Peace Out wrote:
not genetics? wrote: You must be mentally handicapped. Check out the top 20, hell top 50 marathon times historically.
NO KIDDING. And this is because of their LIFESTYLE/CULTURE and ATTITUDE.
Bull. People like Ritz and Hall are working as hard and just as focused on running as the Africans.
They do nothing but run like the Africans. Wake up and do a run, take a nap. Do another workout. Go to bed early.
I don't care how desperately motivated you are and the only path for success is marathon prize money. This isn't the reason the Kenyans dominate. You have to be a fool to think that is the case.
Everybody in this sport at the top level is working as hard as they can. If Matt Tegenkamp or Ritz were motivated that running was the only way they could have a decent life nothing would be any different.
You can only train as hard as your body allows. To say that American marathoners don't work hard enough because they aren't running weekly 15-20 mile runs at 4:50 pace and in between 6-10 mile runs at 4:40 pace is because they can't yet. Without drugs.
Just deal with it.
There has never been a non-east African runner that has run under 2:05 for a marathon. Kannouchi was Northern African and I doubt he was clean and ran 2:05.
I do believe if top American phenomenal talent can be tracked at an early age in a program to develop as a marathoner we would do better but the system is not that way. Not with the focus on high school track with the longest race being 3200 meters or 5000 meters cross country.
If you don't believe that Kenyans have a genetic advantage explain to me why 18 year old Kenyans can run 13:00. Where they training 100 miles a week when they were 14 years old?