Another perspective on Assefa world record

I think that’s a great comparison. Also note that Assefa’s mark is also equal to a 10.47 100m and 7’59 3k.

Interesting idea, but definitely a meaningless stat. The longer events rely more on training, so by today's standards the men's marathon record in 1912 (2:40) was far weaker than the 100m (10.6).

If you do this comparison for every event, you'll see that there's an almost-perfect trend where as events get longer and/or more technical, the women's world record matches a more recent world record for men.

(Also, you're a few years off on some of the years. For instance, the men's mile world record in 1944 was 4:01).

You are correct. Meaningless stats comparing women world records today to the year men raced similar times.

Compare men to women today, not U.S. men to elite women.

I will compare three events, events with high international participation, 100m/400m/Marathon:

Female 100m dash world record, 10.49; men 100m dash world record, 9.58. Percentage difference, 9.4989562%.

Female 400m dash world record, 47.60; men 400m dash world record, 43.03. Percentage difference, 10.6204973%.

Female Marathon, Mixed Gender world record, 2:11:53 or 7913 seconds; Eliud Kipchoge, sub-2, 1:59:40 or 7180 seconds. Pace difference, 10.2089136%.

T Assefa was paced for over 25 miles; E Kipchoge's sub-2, he was paced for over 25 miles. T Assefa's sub-2:12 Mixed Gender Marathon is relatively similar to E Kipchoge's sub-2 Marathon.

As I stated in another thread over a week ago, once we reached the point of over two dozen women with sub-3:56 1500m &/or sub-4:15 mile, sub-2:12 Marathon would follow. If men with (4:15 to 4:17.5) one mile ability or 1500m equivalent can race sub-2:12 Marathon, do not be surprised to seeing equally talented women racing sub-2:12 Marathon.

Please note: I know T Assefa is not a member of sub-3:56 1500m club or sub-4:15 one mile club. Before she raced sub-2:12 Marathon, I believe she could have been a member of said clubs.

The W100m, W400m are obviously doped up records. It might also be the case on the men side, but still.

As a consequence, I am not too convinced by these computations. I am, however, interested by the gap observed for the 800m.

I believe in 1970s, then East Germany and then Soviet Union used p.e.d.s more than the rest of the world. Since late 1970s, all athletes around the world have had an opportunity to use p.e.d.s. East German women from forty and fifty years ago were not the last women to use p.e.d.s while competing 100m & 400m dash.

Doesn’t follow. A sub 2:12 guy who can’t break 4:15 would be an outlier totally geared toward long distances. The women running 4:15 miles on the other hand are talented mid-distance runners. It would be like saying “Since some 10.9 100m guys can run 1:45 for 800, when we reach the point of having two dozen sub-11 100m women, don’t be surprised to see women running 1:45 for 800m.”

Outliers like Bill Rogers and Dick Beardsley? They were just normal Marathoners.

Once you realize T Assefa is more than 10% slower than Eliud Kipchoge's 1:59:40, her sub-2:12 Marathon looks less 1968 Bob Beamon-like.

As I stated last week, sub-2:12 female Marathon was going to occur once we started seeing women racing low-29 10000m on the track.

Note: I know sub-2:12 female Marathon converts to about 28:50 10000m on the track. Maybe if sub-29:20 10000m females have male pacers ..?