Just saw Abdi, he says Marathon WR 'is fishy'

You fell for marketing wrote:

Sciatica Road wrote:

Maybe it's the ADIDAS BOOST, potentially to be regulated as a performance aid (like the Spira shoes in the past)! That BOUNCY BOOST, ftwr (for-the-world-record)! [Whaddaya say, Shawn? You still out there lurking?]

You do realize Spiras were never banned, right?

Spiras actually are banned. USATF rule book -

PDF page 61, rule book page 52.

Rule 143 Athletic Attire - Section 3 Section A Shoes

"Such shoes, however, must not be constructed so as to give

the competitor any unfair additional assistance, including the incorporation of any technology which will give the wearer any unfair advantage, such as a spring or similar device."

Somebody on another thread (see below) mentioned the idea of being a late-bloomer, for the purposes of trying to defeat the bio-passport. Wonder if this may have had something to do with the "fishiness".------------

messi wrote:

TLW wrote:

Ezkyas Sisay and Martin Fagan were Abdi's training partners and bothed banned for EPO.

Do the math.

Update on Ezkyas Sisay?

Sisay was cleared to compete by IAAF months ago. Probably he will be under the radar in road running scene next year.

Same with Mathew Kisorio (he ran two races past month. 2 races, 2 victories, including a half)

Ben L Wrong wrote:

...was cleared to compete by IAAF months ago.

Same with Mathew Kisorio (he ran two races past month. 2 races, 2 victories, including a half)

Kisorio was a sub-60 half marathoner, a chump by no means; so yeah, it tweaked my nose a little bit back when Canova was claiming, to the effect, that the blood boosting PED's don't benefit the top east-aftrican talent.

sdgfasgdf wrote:

One of the difficulties of the internet age is knowing what pieces of information are public or private. Is a conversation in a coffee shop something that the world should know about? Does Abdi expect to be quoted on letsrun every time he says something running-related?

I have problems with the OP posting something that Abdi may have said, unless he was given permission to do so by Abdi. It could have been said off the cuff or in disbelief, the tone of his meaning may have been misunderstood or it may not have been properly translated to text.

I have no problem with it being posted and here's why. It's a LetsRun forum, it's not an article in a publication. Journalists aren't allowed to do this, they need to state if they can use it "on record". If Bill Clinton admits me to me that he used to kill polar bears in front of Al Gore while getting his cigar polished by Lewinski, I can post that all over social media, message boards, etc, because he can very easily deny it as it's not "on the record." I believe OP, btw.

If the Boost improves economy by 1%, in a marathon that's about a MINUTE!!! Now, there aren't loads of studies on this but if this one is true that's quite a chunk of time in a marathon. That would put Kimetto and E.Mutai back to 2:03:57 and 2:03:13 with "normal" EVA racing flats. The actual calculation for 1.0% of 2:02:57 is 73.77 seconds, so 1min 13 secs.

Of course, this assumes that the 1% increase in running economy efficiency translates directly to results, which it may not, especially considering the other slew of factors out there. Interesting to think about though.

My problem with posting this is:Abdi Abdirahman, albeit some still are petty and question his loyalties (which they shouldn't), is still a beacon of excellence for American running. Most of us will never toe the same line with Abdi, nor will we be able to witness him (usually) anywhere but a finish line. Having said this, if we start putting forth controversy about our top runners and their comments, some which might be "en passant", then we run a heavy risk of putting American distance running on the docket, much like cycling, football, baseball, and field sports. Unsolicited words are missing one key factor, journalistically--context. Without context, it is easy to misconstrue meaning and possibly kill the potential of an athlete.Now, I know some naysayers will say, "Well, he is 39, and he is no longer as good." However, he has goals, and it is not up to us, the also-rans, to put forth this information in a less-than-flattering light. This could potentially thrust Abdi into a large tailspin of possibly international controversy over a comment that may have just, really, been blasé.I think Letsrun.com may just be getting too big for its britches. Let our pros be pros.Thanks

There have been a handful of occasions when I've been with people close to or inside the world of elite running who've passed along a juicy piece of information and said something like, "That's just between us."

If Abdirahmen made such a comment to somebody he'd never met before and didn't say "Keep that to yourself" I think he probably didn't care if the comment was repeated. If he did care he'll learn to be a bit more circumspect from now on.

Good point, and it is well taken.However, it also makes me wonder this for this situation:Are people far, far too quick to take one comment they hear and put it on social media?I wish Abdi the best on this one

HRE wrote:

There have been a handful of occasions when I've been with people close to or inside the world of elite running who've passed along a juicy piece of information and said something like, "That's just between us."

If Abdirahmen made such a comment to somebody he'd never met before and didn't say "Keep that to yourself" I think he probably didn't care if the comment was repeated. If he did care he'll learn to be a bit more circumspect from now on.

Maybe a better question is whether people who see something in social media are too quick to assume what they've seen is accurate and possibly make the comment "mean" what they want it to.

I have no idea how well Abdirahment knows Kimetto, knows someone who knows Kimetto, etc. A good follow up question to the "fishy" comment would have been "What makes you say that?"

[quote]Mike-a one one wrote:

some which might be "en passant", then we run a heavy risk of putting American distance running on the docket, much like cycling, football, baseball, and field sports. Unsolicited words are missing one key factor, journalistically--context. Without context, it is easy to misconstrue meaning and possibly kill the potential of an athlete.

[quote]sdgfasgdf wrote:

Maybe we need some unsolicited words in order to get on the same "docket" as cycling, football and baseball. Get some more people following the sport, sport.

Interesting comments and thread. Abdi has a right to his opinions. What he has allegedly said (and I believe the OP) is not any worse (and probably more mild) that what is said here on LR and elsewhere. I wish these athletes all the best, but the times they put up are simply amazing, even unbelievable (literally). The recent post here about running 69.9 for 400m (and then for 26.2) demonstrates the absolute mind-blowing nature of a 2:02:57. To me, anything much below a 2:08 is incredible. When the times began to go below that, I started to doubt. It is just too much. Will the 10k WR be 9-something someday, and the marathon WR be 1:30? It is just too much. It cannot simply keep going down and down and down indefinitely. There is just something unnatural about it.

Sorry for the typo--I meant 9-something for a 5k WR, not a 10k. How about 19-something for a 10k?

Mike-a one one wrote:

I wish Abdi the best on this one

Wasn't Abdi just stating the obvious? YOU don't think it was a little fishy?

Can we get back to talking about Dustin Jeter>>>?????

Personally, I do not. I have been watching and respecting Kenyan racing ever since I saw William Mutwol and Richard Chelimo finish excitingly at the end of the 1992 Carlsbad 5000, when I had just turned 18. This makes over 22 years of respect for the sport in its global way. I also ran CC and track in HS but I did not know of the Kenyans, Ethiopians, etc. until 1992. Since then, with performances from Wanjiru (RIP), Mutai (both G. and E. though they are not related), and others like them, I have seen times drop and drop.It is my contention, and it always will be, that we will never see the fastest Kenyan runner because they train and race in packs and BREAK. They never go on their own.Ergo, I am not skeptical one bit. I think it's not the least bit fishy. I am not biting the hook.:)Thanks

listen up... wrote:

Mike-a one one wrote:

I wish Abdi the best on this one

Wasn't Abdi just stating the obvious? YOU don't think it was a little fishy?

Yeah that makes lots of sense - he was probably juicing up in his mud hut on his family shamba for years. He didn't have any money, or a manager, or a coach or medication for his mothers typhoid but he was taking huge doses of EPO on a regular basis

Actually, what you propose, with the assistance of a foreign doping coach/management culture, is less preposterous than the story of a poor dirt farmer going for a run, getting discovered by G Mutai, and running the Marathon WR 4 years later, while entering some international races along the way under a pseudonym.

sdgfasgdf wrote:

One of the difficulties of the internet age is knowing what pieces of information are public or private. Is a conversation in a coffee shop something that the world should know about? Does Abdi expect to be quoted on letsrun every time he says something running-related?

I have problems with the OP posting something that Abdi may have said, unless he was given permission to do so by Abdi. It could have been said off the cuff or in disbelief, the tone of his meaning may have been misunderstood or it may not have been properly translated to text.

Very well said. Thank you.