) didn't break his body in 20s and 30s and kept training at a high level. Bekele probably can still break 2:30 if he kept going for 20 more years.
I think anyone questioning the legitimacy of his performances is missing a basic statistical fact: with 8.1 billion people on the earth there are going to be anomalies, outliers, and very lucky and special people who do extraordinary things.
Something none of wants to admit is no matter who you are there will always be someone richer, smarter, faster, and luckier than you. It takes maturity to understand this. If you go down the path of comparing yourself to these special others you will become a very bitter, unhappy person who feels everyone is “better” than you are.
As an aside, I consider Ed Whitlock an icon I idolize. In 2022 I tried to train like him. It ended with me injuring both hips and my ankle. I can now say with humor that “I aint no Ed Whitlock” and feel good about both his legacy and my silly idea to try to emulate his training. The best thing I DID learn from Ed was his humility and humanity. His personality and attitude were the greatest of his gifts.
The old "outlier" argument. It is routinely used to excuse every doper.
Does the mandatory state sponsored brit doping program extend to these old geezers too? How pathetic the brits are that they try to distract their populace from their third world economy and living conditions with a desperate attempt for success in sports through doping.
It was well documented he had thyroid issues (2014 - 2016). Was he given a TUE? Is Tommy still on a TUE?
Why did he quit after Barcelona 1992? Was that his last race?
Did Tommy ever break 15min for 5k between 1988-1992?
Is 8:25 3k his fastest ever short distance?
You don't need a TUE for thyroid meds. We're closing in on 20 years of "informed" people repeating this without bothering to check if it's true.
"16. IS IT TRUE THAT MANY ATHLETES ARE BEING GRANTED TUES FOR ANALGESICS, BETA-2 AGONISTS (ASTHMA MEDICATION) AND THYROID HORMONES? A TUE can only be granted for a substance or method that is prohibited. Thyroid hormones, most analgesics and many inhaled beta-2 agonists (when taken in therapeutic doses) are not prohibited."
This is truly what it should look like IF an Olympian level talent (2:10 or faster) didn't break his body in 20s and 30s and kept training at a high level. Bekele probably can still break 2:30 if he kept going for 20 more years.
It's what it "truly looks like" when it is also apparently unimpeded by admitted alcoholism in earlier years. In a runner it doesn't appear to "break the body" - only in non-athletes, it seems.
Your comment about continuing to train at a high level presumes that an aging body is indefinitely able to do that. High for one's sixties maybe but not for one's twenties.
Basically EVERY woman over the age of 50-55 is on hormones to counteract the effects of menopause.
Straight from the anti-doping agency : Hormone replacement therapies (HRT) involving estrogen, estradiol, or progesterone to treat the symptoms of menopause are not prohibited.
TRT for men is LEGAL with a TUE :
"An example of a TUE is the World Anti-Doping Agency's exemption for testosterone replacement therapy. The average for a normal functioning male is a 1:1 ratio, but WADA allows up to a 4:1 ratio without testing positive for elevated testosterone. "
It isn't difficult for seniors to get a prescription for testosterone, to supposedly correct a "deficiency".
I think anyone questioning the legitimacy of his performances is missing a basic statistical fact: with 8.1 billion people on the earth there are going to be anomalies, outliers, and very lucky and special people who do extraordinary things.
Something none of wants to admit is no matter who you are there will always be someone richer, smarter, faster, and luckier than you. It takes maturity to understand this. If you go down the path of comparing yourself to these special others you will become a very bitter, unhappy person who feels everyone is “better” than you are.
As an aside, I consider Ed Whitlock an icon I idolize. In 2022 I tried to train like him. It ended with me injuring both hips and my ankle. I can now say with humor that “I aint no Ed Whitlock” and feel good about both his legacy and my silly idea to try to emulate his training. The best thing I DID learn from Ed was his humility and humanity. His personality and attitude were the greatest of his gifts.
You injured your hips and ankle by jogging 9 min miles around a graveyard?
A 25 minute turkeytrotter could train harder than that 🦃
I think anyone questioning the legitimacy of his performances is missing a basic statistical fact: with 8.1 billion people on the earth there are going to be anomalies, outliers, and very lucky and special people who do extraordinary things.
Something none of wants to admit is no matter who you are there will always be someone richer, smarter, faster, and luckier than you. It takes maturity to understand this. If you go down the path of comparing yourself to these special others you will become a very bitter, unhappy person who feels everyone is “better” than you are.
As an aside, I consider Ed Whitlock an icon I idolize. In 2022 I tried to train like him. It ended with me injuring both hips and my ankle. I can now say with humor that “I aint no Ed Whitlock” and feel good about both his legacy and my silly idea to try to emulate his training. The best thing I DID learn from Ed was his humility and humanity. His personality and attitude were the greatest of his gifts.
In reference to your adulation for Ed Whitlock, you might also note that at only a few years older than Tommy Hughes he could barely break 3 hr for the 70's age wr. Nowhere near 2:36.
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