Hall, Meb and Abdi to run 2013 Boston Marathon

Just announced that Ryan Hall, Meb and Abdi have committed to Boston this year. Announcement here:

http://www.runnersworld.com/races/us-mens-olympic-marathon-team-run-boston?cm_mmc=Twitter-_-RunnersWorld-_-Content-News-_-BostonUSTeam

LetsRun addition: Two longer stories are now up here:

http://www.letsrun.com/news/2013/01/five-of-six-2012-us-olympians-will-take-on-the-world-at-the-2013-boston-marathon/

http://www.letsrun.com/news/2013/01/the-three-2012-us-olympians-meb-ryan-hall-and-abdi-abdirahman-will-race-the-2013-boston-marathon/

Shalane, Kara, Cabada, Hartman wrote:

love to see Boston step up the American side of the race

Finally an American can win Boston. But only because there are no good international runners. No Mutai, no Makau, no Kipsang. They will have some "2:05" Ethiopians from the short Dubai 2011 Marathon.

how much of Boston has hall committed to run? 15k?

umsdm wrote:

how much of Boston has hall committed to run? 15k?

Name a race that Hall was paid to run in where he was DNF?

umsdm wrote:

how much of Boston has hall committed to run? 15k?

2:04:58

Also in the field is Tim Ritchie! Don't be surprised if he makes some noise.

That's a great lineup of Americans. I hope it's all on TV.

Look for Hall to go 2:04.

He is a 2:04 guy after all. No?

Halfling Miler wrote:

That's a great lineup of Americans. I hope it's all on TV.

If I wanted to watch Americans compete for the win, I'd watch the US Olympic trials. But I want to see the best OF THE WORLD compete in Boston. I guess that's not in the budget if you waste your money on Hall.

2013 will be a best of excuses replay from everyone except Meb. Pace to fast, to slow, to hot, to cold, my coach, blah, blah blah. Same old tired excuses from the media darlings. Heard this in London and expect to hear it again in Boston.

If you wanted to watch the best of the world compete you could watch the Olympics. Usually it like the Kenyan olympic trials anyway so why not just make it the US's best instead.

I want to see an American win Boston again. If a weak field is the only way this is accomplished that's fine with me. I'd rather watch these American's duke it out than see a bunch of East African's race each other. No offense to the East African's, but you can see that at 100+ marathons around the world every year.

I also think any chance you can get the best Americans together in a race, on a great course, with good crowds and decent prize money you should take it. Races like this help strengthen US marathoning in the future.

Let me guess: English teacher to tough? to easy? spoke to quickly? grammar to hard?

[quote]glycerinrunner wrote:

Pace to fast, to slow, to hot, to cold, quote]

uhhuh wrote:

I'd rather watch these American's duke it out than see a bunch of East African's race each other.

Aren't you glad Abdi and Meb are not East Africans. Moron.

uhhuh wrote:

If you wanted to watch the best of the world compete you could watch the Olympics.

Nope. The Olympics have a 3 runner limit per country. You want to see the best possible field? --> London Marathon.

I'd be surprised if Hall breaks 2:11 - he was hurt for a long time. Abdi will run 2:12 and Meb 2:09 again.

And none of them will be in the top 7.

Yup. I was responding to the person who said they wanted to see the best "OF" the world, not the best "IN" the world. Since they didn't want to just see the best of the US and wanted to see what the whole world had to offer. For this you watch the Olympics. Good effort though buddy.

...to the other response about East Africans. There are numerous posts debating whether or not people feel that these guys are "American" enough. It's been beat to death and I'm not going to debate this here. Try to pay attention to the thread. Here we are discussing the inclusion of US citizens "Meb, Ryan and Abdi" versus East Africa citizens such as Mutai.

I'm excited to see how Fernando Cabada stacks up against the field. He has just kind of disappeared off the radar so that's a sub-plot I'll be watching. On a side note, isn't he sponsored by Newton now?

agip wrote:

I'd be surprised if Hall breaks 2:11 - he was hurt for a long time. Abdi will run 2:12 and Meb 2:09 again.

And none of them will be in the top 7.

The only time in the history of the Boston Marathon that 2:09:00 would not have placed in the top 7 was 2011. Most years it would be top three.

Are you predicting another hurricane force wind?

uhhuh wrote:

...to the other response about East Africans. There are numerous posts debating whether or not people feel that these guys are "American" enough.

I didn't say that Meb or Abdi aren't American. But "East African" is not a nationality but a geographic. Just because they moved somewhere else and they got a different passport doesn't mean they aren't "East African" anymore.

They are "East African American", if you will. ;)