If Eliud and Kelvin raced in an unpaced, flat marathon next month, who’d win

Kelvin

Kelvin. Don't be daft

while "unpaced" i think people would lean kelvin, but i do feel as kelvin would serve as an impromptu pacer for eliud. imo its a toss up and id have to lean towards the more experience vet, but the way kelvin hammered that second half of london doesnt make me too confident.

Kiptum might finish like a train but is yet to run a first half like Kipchoge and Belihu last year. Paced though.

I'd rather give them more than a month so they could both recover and be at their best in this hypothetical race. Throw Chebet in there to and really have some fun.

I would lean Kiptum but wouldn't be surprised with either outcome.

They should instead collaborate: let Kipchoge pace Kiptum up to 30k at 2 flat pace, and then see what happens.

Eliud, if goes out in 59.

If the Olympics were this year would Eliud be on the team?

1. He probably wouldn't have run Boston so things might be different.

2. But right now you have Chebet beat him, Kelvin ran faster, Kamworor ran faster.

He might need a great Berlin to earn his spot.

One guy is undefeated in marathons with a 2:01:xx average and is young and energetic. The other is washed until he proves otherwise. Easy choice.

Bekele.

Lmao, Kipchoge had one bad race. You forget he literally set the world record less than six months ago.

No, I didn't. Saying someone's washed works wonders for their performance if they aren't actually washed - see Klay Thompson. Anyway, he's washed for now.

Sifan Hassan

The GOAT doesn’t need to prove sh*t.

He'd win the DNF race at 30Km for sure

You are right, if he doesn't need to prove that he isn't washed, he could retire. Otherwise, he will in fact be trying to prove he isn't washed. You are telling me he didn't have a day of self-doubt before showing up to interviews a day late?

Setting a WR and then being done isn't new. Carlos Lopes ran the WR in his last race at about the same age, and then retired at the top rather than being chance being washed.

Kipchoge wants to win all the majors. Bekele wants to DNF all the majors at 30k. Both incredible achievements.