Bigups2hall wrote:
Will someone please explain to me why most of the analysis of Hall's race on these boards is centered on Hall's time instead of his place and who he beat (or didn't beat). I'm not trying to be sarcastic or troll. I just know that when I saw the results, after I had recovered from seeing the wicked fast times, I immediately focused on where Hall had placed and who had finished behind him. It would seem that I'm missing out on the significance of his time. I'm not suggesting that time is irrelevant. But the fact is that most elite runners race to win, and if a good time comes with that, it's more of a bonus then the ultimate goal.
Well the placing is what we expect from Hall. Besting other known East Africans is also something we expect from him.
2006 - placed 11th at World Road Race 20k (first non-African)
2007 - 7th at London (40 secs off the win in wickedly competitive field)
2008 - 5th at London in the most competitive field ever (Geb, Lel, Wanjiru, Merga, etc.)
2009 - 3rd at Boston
2010 - 4th at Boston
2011 - 4th at Boston
He is without question the best American marathoner ever. He is a consistent competitor and he has earned genuine respect from East African runners. For most of us the time is our focus because after all of the conversions, this looks like his closest effort to the amazing '08 London race where he was freak'n amazing!