I've been wondering about that for years. IMO it should replace Boston in the majors. Boston isn't a record eligible course, just has a lot of history and sentiment attached to it.
I read that Abdi was injured during the winter. He gave up during the HM of Gent if I'm not wrong. I'm note sure he will be at his best for this marathon, not even sure he will be on the start line, no?
Abdi first name or last name?
This remark was about Bashir Abdi from Belgium. And as I said, he claimed not to be injured, but undertrained.
It was after the Rotterdam Marathon that I knew Lopes would win the 1984 Olympic Marathon. I was at the Montreal Olympics watching as Lopes lead the 10,000 for nearly the entire race and Viren had to run a 2 minute last 800 to beat him (fast for those days). Plus, he won the World Cross Country Championships in 1984 (I was there as well) with a powerful last lap. Rotterdam showed that he couldn't win in a final sprint and he would need to break open the race earlier. Fast forward to LA84, and as predicted Lopes ran with the pack through the first twenty miles and took off ....no one was going to catch the fastest 10k runner in the field that day. After the Olympics it was just a matter of time before he would run the marathon the same way he did the 10,000 in Montreal....from the lead and break the world best, which he did in Chicago.
Belgium's Bashir Abdi ran 2:03:35 last year, setting the course record and the European record.
Dutchman Abdi Nageeye has a 2:06:XX PR and is in my opinion the slower runner. His Olympic silver was a one-off.
Bashir Abdi will prevail.
And Marius Kipserem, former winner and course record holder, wants to take back there course record.
So yes, we might see fast times.
I read that Abdi was injured during the winter. He gave up during the HM of Gent if I'm not wrong. I'm note sure he will be at his best for this marathon, not even sure he will be on the start line, no?
Bashir’s mate, Nageeye, has said in a preview that Bashir will join him at the start
It was after the Rotterdam Marathon that I knew Lopes would win the 1984 Olympic Marathon. I was at the Montreal Olympics watching as Lopes lead the 10,000 for nearly the entire race and Viren had to run a 2 minute last 800 to beat him (fast for those days). Plus, he won the World Cross Country Championships in 1984 (I was there as well) with a powerful last lap. Rotterdam showed that he couldn't win in a final sprint and he would need to break open the race earlier. Fast forward to LA84, and as predicted Lopes ran with the pack through the first twenty miles and took off ....no one was going to catch the fastest 10k runner in the field that day. After the Olympics it was just a matter of time before he would run the marathon the same way he did the 10,000 in Montreal....from the lead and break the world best, which he did in Chicago.
I remember seeing Molla debut in 2:03:34 in Dubai what feels like a lifetime ago. He looked so incredibly smooth, I thought he would be a real contender moving forward (despite the typical trajectory of Dubai winners).
Alas, we see what has happened. I don't think he's done a single notable thing since then.
Every year in the first weekend of April the NN Marathon Rotterdam takes place. The world’s top athletes as well as thousands of runners from home and abroad get to experience what it’s like to finish on the renowned Coolsing...