Wejo's quote on Boston

Could you be any more boring? The race was yesterday.

Only on letsrun could the very owner of the site be put down. Sad!

So because he owns the website then everything he said is correct?

He is a running fan like the rest of us and is entitled to his opinions and we are entitled to disagree if we want.

Bottom line, hall will never win any big marathon unless he can cover surges or make them. Just staying back and running even splits is not racing. That is a training run; which is Hall's speciality, not racing.

you have not been to many websites have you?

I find that quote to be off base because there was no strategy that would have led to victory on this day for Hall.

Here are the key points to winning that race.

1 - Be in 2:05 shape for that course

2 - If you are not in 2:05 shape cut the course

No, the only key to winning a race is to actually TRY to win it.

MPR wrote:

The plan and simple fact is that the fastest time wins the race and history and science has shown us that the most effective way to run a fast time in a distance race is through even to slightly negative splits.

Every world record between the mile and marathon has been done on even to slightly negative splits. That should tell us something.

Your logic is flawed. Yes the best way to run a fast time might be that way but he wasn't there to run a time trial. He was there to place first. The way to win is quite frequently NOT to push for a fast time.

If you break the wind for your opponent and push yourself to a minute faster but then he blows by you in the final few miles to win the race, having conserved his energy while you pushed for a fast time, how happy are you going to be with your time?

I applaud Ryan Hall too but Wejo is dead right with his quote.

The timing wrote:

Bottom line, hall will never win any big marathon unless he can cover surges or make them. Just staying back and running even splits is not racing. That is a training run; which is Hall's speciality, not racing.

Bullshit. The race is won by whoever gets to the finish line the fastest - PERIOD. Science and history (like MPR said) has shown that an even pace produces the fastest results (i.e. look at all the world records). If an even pace wasn't the best than why does Geb and other world record holder have rabbits lead them in as nice and even splits as possible.

Hall is just not in the shape that Robert was, pure and simple, so going with his surges would have resulted in Hall finishing with a slower time and worse position than he did (like Meb did).

Everyone should run the race to run the fastest time they can, thereby increasing their liklihood of winning. Pure and simple.

You're line of thinking would have everyone falling into the trap Nick Rose use to set back in the 70's and early 80's. Nick practiced surging all the time in training so he was use to it and then in races he went to the front and surged throughout the race. Often his races looked like a straights and curves workout. By getting others to follow his surges he won many races against guys who were faster than he was because they ran his race not their own.

Use some comon sense and prepare to run the fastest time you can and follow a strategy that allows you to do that. If you do that you'll give yourself the best chance at winning.

[quote]NPR wrote:

If you break the wind for your opponent and push yourself to a minute faster but then he blows by you in the final few miles to win the race, having conserved his energy while you pushed for a fast time, how happy are you going to be with your time?

[quote]

Yet you worship Wanjuri for leading the whole way in the Olympics and for Pre for being a front runner.

To answer your question, alot happier than I would be if I followed a silly surge and eneded up blowing up and finishing 10th rather than 2nd (or 4th in this case).

The reason why people have rabbits pace them to world records is because it is easier to run a fast time behind someone. If Hall allows the lead group to gap him it takes more energy to try and catch them by himself later in the race than it would have taken to stay with them from the beginning. Unless the pace is ridiculous it is more efficient to stay with the lead group and work off them then run even by yourself. Maybe Meb should have hung back with Hall and worked together later in the race to catch the front group but I know once you lose contact with the lead group in a race it is tough to get back into position to win the race.

"People can't understand what a man runs. They don't see any sport in it. Argue it lacks the sight and thrill of body contact. Yet, the conflict is there, more raw and challenging than any man versus man competition. For in running it is man against himself, the cruelest of opponents. The other runners are not the real enemies. His adversay lies within him, in his ability, with brain and heart to master himself and his emotions."

- Glenn Cunningham

Also, if there was a tailwind like everyone said, then Hall wasn't breaking the wind for anyone when he led and he was getting a benefit when he was out of the back by himself.

Obviously if you let guys surge far ahead of you they are way more likely to get to the line first. No science behind it, just simple observation shows this.

Dumb wrote:

The reason why people have rabbits pace them to world records is because it is easier to run a fast time behind someone. If Hall allows the lead group to gap him it takes more energy to try and catch them by himself later in the race than it would have taken to stay with them from the beginning. Unless the pace is ridiculous it is more efficient to stay with the lead group and work off them then run even by yourself. Maybe Meb should have hung back with Hall and worked together later in the race to catch the front group but I know once you lose contact with the lead group in a race it is tough to get back into position to win the race.

So why does Paula Radcliffe lead all her races and the announcers say she is smart for controlling the race but if Hall does it than he is wasting energy. Silly stuff. Some people are just more comfortable controlling the pace. Unless there is a significant and direct on headwind then there is no real disadvantage leading for some people. It is actually harder and takes more effort and concentration for them to follow someone elses pace and stride, easily offsetting any minimal (and overrated) drafting benefit.

His quote is dead on.

Ryan ran a SUPERB time trail, HE DID NOT RACE. Plain and simple.

I just don't understand why Meb gets more credit for finishing behind Hall.

I am sorry but Hall raced better than Meb.

Cheruiyot, Erkesso and Merga out ran Hall.

I love Let's Run when it comes to finding a centralized place to find results or great performances ranging from college meets to road races, but reading the brojo's opinion pieces is just flat out hilarity.

I get a pretty big kick out of the fact that they take themselves to be such an integral part of the running community, simply because they're not afraid to use the words "Drug Cheat" without proof... They're the Nancy Grace's of the running community... ratings are key and blabbing about how legit Let's Run is as a media source is more important than actually being a knowledgable one... it's fan boy reporting.

Ryan Hall ran a strategy that he though could win the race, and he stuck by that strategy. Had he won the race, that quote would have read something like "RYAN HALL!!! 2:08:41!!!" as the quote of the day and then some bullshit line like... "Ryan Hall runs a perfectly executed race to take down some of the biggest in the sport"... It's fan boy reporting. We all wanted Ryan to win and believed he would, so when he didn't, people let give out some bullshit opinion like... "he ran a time trial, and you can't win races that way"... To me, that doesn't sound like a knowledgable expert of the sport, it sounds like a disapointed message board poster.

+1. Well said.

X-Runner wrote:

I just don't understand why Meb gets more credit for finishing behind Hall.

I am sorry but Hall raced better than Meb.

Cheruiyot, Erkesso and Merga out ran Hall.

it depends on the definition of "raced better" is.

racing is fast times to some, competing against people to others. meb and ryan have shown us what it means to them. and that is all that counts.