Has Meb jumped the shark in the marathon

luv2run wrote:

Lucky Lindy wrote:

Meb was lucky that Athens was hot or he would have finished 15th. At 100% he would not of made the Olympic team this time around. Nice guy? YES. Top 5 US marathoner? NO WAY

Luck is the intersection of preparation and desire.

Okay, then please don't tell me that he has been unlucky in his last 3 marathons. You can't have it both ways.

Meb ran 27:41 in Brussels this past summer. That is still a very competitive time for a 10,000 runner, and Meb might make the team for the 10,000 for Beijing.

Meb is smart enough to now realize that he will get his track speed down again to a good level.

Remember, not so long ago, Meb ran 27:13, and was also a top 10 in the world cross, and very few Americans can do that.

I think Meb has a decent chance of making the 10,000 team for Beijing.

Ghost in Korea

If Meb can still run a good 10000, as he has demonstrated recently, then why can't he still run a good marathon?

After his great summer barnstorming race tour, Keflezighi's disappointing USOTM indicates to me that his autumn injury was worse than anyone let on. That's just a guess...

For the pros, it strikes me that the battle is not so

much "injury prevention" as it is "injury management." He's got more in him once he can train healthy.

Go Meb.

Kayaker wrote:

If Meb can still run a good 10000, as he has demonstrated recently, then why can't he still run a good marathon?

Marathoners only have a set number of quality marathons in them (no more than 6 or 7) before the nature of the beast catches up with them. Both Meb & Culpepper will still race marathons if the appearance fee is worthwhile.

Great runners both of them, but definitely in the twilight of their careers.

This is not based just on the trials, but the last 18 months.

They may show glimpses at shorter distances tho....if they stay away from the marathon.

Yep. If Meb, Abdi, and KK were all closer to 100%, Ritz would have been far from alone at the end.

MarathonMind wrote:

Yep. If Meb, Abdi, and KK were all closer to 100%, Ritz would have been far from alone at the end.

It's funny that you only singled out Ritz. Why is that?

NoYMCA4me wrote:

MarathonMind wrote:

Yep. If Meb, Abdi, and KK were all closer to 100%, Ritz would have been far from alone at the end.

It's funny that you only singled out Ritz. Why is that?

Not to speak for someone else, but maybe it's because he thinks those three at their (current) best are faster than Sell but not as fast as Hall? KK at his all-time best is probably the only one likely to have been with or ahead of Hall last Saturday.

That's not to take anything away from Sell or Ritz, they did what they needed to do, but if Abdi had it that day and Meb and KK weren't coming off injuries the story might have a different ending.

Arthur Fonz wrote:

He ran 2:22 in New York in 2006 and blamed it on food poisoning.

He DNF'd in London and had another excuse.

He ran 2:15 in the trials and blamed it on a calf.

He probably will not run a marathon this spring. That means that next Fall it would have been 2 and a half years with a best of 2:15.

He has gone from being an Olympic Silver medalist to a guy that can't run the Olympic A standard.

aside from london, all of the other races you mentioned could have been DNF's as well. as a big-time marathoner, it would be in meb's best interest to "save it" for another day. but he didn't. sure, he ran 2:22 at NYC last year. he could have easily stepped off the course, but he finished.

same thing with the trials. his calves had major problems, but he still hobbled home. look at how many DNFs there were last saturday and realize that for the elites, it sometimes makes sense to call it a day and give it another shot later. but also realize that some elites will pull out because they don't want to finish with 2:15 or 2:22 on the clock. it hurts the pride. but in my opinion, meb is not that type of guy.

before the race i said that a slightly injured meb is still better than most americans. he got all but seven. and i think his best days, when healthy, are still to come. the olympics (2004 or 2008) aren't the end of him. go meb!

p.s. his daughter is adorable!

sj quik wrote:

i think his best days, when healthy, are still to come.

why would you think that??

Meb is such a class act. I am glad to have him as a professional athlete representing my country. He makes up for dofuses like Terrell Owens.

2:09, 2:15, or 2:22, I love seeing him in a USA uniform. Heck I wouldn't care if he ran 3:22.

Do not underestimate the "real life" intangibles that Meb has gone through since winning silver in Athens and two months later taking third in NYC...he got married and fathered his first child within a year or so after....I am certain he is still in top shape and still capable of fast times; but has he lost his competitive edge and that extra determination and passion? He should be commended for all he has done for US distance running and ranks up there with the best ever...and I am certain that his family now takes priority in his life, as it should, and I imagine he is as good of a father and husband as he is a distance runner

He has done enough that he can go out on his terms, and we should be celebrating his career all the way through...no one has been more committed to running top races on American soil....London was his first foreign road race, and he passed on "fast" international marathons through much of his peak to run the major American traditional favorites (Boston, NYC) and this probably cost him the opportunity to run 2:06-2:07; and do not forget that that 27:13 was on American soil in a race that he won and dominated some very strong Kenyan runners...he was certainly in shape to run under 27:00 that year if he was in the right race in Europe...he has always made a point of running well domestically and has represented the US in many different capacities (Pan-AM, Olympics, Eikiden, World Cross, World Track)...American distance running has been fortunate to have Meb...Congrats on a great career Meb and good luck as you strive to put your final mark on your legacy.

Meb has been a great ambassador for the sport and........He will NEVER win a major marathon. I enjoy seeing Bill Rodgers and Frank Shorter at major marathons in the country. I will now put Meb in that same category. The sad part is that I give each of those 3 the same chance of winning that event.

I don't think anyone should be eulogizing Meb's career just yet. Anyway, he probably got a bit more in appearance $$ from NYC and Boston than he would have got from London.

Meb still has the potential to 'pop' a fast marathon (2:06-2:07) despite what people say. For a guy of his calibre his marathon times are not a true reflection of what he can run in the marathon. However, Meb has never really focused on running fast marathon times. It was more about the race and the place.

I recall speaking with Meb in Paris (World Champs 10,000 - 2003) and he was jogging on the streets of Paris before the 10,000 in the St Denis area. He was so low key and composed. Impressive to see. Also - up close, you realize how small Meb is. On video and t.v. Meb gives the impression of being taller and more powerful.

Meb, Culpepper and Abdi will now turn their attention to qualifying for Beijing in the 10,000 and with all the new kids on the block in the 10,000 (sub. 28 guys) the 10,000 trials will probably be one of the most interesting track trials in the history of American track and field - the depth being very, very high and unprecedented.

Hall could also move down to 10,000, and I suspect he could run in the 27:40-28:00 range without too much trouble and be competitive.

As someone else pointed out, Meb took his disappointment in New York very well, and is moving on from there. The man has built up a nice financial nest egg in the past couple of years, and if he invests wisely (like Rodgers and Shorter) he could reap good benefits and compound interest.

Ghost in Korea