Wow! As usual, this race is absolutely loaded. I can't wait. It is tough to imagine Mo coming away with the win against that group in his debut. However, if anyone can do it, it's a multiple-time global champ.
Wow! As usual, this race is absolutely loaded. I can't wait. It is tough to imagine Mo coming away with the win against that group in his debut. However, if anyone can do it, it's a multiple-time global champ.
Wow. This is the race everyone hoped London would set up. A lot of people speculated that they'd make the field soft to try to give Farah a London victory in his debut, but it seems like they've done the opposite. I'm most excited to see what Kiprotich can do. That 2:07:20 PR is sure to go down big time, provided he has a healthy build up and race. This is going to be an absolutely must-see event.
they'll have to make it fast to test mo
he will do his usual and sit in the pack until 600 to go
mo has the 'science'(cough!) though
i don't think he will win a very fast race
Has Mo shown anything to suggest he will be a world class marathon runner? He hasn't been spectacular in HMs, no really fast 10km efforts, no real long hard XC race success etc.
I think he will be around 2:07. Much worse if he tries to stay with the leaders.
Webbinator wrote:
I think he will be around 2:07. Much worse if he tries to stay with the leaders.
That makes perfect sense.
2:06 or slower or even a DNF and he gets a lot of money for taking part and then can go back to dominating 5,000m/10,000m until 2016.
I'm excited to see Jeilan's debut.
just sayin wrote:
mo has the 'science'(cough!) though
you know...I was just thinking. one dimensional blowhards aren't very interesting. Agreed?
I'm going to call 2:05:45 for Farah.
greatest field of all time? god if they had gotten bekele....
I am excited to see what Ryan Vail can do…glad he is running a course that can give some fast times. Obviously he won't be up front, but I think he'll go under 2:10 if he has a decent day.
I was thinking that Vail just may end up being the fastest US marathoner in 2014 with Ritz running Boston (maybe sub 2:10 if conditions are perfect) and Hall will likely sign up for Chicago or New York (if he makes the starting line, it'd be a success, and anything below 2:10 for him seems like a bit of a stretch at this point).
Al sal sucks at coaching the marathon. Farah dnf in his magic shoes.
Webbinator wrote:
Has Mo shown anything to suggest he will be a world class marathon runner? He hasn't been spectacular in HMs, no really fast 10km efforts, no real long hard XC race success etc.
What do those things have to do with being a world class marathoner? None of the field have "really fast 10 km efforts, real long hard XC race success, etc..."
They display a good level of strength and endurance which would give some sort of an indication of good marathon potential.
Also interested to see what Chris Thompson can do in his debut, along with Ibrahim Jeilan, especially considering how Bekele does in Paris the week before.
agip wrote:
just sayin wrote:mo has the 'science'(cough!) though
you know...I was just thinking. one dimensional blowhards aren't very interesting. Agreed?
i was just thinking you didn't have an opinion of your own....agreed
Mo has not done anything to suggest he will win London. (The race is stacked.) If the race is slow, I guess he has a shot, but that's unlikely. There are a lot of athletes with faster track and road performances than Mo who never made a dent in any of the WMMs. The top marathoners are now specialists, gone are the days of track guys like Geb or Tergat winning marathons. I can see Mo debuting in a respectable 2:05 and perhaps getting down to 2:04 is his 2nd or 3rd marathon and maybe even 2:03 when steps away from the track.
Ironically, the way Mo has won races and his 1500 PR last year suggest he is fine tuned for speed and I not sure he can get all of that out of system in 6 months. Evans Rutto has the fastest marathon debut in 2:05, but he was a road race specialist when he ran his first marathon. I think Mo can eventually challenge for a WMM victory when leaves the track, get a full year at HA running close 200mpw is his system. AlSal is a great coach, but he can't produce a great marathoners until he gets an athletes who starts focusing on the marathon while they are still young. Some of the top Africans are now running marathons in their their teens and skipping the track.
162430 wrote:
Wow! As usual, this race is absolutely loaded. I can't wait. It is tough to imagine Mo coming away with the win against that group in his debut. However, if anyone can do it, it's a multiple-time global champ.
Yeah, I'd be shocked if he could pull it off. That is just a flat out insane field. Too many other superstars who could have a great day. If Mo somehow does win, time to start putting him in the Bekele/Geb G.O.A.T. distance runner discussion.
Add me to the list of those who said "wow" when they read the list.
If the race goes out fast, then Kipsang and the two Mutais are going to battle it out.
If the race is slow, I'd put my money either on G. Mutai (again) or Kiprotich with a slight edge over Farah.
In other words, if I had to bet right now, I'd bet on G. Mutai.
trackcoach wrote:
Evans Rutto has the fastest marathon debut in 2:05
It's Kimetto now, with 2:04:16. Or Mosop's 2:03:06 if you count Boston.
Farah was in a trap here. Being British, the London Marathon was his only option for big $, just like Ryan Hall can only earn big $ by running Boston or NYC. He had to sign with London. Too bad for him that Virgin didn't water down the field.
Much smarter approach by Bekele, choosing a Marathon (Paris) that he can actually win.