Manchestra wrote:
I hate to be the cynic here, but honestly guys, you really think just changing training location and coaching will affect a 20 second PR in a mere three to four months?
Well, at least we know now that Alan should be back on form next season...
ANY other athlete in the race with that kind of improvement and we would all be howling about something else...DRUGS.
What a stupid and irresponsible thing to say.
First, there are all kinds of perfectly legitimate things that can cause a 20-second PR for 5,000 meters, including an improvement in racing fitness over several months of training.
Second, as far as I know, this was the first time that Dathan has even run a 5,000 in about two years, during which time he also set significant PRs at 10,000 meters, half-marathon, and marathon. So it's a 20-second improvement over a period of two years, not three or four months, for a runner in his mid-20s whose earlier years were largely lost to or interrupted by injuries, and who is only now dropping down to a shorter distance after years of racing longer distances.
Third, it is not true that we would all be howling if some other guy ran a huge PR. African runners often show up in big races and set massive PRs. Typically, their history shows that they simply haven't run in any time-trial races at those distances before, or haven't run those distances in a long time or under favorable conditions.