David Moorcroft Ran 13:00 28 Years Ago Without a Rabbit

British Milers Club

Dave Moorcroft-Analysis of a Champion

download - pdf

http://www.britishmilersclub.co.uk/bmcnews/1999spring.pdf

One of the greatest

He was clean. Never heard any doubts from insides, and I have been around enough who would have know

So pathetic how you idiots claim that Africans running these times are dirty but when the "Great White Hope" does, he MUST be clean. Why? Because nobody caught him.

Just pathetic.

I also thought it was interesting to know that he covered his second lap in 65. Also, I think he won the Revco 10K in Cleveland, I believe, a few weeks before in a course record 28:08. This sounds like hardly the perfect 5K WR buildup. What an Amazing run. I think it has to go down as one of the all time greats!

Mana Man wrote:

So pathetic how you idiots claim that Africans running these times are dirty but when the "Great White Hope" does, he MUST be clean. Why? Because nobody caught him.

Just pathetic.

I agree with this. His run was outstanding, but certainly

no better or worse than anyone else who's run a similar time.

When was the last time we saw a solo WR with no rabbits in a mens event??

I remember reading all about it when it happened (I am sure there are others who know more and were there)

He had no plan, just wanted to run a little faster than normal and see what happened. It was one of those days where everything clicked. His last lap was 60.x (maybe 59), and it was only then that he knew he would get the WR.

Ralph King outkicked Rose and thought he had won the race, assuming Moorcroft had dropped out.

I don't think a lot of people do think the Africans are dirty. If we have guys that can run under 13 given our lifestyle and lack of training while younger...it is not really that shocking to think that people who live a more active lifestyle all their lives can run a bit quicker. Of course there are some people on letsrun who say dirty...but it is like the concept that we only hear from people if they are really opinionated one way or the other. So I would venture to say that most people don't think Geb, Bekele, Komen, Kiptanui, Tergat, etc...were doped...they just worked hard. Especially since many of these athletes invite foreigners to train with them. Read what Matt Smith of Holland said about training with Geb when he had the 5k/10k WR. He was saying he was getting killed in training...and this is coming from someone who at the time was a 28-flat 10K guy.

Even so...in the era of rabbiting Moorcroft's unrabbited time seems a lot more impressive of an achievement since it was not planned or scripted.

The BBC commentary, by the legendary Ron Pickering is great as he's blissfully unaware of the impending record long after it's become obvious to everyone else. With 400 to go (12:02) he tells us to look out for Foster's UK record of 13:14 or maybe Kunze European standard (13:10) and only in the last 60 or 70m does Ron realise the standard is going to be smashed. In a televised review of the sporting year that December (BBC Sports Personality of the Year), Moorcroft was asked when during the race he knew he was going to break the world record, and he replied "about two laps before Ron Pickering"!

people don't realise he ran a 1'46.6 that year

now, his 13'00 shouda been about 12'55 if had some pacers to 3k

this ->3'31-low , 7'26-high !

both of these wouda been wrs as at the time, ovett held 1500 at 3'31.36 & rono 3k at 7'32.1

he couda absolutely obliterated 7'30 & set a record that couda lasted 12y until morceli ( albeit aouita & maree had capbilty to run 7'26 also )

the 1500 wouda been tougher for him, but the shorter races he ran that year were still sit-'n'-kick affairs on the last lap & he ran low-3'49 when he was capable of high-3'47

he wouda needed to use his 5k strength & make the push from 600m out to get a 3'31 - similar to how obliterated his own 1500wr from 3'28.8 to 3'27.3

He's not American so who gives a damn !

ventolin^3 wrote:

people don't realise he ran a 1'46.6 that year

now, his 13'00 shouda been about 12'55 if had some pacers to 3k

Vent is this you? surely you mean wabbits to 3K?

Can you imagine SI running an article like that covering distance running (or any track event) today?

Did they ever run any similar articles on Geb or Bekele?

The last major distance running article I read in Sports Illustrated was about Bob Kennedy in 1994 when he broke 13:10 several times and got down to 13:03. I think that was barely two pages long.

What a terrific article. Thanks for posting that.

Awesome! The first Runner's World magazine I ever bought had Moorecroft on the front after this performance. (yes back then RW covered racing.)

of course American's should be

Wejo, I don't want to be a dick, but you work as a journalist/commentator and I think you attended a nice college, so you should know better. "Americans" is a simple plural, no possessive "'" is required.

wow Moorcroft's mileage was really low - and so many off days

I've discussed this before here, but Moorcroft's run that day was the first race I was ever awed by. He smashed the world record, and everyone else in the race just let him go, thinking he couldn't keep that torrid pace.

I think it was the most amazing WR ever.