If Frank Shorter and Bill Rogers lined up today in Boston or in New York, but they were in their bodies when they were in their prime against the top women runners of today who wins and how does the race go down?
If Frank Shorter and Bill Rogers lined up today in Boston or in New York, but they were in their bodies when they were in their prime against the top women runners of today who wins and how does the race go down?
Rogers and Shorter would bury the top women of today and would gap them before the mile mark.
Those guys ran 2:09-2:10 50+ years ago wearing shoes that would qualify as slippers today. No amount of drugs would allow a woman to even come close to them.
Are you tripping? Frank ran 2:10 in 1973 wearing leisure shoes, heavy cotton kit, defizzed coke as fuelling, no gels, no epo, no steroids, no thyroid meds, no asthma meds, no money. No plate shoes. The same for Bill. Even with just the plate shoes they're running 2:08. Current world record for women (2:12 ish).
If Frank Shorter and Bill Rogers lined up today in Boston or in New York, but they were in their bodies when they were in their prime against the top women runners of today who wins and how does the race go down?
Shorter and Rodgers would win all day everyday even wearing the same exact shoes they had back then. Put them in super shoes and today's nutrition and they are forces to be reckoned with amongst today's American men. Not saying they would win but they would be very competitive.
Bill 2:09:27 (at Boston) Ruth Chepngetich's WR is 2:09:56.
If Frank gets modern shoes then I think he gets her but not by much. (Figuring modern shoes would give him the 35 seconds plus maybe he has to outkick her). Rodgers with super shoes likes wins and then drinks everyone under the table, but does not win by much.
Now all the rest of the women are slower than 2:12...
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Are you tripping? Frank ran 2:10 in 1973 wearing leisure shoes, heavy cotton kit, defizzed coke as fuelling, no gels, no epo, no steroids, no thyroid meds, no asthma meds, no money. No plate shoes. The same for Bill. Even with just the plate shoes they're running 2:08. Current world record for women (2:12 ish).
Women's WR is 2:09:56 (I know it is tainted, but it is still the recognized WR).
Bill 2:09:27 (at Boston) Ruth Chepngetich's WR is 2:09:56.
If Frank gets modern shoes then I think he gets her but not by much. (Figuring modern shoes would give him the 35 seconds plus maybe he has to outkick her). Rodgers with super shoes likes wins and then drinks everyone under the table, but does not win by much.
Now all the rest of the women are slower than 2:12...
Shorter was a 2:10 marathoner and 27:45 guy with 1970s shoes and nutrition. He'd be a 2:06 guy at a minimum in this era.
Rodgers didn't have the track credentials that Shorter did, but I'd guess he'd be a 2:06 guy as well.
Are you tripping? Frank ran 2:10 in 1973 wearing leisure shoes, heavy cotton kit, defizzed coke as fuelling, no gels, no epo, no steroids, no thyroid meds, no asthma meds, no money. No plate shoes. The same for Bill. Even with just the plate shoes they're running 2:08. Current world record for women (2:12 ish).
Women's WR is 2:09:56 (I know it is tainted, but it is still the recognized WR).
That's not true. Try to keep up with the sport. She cheated.
Are you tripping? Frank ran 2:10 in 1973 wearing leisure shoes, heavy cotton kit, defizzed coke as fuelling, no gels, no epo, no steroids, no thyroid meds, no asthma meds, no money. No plate shoes. The same for Bill. Even with just the plate shoes they're running 2:08. Current world record for women (2:12 ish).
Women's WR is 2:09:56 (I know it is tainted, but it is still the recognized WR).
Shorter's marathon PR may have been 34 seconds slower than the dubious women's 2:09.56 run, but he did that without advantages in addition to shoes nutrition, etc.
Shorter ran that time winning the 1972 Fukuoka Marathon. He stated he had a stomach ailment that day which caused cramping, so was likely not at his best. He ran alone without pacers for about the final20 miles. He was likely running only to win (he had a big lead and this was his 3rd consecutive win in that race) and was not chasing a world record or record bonus payments.
Shorter ran Fukuoka less than three months after his marathon win at the Olympics. At those same Olympics Shorter finished 5th in the 10k final in 27:51, after qualifying for the final in his 10k heat a few days before.
Chepng'etich ran 2:09:56 in Chicago in 2024. She ran behind and was paced by two male Kenyan pacers for almost the entire race. One of those pacers was still with her until 200 meters to go, offering encouragement. She was definitely running to set a world record and was chasing lucrative record bonus payments.
Rodgers finished the Boston Marathon twice in times faster than 2:09:56. He finished the NYC Marathon in 2:10:10 in 1976, the first of his four wins at that race.
Shorter and Rodgers had 10k PRs that were over 2:15 faster than Chepng'tich, and 5k PRs that were over 1:15 faster than her. If she somehow was still close to them near the end of a marathon, you have to believe they would easily outkick her.