Did the Boston Marathon even try to get greatest ever in Kenenisa Bekele?

Hardloper wrote:and London is blowing huge $$$$ on Mo and has been criticized in the past for spending money on elites rather than charity

eh ???

london's budget, same as any big M comes from sponsors/tv

every cent of that budget has to go to making it the most "important" circuit M possible

that means fastest &/or most competitive elite M that each cent can buy

it's budget shoud never extend to how many chumps in gorilla suits it can pay to amble around in 4"00'00++ !!!

it never has & if it wants to retain credibility, it never will !

At risk of sounding like a hard nose, but I have a problem with someone who isn't officially qualified getting in, which is why hope Ryan Hall doesn't get a post. Maybe they can both get a charity bid or actually complete another marathon before getting on Boston's course.

Alubalta wrote:

Do you really think that Bekele has been doping all this time and managed to get away with it? In other words, you are implying that he has been doping since he was a junior. Because his performance has been consistent, save for the recent years when he was plagued by injury, ever since he appeared in the world stage in the early 2000s.

If Lance Armstrong could compete and win for as long as he did while getting away with doping with the serious testing program that cycling had then, yes, I surely think Bekele could get away with it in a sport that isn't as high profile.

It's very, very easy to believe high athletes can get away with it since so many have in the past.

So this book

http://amzn.to/15YvFn7

sits on my shelf. Who how what the frack is my book about, was I lied to?

But if my book is right then DUH kenny b ain't the greatest. Maybe you need a copy bro

This whole thread is premised on the notion that Boston even wants Bekele.

News flash: Boston does NOT bring the world's best runners and has not for some time. They assemble decent fields that are not so deep as to prevent an American chance at the podium. This is smart in terms of marketing; giving the Americans a chance makes the event a much easier sell to audiences and therefore sponsors.

What about Mutai and Mosop, you say? Well, Mutai was NOT a top dog when he came to Boston in 2011 (2:04:55) and Mosop was debuting that year. And other than those names, what true world-beaters have raced Boston lately? Nobody near Bekele's stature.

I think so wrote:

If Lance Armstrong could compete and win for as long as he did while getting away with doping with the serious testing program that cycling had then, yes, I surely think Bekele could get away with it in a sport that isn't as high profile.

Lance Armstrong had a Belgium Manager, Bekele has a Dutch Manager. Close enough.

Armstrong claimed that the introduction of the biological passport made it difficult to dope after 2005. 2005 is the last year that Bekele posted "out of this world" times for the 5/10k.

Coincidence. Maybe?