GEOFFREY MUTAI worlds fastest marathoner: "I have to focus on other things, impresses with 10000m Kenyan Prison victory

In 2010 when he ran his personal best of 27:27.79 which certainly would have been sub 26:50 at sea level I thought he was a medal threat at 10000m. Most people don't know him as a great 10000m runner because all his 10000m races have been at altitude over the last five season with the slowest seasonal best just over 28 minutes.

Yep Geoffrey Mutai is definitely a medal threat if he focus on the 10000m.

He may be a metal threat, but I believe AK will not even let him run the 10k trials because he didn't run the prelim trials.

I maybe wrong but I don't think that race will serve as the final selection criteria for Kenyan athletes to compete for a spot on their 10000m Olympic squad.

I hope they include as well as Kisorio in the team. That might not go down well with the 13guys who've been selected.

@Vipam, it was at the police champs, prison was 2 weeks ago.

Mea Culpa, but besides as well Geoffrey and Matthew will not been invited to run in Eugene, they are also (to my humble opinion) not fast enough in the final lap if it comes to that in London.

We saw last year in the cross country in Punta Umbria already a shortage of both (still 4th and 5th), but just like there, or even more specialists for a 52"-53" last lap like Jeilan in Daegu. Bekele, Farah, Kipchoge, Kiprop?

Doesn't say they are both no classy athletes, but than on their road events, Matthew still more half than full marathon. He is still learning for the big one!

Why do you want Kisorio on the team or be selected to compete for a spot when he was easily dropped by Mutai today?

WhyKisorio wrote:

Why do you want Kisorio on the team or be selected to compete for a spot when he was easily dropped by Mutai today?

I am not interested in the argument here about Kisorio other than to say that he was beaten by about one tenth of a second, I believe, which is not really being "easily dropped" in a 10,000 meter race.

Don't know why posters always bring up kicking. Geoffrey Mutai revolutionized closing speeds in the marathon to the point were articles considered them superhuman.

When you have his type of closing ability you don't leave it to a kick. Like Zersenay Tadese did when he walked away with a Silver, you drop everyone you can and if someone like Kenenisa Bekele is left then you try to deal with them on the final lap! But Geoffrey Mutai could certain drop the field and walk away with a medal at the Olympics and it may or may not be gold- depending on if he can duplicate his closing speed in the marathon and parlay it to the track 10000m at superhuman levels like in the marathon.

Good point! But He isn't specialist enough to get rid off all. Track is just different from the road. Half and full marathon is his real specialization, there he does exactly how you wrote, like Wikson Kipsang and also like the new guy; Dennis Kimetto, Geoffrey's training partner.

Zersenay Tadese has perfected your tactic of destroying opponents with enormous closing speed, brought him titles, but also defeat. Opponents will just adjust their tactics to you. See Bekele at the track, but also Wilson Kiprop in 2010 World Half.

This is nowadays just the reason why half- and especially marathoners have to keep themself away from track championships, that is, if a country wants medals.

With the women this isn't so clear yet, but e.g. Lornah Kiplagat had the same problems, what Geoffrey and Matthew would face.

But all experience rules can be shown untrue.

Polepole wrote:

Good point! But He isn't specialist enough to get rid off all. Track is just different from the road. Half and full marathon is his real specialization[..]

Meh. If he would focus on the 10,000 he should easily be able to run sub 27 flat and that makes him a medal contender. Not sure why any elite runner would run a 10k at altitude though....

Dayum if he can do dat time in prison, imagine what he can do on a real track with pacers and a good field! Or was he being chased by da cops here?

What you fail to realize is that Geoffrey Mutai hasn't yet raced the 10000m outside of Kenya, at sea level, nor has he trained specifically for the 10000m. In 2010 when he ran 27:27.7A and ranked in the World top 10, he did so off marathon training.

So how can athletes adjust to someone's tactics the first time they face him and have no idea what he is capable of with specific 10000m training. His inhuman closing speeds in the marathn will not be lost when he moves down to the 10000m especially once he tailors his training for 10000m.

Geoffrey Mutai may not be able to get rid everyone with his closing speeds but then again noone thought a man would close marathons like he can. So in time the world will see but my money's on seeing some amazing things from him and whatever athlete challenging him for Olympic Gold.

MutaiMedal wrote:In 2010 when he ran his personal best of 27:27.79 which certainly would have been sub 26:50 at sea level

some points

- i got that as about 26'40 - 26'45 using wind/altitude calculator + ncaa altitude tables

- it was a tactical race ( african champs ), not a tt - you coud knock off 10s easily from that for uneven pacing, so we are down to 26'30 - 26'35 in a tt

- his M best at the time was "only" 2"04'55 at rotterdam

if you assume he was much better in '11 & consider his boston/new york runs worth maybe low-2"03, then he wouda been expected to be much faster over 10k

my gut feeling is that he couda gone 26'10 - 26'20 in a tt in his '11 M shape

all that of just M training !!!

kenya woud be stoopid not to let him run in 10k trials...

youre delusional

Of course Mutai could not have run 26:10-26:20. It is outrageous. Could he have run 26:30? Maybe. The problem you have ventolin is, what is Tadesse, is he like a 2:12 marathoner with 26:39? Let's say he runs 2:05. According to you, that would mean he's capable of 25:45. That is not the way things work. I know, you're either going to offer us some bullshit about how Tadesse's endurance doesn't last to the marathon, blah, blah, blah, or that Tadesse just hasn't gotten it right, blah, blah, blah.

The truth is that Mutai is perhaps like Paul Tergat, but Tergat was truly a stud on the track and cross country. Mutai went to the marathon at a younger age than Tergat (which may be why he's run faster than Tergat at 26.2) and Mutai's absolute ceiling on the track would be Tergat-like, but he'll never get there (on the track). And like Tergat, Mutai would be likely to get outkicked by one of the guns (although Geb was quite the gun).

Why everyone on this thread no talk real Engrish?

This article is better:

http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/athletics/Mutai+Kabuu+impress+at+Kasarani/-/1100/1408092/-/fm6dla/-/index.html

It says that Mutai will not run the Olympic 10,000. Focus is on WMM. He may not defend NYC title as well.

rojo

Where does it say Mutai will not run the Olympic 10000m and will focus on the WMM?????????????

Ventolin

Do you really think Mutai could run 26:10 off marathon training. I think they guy can close like only Kenenisa Bekele and Haile Gebrsellassie in the prime when they ran a sub 13 minute second half. I think he could run 26:20 if he focused on the 10000m for a couple of season but destroy the WR by 7 seconds. Hmmmm!?!

err...

early on in geb's M career when he had 2"06'35, he went 26'29 the next year

further on, he still went 26'41 & 26'51 the same year as he ran 2"03'59 & that hengelo race was not a flat-out tt as it degenerated into a tactical race with shinester who won the kick - they were easily worth 10s+ better on the day

so we are talking 26'40 ability at 2"03'59 & the 10k from an ole man who had lost most of his speed & running that on endurance

jeff is close to 1'00 faster at the M ->

~ 26'25 ( if you divide 1'00 by 4.2195 for 15s off 26'40 )

he is also a good few years younger & not lost his speed compared to geb, so you woud expect something like 10+ quicker over 10k

that's getting you down to ~ 26'15

as for z-man, you've already stated the obvious - his endurance doesn't last to M

end of story

then you have z-man's own coach saying his 26'37pb is nonsense & saying that in berlin he was in 26'25 shape ( & coaches tend to be modest in their prognostications in case of being insulted )

as for tergat, his endurance also didn't last perfectly to M or 1/2M despite wrs in both - a 26'27 guy shoud do better than 59'00 & 2"04'55