IDK if anyone has said this or not but how is Verzbikas HIGH SCHOOL 2mile record valid since he did not race other High Schoolers? If youre going to class women records this way then do the same for all.
IDK if anyone has said this or not but how is Verzbikas HIGH SCHOOL 2mile record valid since he did not race other High Schoolers? If youre going to class women records this way then do the same for all.
just my tuppence wrote:
Just to shed some light on the absurdity of the IAAF decision: The reason why that year (and not the others) the London Marathon had three male runners in the women's race is that the IAAF at the time would not recognise world bests (marathon world records did not exist) in women only races...
That's not even close to being true.
The IAAF is starting to act like the old AAU. Eventually they were pushed aside and replaced. They are still around but not for top class running and track and field.
I can remember boycotting races that were AAU certified. We all did it (1970's) until race directors stopped using them.
Perhaps any world record paced by a later 'convicted' drug cheat should also invalidate that world record as it was illegally aided?
If the main arguement is the advantage for women to get paced 95% of the way, why not just make a blanket pacing rule that pacers can only hang in the race until 30km or 20 miles or whatever someone dreams up as being valid. That way, both men and women get the same advantage.
On the men's side, I really don't see how they can keep Makau's WR given he had an army of pacers, much worse than Paula. That day in Berlin, there was a small breeze which was prevalent in the first half, so he was well sheltered during the worst of it. So even when the pacers were gone after 30 or 35km, there was no wind to contend with and he'd already got his advantage.
just my tuppence wrote:
Just to shed some light on the absurdity of the IAAF decision: The reason why that year (and not the others) the London Marathon had three male runners in the women's race is that the IAAF at the time would not recognise world bests (marathon world records did not exist) in women only races...
Avocado's Number wrote:
That's not even close to being true.
As established in another thread, that is absolutely true.
Who will pace elite women runner other than men? If men can use pacemakers women should be aloud to as well. There are hardly any women that could serve as pacemakers for Radcliffe. The elite women should be allowed to run with men. Having a male pacer should not be treated as a performance drug. It would be easier for race organizers as well if the women are allowed to start with the men. It makes racing more competitive and leads to faster times. Aside from that the record was set in 2003 it should be grandfathered in past this rule. There is only a two minute difference it could not of made that much of a difference running in a mixed environment