At press conference ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKIZlu_L5tM) around 24 min in 60:40 is mentioned, Kipchoge doesn't neither deny nor confirm it. He even asks the journalist where he got that information.
This is a great back and forth that lasts a couple of minutes, thanks for pointing this out.
According to this post by Alberto Stretti, the lead group is set at 60:50. I'd imagine there's some flexibility there depending on Eliud's explicit instructions during the race though. Interestingly, there's a second group at 61:20. Could this be for Adola? I'm not sure who else could reasonably attempt so quick.
Kipchoge is a grand champion and a fantastic ambassador for our sport. Would be awesome if he crushes the WR tomorrow. Weather forecast is indeed perfect.
I was just thinking about this. For a guy who ran 59:30 in April, what does it feel like being a 23 year old Philemon, pacing your legendary countryman in the 60:50 group for a wr attempt? I'd imagine that it a lot of pressure to run at almost your all-out race pace while having to make sure you keep it rock steady the entire time.
All the Kipchoge haters rooting for Father Time will be right, eventually.
They'll just keep going with the same lame predictions until they're right. And then they'll ignore the fact that they were wrong about 15 times before their "wisdom" is finally apparent to all
You don’t have to be a Kipchoge hater to make a simple prediction; I predicted he’d win but fade to 2:02:59 and I’ve written thousands of words arguing Kipchoge’s case for the greatest runner of all time. But in contrast to Kipchoge’s tagline, I believe “Every human is limited.”
A little crazy to me how many assume he can blow his WR away, and funny how the upvote/downvote feature on the more tempered predictions reveals the pervasive reaction is “Boooo! Kipchoge good! Hater bad!”
These people are bizarre and you have summarized it well. In the 2nd post in this thread I said Eliud would run 2:03:10 and that he is that good. You would have thought I had said he killed Samuel Wanjiru. They must have thought I was insulting Eliud. Most of these folks have no idea how difficult it is to run 2:03:10. There is almost no chance that Eliud breaks his world record at this point. This is reality but for these folks they want to shoot the messenger.
Weather update: the forecast is now showing 12-13 degrees Celsius during the race, rather than 9-11 degrees. And there will be rain overnight that may make for less-than-ideal road conditions.
You don’t have to be a Kipchoge hater to make a simple prediction; I predicted he’d win but fade to 2:02:59 and I’ve written thousands of words arguing Kipchoge’s case for the greatest runner of all time. But in contrast to Kipchoge’s tagline, I believe “Every human is limited.”
A little crazy to me how many assume he can blow his WR away, and funny how the upvote/downvote feature on the more tempered predictions reveals the pervasive reaction is “Boooo! Kipchoge good! Hater bad!”
These people are bizarre and you have summarized it well. In the 2nd post in this thread I said Eliud would run 2:03:10 and that he is that good. You would have thought I had said he killed Samuel Wanjiru. They must have thought I was insulting Eliud. Most of these folks have no idea how difficult it is to run 2:03:10. There is almost no chance that Eliud breaks his world record at this point. This is reality but for these folks they want to shoot the messenger.
To put this in perspective, if he ran 2:03:10 it would be the 13th fastest marathon time in history. Of the 12 faster times, 4 of them were run by Kipchoge himself.
Weather update: the forecast is now showing 12-13 degrees Celsius during the race, rather than 9-11 degrees. And there will be rain overnight that may make for less-than-ideal road conditions.
That's it. It's over. He's not even gonna break 3 hours.
According to this post by Alberto Stretti, the lead group is set at 60:50. I'd imagine there's some flexibility there depending on Eliud's explicit instructions during the race though. Interestingly, there's a second group at 61:20. Could this be for Adola? I'm not sure who else could reasonably attempt so quick.
Others there at halfway, then fading? Look to two 2.09 athletes with sub 59 times for the half
But you realize he *just* ran 2:02:40 in Tokyo? After dispatching the Olympic field in Sapporo by well over a minute ? I’m not sure that this is a runner in decline, a man slowing down…
Yes I do.
And 2 years ago he lost (8th place) a marathon (London) for the 1st time in 7 years, his only marathon loss since 2013.
He won his 1st marathon, also in 2013, finished second in his next (the loss noted above), then won his next nine (unheard of!) before the 2020 loss in London, before bouncing back to win his next 3, including the OG.
He did not contest the WC marathon this year.
He will be 38 in 2 months and has massive training and racing miles on his body.
2 years ago was the 1st sign of his being human.
I suspect this next race will show him to be human again and not impervious to age and miles.
Hope to be wrong but I am going out on a limb and predicting he does not win.
Would love to see KB, who of course is even older and has shown far more chinks in his armour, pull off a major upset.
No sure why, but I don't really pull for Mo Farah
You know 2 years ago he didn’t get his regular training with Covid around? After he return to norma training, he won all his races again?
According to this post by Alberto Stretti, the lead group is set at 60:50. I'd imagine there's some flexibility there depending on Eliud's explicit instructions during the race though. Interestingly, there's a second group at 61:20. Could this be for Adola? I'm not sure who else could reasonably attempt so quick.
Others there at halfway, then fading? Look to two 2.09 athletes with sub 59 times for the half