Farah back to dodging competition

I'm not sure if you're messing with me, but either way I'll respond.

When I said Farah doesn't have an advantage I meant he has no advantage relative to the Africans based on the time of the year. Sure you could list several advantages Farah has in life in general. He's a Nike sponsored athlete in Oregon where he has ever amenity and resource he could ever need. He has more money and maybe a better coach. His superior closing speed is an advantage of course. Hey, he is good at distance running ... that's an advantage too!

Bad Wiggins was trying to claim that Farah hasn't stopped dodging competition because he's facing all these big names at an early season meet, but it is just as much an early season meet for Farah as it is for them. Farah ran the 2mile WR in February and this race is in May ... in between the two races he won a half in 59:32. Everyone else has just as much time to train and try and break the WR if they so desire.

Les, you are proving my point by saying the Kenyans/Ethiopians are more likely to be trying to go fast at an early season meet for selection purposes. Farah is there racing them anyway.

"How can you miss it", what would you have Farah do if someone decided to run the first mile of the half in 4:05? Go with them? It's called tactics and knowing your body. This is a completely different situation than the London Marathon where the real racers were out at WR pace and he had his own rabbits going at a slower pace. That was lame and you could accuse him of "dodging the competition". If he was "dodging the competition" in Doha, he'd be in the 2-mile while everyone else is in the 3000 or 5000.

Anyway, my only point was that Farah has been putting himself out there more and I'm happy to see it. Anyone who wants to say he often dodged the competition pre-2015, I 100% agree with you. But you can't accuse him of doing that so far in 2015 (World XC aside, and let's be real, there are many athletes we could criticize for not being there),

...But just wait, now that I've defended his racing schedule, he'll probably pull out of Doha at the last minute with the flu.

how can you miss it wrote:

Did he really face anyone in that half? Didn't they drop him at some point? Facing would be to stick with the front runners and actually race. Not sticking back and running your own race. Run the race that every one else is running.

I worry about people like you... It's like you have to hate someone or you'll explode. The fact that he crossed the finish line before the rest of the competition showed that not only did he 'face' the competition, he also beat them handily. Think before you post please, it will make this site a much happier place. Or you could f*ck off. Same effect really.

ukathleticscoach wrote:

See world champs

Another jogfest; no reason to bother.

Easy there whipper snappers. He is on the start list but lets see if he is on the start line.

I coach him and if there is 1 grain of dust over my determined limit I will pull him. You realize that training with Guppie makes him susceptible to allergies and wussification.

Les wrote:..the Ethiopians/Kenyans often pick the athletes with the hot hand -- i.e. those with the fastest times so quite often you see athletes having to run fast early in the season to impress the team selectors...

Especially the Ethiopians who doesn't have a qualifying meet at all! The Kenyans at least now have that the top 2 at Nationals gets spot at Worlds and only the third man is picked by team selectors, whereas all three Ethiopians at Worlds will be picked by team selectors - and as Ethiopia doesn't even fully qualify as a normal democracy team selectors obviously prefer the guys with early season good times as it's safer for their own necks...

After the WR attempt, the win against a very strong field in the half, and taking on the best in the world at such an early point in the year (a previous poster was spot on in saying that all should be at a similar point in their training cycle as all are attempting to peak at the World Championships in August), how does this make Andy Vernon look? Maybe he actually lit a fuse and got to Mo, or does he look very foolish?

Hasn't he looked foolish all along?

Calling some out like that on Twitter seems like something from the plot of a school about middle or high school children. Add to this the fact of how much better Farah is than Vernon, and it makes Andy look even more desperate.