What country/era would win an all time DMR?

Best chance US would have at it is 2005-7 era:

Webb: Mile, Lagat: 1200, Symmonds?: 800m, Warriner: 400m

You could go with 2000 Kenya as well with Ngeny and Lagat and a 1:42high/1:43 leg and a 45 400 guy.

2011-13 America would be very strong too with Manzano and Centrowitz, Symmonds/Solomon and Merritt.

US would be strong in 1986 with Jim Spivey Steve Scott Johnny Gray and a strong 400m leg,

2011 Kenyan team would wreck everyone. Put Kiprop at 1200 and Kiplagat at 1600.

Spain nowadays has a pretty decent team. Katir (in 3,28 shape), Mechaal, Mariano or Saul Ordoñez for the 800m (1,43,65 Pb) and Bruno Hortelano in the 400 (44,63)

Ovett never ran 3:46 (or won 1500 Olympic silver). I was willing to excuse it once but not twice.

Like THOUGHTSLEADER mentioned, the ‘99-‘02 era Kenyan team could be very strong. Lagat at 1600, Ngeny at 1200 (think about that, you’re putting a 3:43.40 miler on the 1200 leg because you have a 3:26.34 1500 guy who’s more distance-leaning, and your 3:43 guy is the 1k WR holder), and Wilfred Bungei who ran 1:42.34 in ‘02.

The 2017-18 Kenyan team could also be quite strong. Just in those two seasons, Cheruiyot ran 3:28.41, Manangoi ran 3:28.80 and E. Korir ran 1:42.05. Not quite as good as the ~2001 and ~2011 editions though, I suppose.

Considering the U.S. squad, I want to ask how fast and loose we’re playing with the “same era” thing? Because for instance, Ovett wasn’t in top form in 1984, Coe wasn’t in top form in 1983, and Cram hadn’t fully matured in 1980. If we’re willing to stretch to 2016-2021, Centrowitz (3:46.x)/Hocker (2:45.x)/Brazier (1:42.x)/Norman (43.x) would make a strong squad—not the winner, probably not the strongest U.S. team, but better than any team outside of these 3 countries that I can think of.

Norway 2018-2021 would have 3 good legs (Ingebrigtsen 3:45.x/Ingebrigtsen 2:45.x/Warholm 44.x) but could only put up a 1:45.x 800 leg, effectively putting them out of contention for the podium.

Final answer (one per country):

1. Kenya ‘99-‘02 8:52.1

Noah Ngeny 2:42.6

Ezra Sambu 44.2 (3:26.8)

Wilfred Bungei 1:42.3 (5:09.1)

Bernard Lagat 3:43.0 (8:52.1)

2. Great Britain ‘81-‘85 8:56.0

Steve Ovett 2:44.5

Phil Brown 45.0 (3:29.5)

Sebastian Coe 1:41.5 (5:11.0)

Steve Cram 3:45.0 (8:56.0)

3. United States ‘07-‘10 8:57.2

Alan Webb 2:44.3

Jeremy Wariner 43.3 (3:27.6)

Khadevis Robinson 1:43.6 (5:11.2)

Bernard Lagat 3:46.0 (8:57.2)

My bad, I meant Cram got a silver and ran 3:46. Wrong Steve I guess

Maybe put Wariner on the 800 leg.

USA 2016? Centro (better than 2016), Andrews (better in a 1200 that year than Manzono), Murphy (his bronze year, very similar to Symmonds and Solomon) and Merritt (Worse than 2012 but probably not by much)

Many of you know your track history better than me, I have nothing to offer there. But I would add that DMR's have a history of being some of the most unpredictable races out there.

In theory, the race shouldn't be that hard to predict. But it seems the 1200 is a weird enough race that a couple of favorites always struggle with the distance, and the 800/400 legs just don't matter that much because they are so much shorter. Then, on the anchor, it so often becomes a sit-and-kick fest because the teams who get the stick with the lead are scared of dying in the home straight if they are aggressive on the first couple of laps.

In a real-world race, I would take the team with a dynamite 1200 leg and a super-versatile anchor. For the 1200, I'd want someone who could run both the 1000m and the 1500m well, and then for the 1600, I'd want to have a great time-trial miler who could either blast it hard for 1600m or win in a sit-and-kick style race. To me, that is probably the Ngeny-Lagat combo. Bungei as a 1:42 man is just icing on the cake.

Love this question, by the way.

Current Norway

So we can use juicers on our fantasy teams like OP did with Asbel Kiprop?

2012 - 2015 Kenya:

Kiprop - 1:43/3:26 (to run the 1200)

Kiplagat - 3:27

Rudisha - 1:40.

Women, early 80s, Soviet Union.