Besides Jakob, what other pro runners have said they were sick before or after they lost?

Katelyn Touhy

Noah Lyles

A lot of runners. Just listen to the last episodes of the coffee club podcasts, athletes get sick sometimes.

Jakob isnt sick very often, it is usually 1 or 2 times each season. If those colds coincide with a race, he is still showing up to race fully knowing that he is very likely to lose.

Do you not follow any runners on social media? They’re constantly posting about their illnesses and injuries.

I think he means announcing illnesses and injuries before and after losing. I don’t see many champions doing that because it’s not a champion mindset.

By definition, a “champion” wouldn’t be losing in the first place. But for example, Noah Lyles (Olympic 100m champion etc.) made a big show of how sick he was after his 3rd place finish in the 200, and his camp was putting the word out that he was sick before the race as well. Ben Pattison (bronze in Budapest, British trials champ) posted about an illness after not making the Olympic final. Val Constein (US trials champ) posted about an illness after a poor Olympic final. Usually the illness is offered up as an excuse or explanation after the fact, so it’s nice in my opinion when they put it out there ahead of time.

Coe

Tuohy has been losing a lot lately and she is either "coming off an injury" or "fighting an illness."

Gudaf Tsegay said she was on her period when she lost to Ellie St Pierre in the indoor 3000m final.

Kenenisa Bekele, the undisputed objective GOAT (my subjective is Haile), was actually relatively afraid before one particular race and ended up dropping out 800m from the finish after Tadesse passed him.

The 2006 double World Cross champion later explained that the situation had him fearing long-term damage when, realizing he could not go on much farther, he dropped out. “I did my best, but I didn’t want to faint and ruin the future as well.

runnersworld.com

35th IAAF World Cross Country Championships

A beautiful slaughterhouse

Open link

worldathletics.org

Tadesse takes upset victory as Bekele registers a ‘DNF’ - Mombasa 2007 | NEWS | World Athletics

As he built a sizeable lead some 20 minutes into the men’s race on Mombasa’s picturesque seaside Golf Course, at the 35th IAAF World Cross Country Championships, Kenenisa Bekele appeared to be kicking into cruise control en r...

Open link

https://www.letsrun.com/2007/bekele32707.php

Yes Jakob is only notable in he is routinely expected to win so a big deal is made of it.

Classic Jakob trying to discount the Zurich race outcome and make the things about him. Why don't we hear about any of the guys in the field and their hardships before the race? Even after Yared won the announcers were talking about Jakob. Surely they exist. Jakob protecting his ego, per usual.

As a thread on this topic once stated: "Jakob Ingebrigtsen: Bad winner. Bad laser." Comical how many times in a season this statement rings true. Great athlete & great personality in the sport though. Keeps it entertaining.

If you're a veteran runner, you usually have an idea of why you didn't perform to expectations. Your fans (and detractors) want to know and, to me, it's perfectly okay to give your own honest opinion.

"I was sick." "I didn't get a proper warm up." "I went out too hard." "I haven't been able to train at 100% since my (fill in blank) injury."

I'd rather hear any of these frank responses by the runner than to hear a bland "I didn't have it today" or "Joey was just better today." some other non-answer.

My personal favorite is one I tell after one of my own races... "I was challenging for the lead when I suddenly ran out of talent!"

George Mills recently revealed he had Covid after the European Championships and hadn't felt 100% since. That should have gotten more attention here.

Dathan R said Yared Nuguse was sick at the World Championships last year.

Everyone says when they are sick, the difference is that the attention is focused on the biggest star, who always shows up at the races and makes them fast and interesting to watch.

Noah was the funniest one. He came out jumping up and down and acting like a maniac on coke. He runs 20 seconds and then needs immediate medical attention. You know if he won, he would have been fine. He was then partying in clubs like the next day.