Bekele is 41 and just ran a 2:04 master WR - It's BEKELEMANIA!!!

He keeps 2:01:41 as the ETH national record as well, though Lemma gave it a good scare.

People like to joke and say Conner Mantz is old but THIS, this is old to be running that fast.

This was easily the highlight of the race for me.

2001 - 7:30.67 3k

2023 - 2:04:19 marathon

Crazy to think that when Bekele started winning world championships the marathon WR was 2:05:42.

I’d be interested in hearing Ritz talk about Bekele, and see if he has much reverence for him. Bekele was born in June of ‘82, Ritz in December of ‘82. When Ritz won bronze at World Juniors XC, Bekele was the winner. When Ritz ran the 12:56 AR, Bekele was the guy 20m up the track he was trying to keep a rope on (KB ran 12:52 FTW). Now Ritz is gray and hasn’t raced in 4 years, and Bekele just ran 2:04:19.

Edit/add on: Bekele was running 7:30 and winning world XC senior medals before Graham Blanks or Parker Valby were born.

You cannot possibly be a bigger legend.

Kenenisa Bekele a literally 41 year old man with white hairs ran 2:04:19

-with his race experience realized the early pace was waaaay too hot. The leaders including Chep hit half in 60:35, or 2:01:10 pace which was completely absurd. Kenny drifted back for a slightly more reasonable 60:58 ensuring he would clean up in the coming carnage

-major positive split of 60:58 / 63:21 indicates mid 2:03 capability easy

-scalped the young guns Cheptegei, Kandie, Geay, Do Nascimiento

-he did this under new sponsorship with Chinese supershoes lmao

-retains his Ethiopian national record of 2:01:41 as Lemma dripped all of his lead away

-takes back the masters WR by a huge chunk and first sub-2:05 over age 40

-still faster than any American has EVER run

This is sure to keep his fire burning into the Olympic year at least. As always, you doubt Bekele at your own peril.

Ben Choquert, a complete unknown French guy and likely a pastry chef, and just a few years younger than Bekele just ran faster than Mantz also...

So hoping for some improvement on the US side...

No, he’s the same age as Ryan Hall.

Weird. So Choquert is not even a dedicated marathoner? Not sure what a duathlon is.

Dude is not insect thin for sure. Maybe there is hope for the Kleckers of the world in the marathon!

asiatri.com

Benjamin Choquert and Sandra Levenez crowned with ITU Duathlon world titles in Pontevedra

Mike Fielder

by Courtney Akrigg/ITU Media-Images by Wagner Araujo The ITU Duathlon World Championships was the opening event on the schedule, to crown the first set of world titles in Pontevedra, Spain. French athletes dominated racing to...

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Love it!

but as a side note, stop with calling everything “mania”

I really want them to give him a shot at the Olympics. I know they probably won’t because they didn’t in 2021, but man, just give him one lifetime achievement selection. I don’t think he would be a DNF risk at the Olympics — his experiences the last couple years, finishing well off the back, have made him more comfortable than someone like Kiptum or Kipchoge would be if he falls off the pace, and he has very little to lose at this stage in his career aside from one appearance fee if he were to run a WMM instead.

Duathlon is run-bike-run.

I always knew it but this cements for me that hes the GOAT!

Simply unmatched in every aspect of distance running.

Still faster than any German ever.

Which shoes was he wearing? Model?

Was wearing the old classic Chuck Taylors.

Are you sure that he is "literally" 41 years old, not just figuratively?

Age is just a number

I agree with the sentiment, but age is not just a number which is why his race today was so special.

Thanks to him my over 40 pr is feeling just a little "less special". Who am I kidding I'm proud of my time but now more than 30' behind guys my own age.