THOUGHTSLEADER wrote:
Perhaps. The mile is excellent.
Projected maximal mile times of the main four contenders in it:
Kessler: 3:46
Wanyonyi: 3:46-8**
Nico: 3:49 (He ran 3:50 indoors and then 12:51, I think a 3:49 is sensible)
Hoey: 3:49-51**
Race format suggests Kessler and Young push it hard from 400-600m out to try to drop Hoey/Wanyonyi. On a faster course I'd say a World Record would definitely be in the cards, but the turns here are always brought up so we'll see.
Sorry, not a chance. The course is NOT fast. In fact, it climbs some on the backside around 700-1000m I believe. Wanyonyi set the WR last year in only 3:54.6 (at the time) and Kessler ran 3:56.2, the same time he won the World Road Race mile in Riga. Only four men broke 4 at Adidas as opposed to 11 in Riga. Women's race was slow, too, with Chepchirchir winning in 4:31.0 and Wiley second in 4:32.0.