Somewhere on here Renato said KB was most comfortable training 8X mpw. That is what got him to 26:17.
"The 26:43 Bekele ran out of nowhere in 2011 was very impressive, but seems like the last hurrah at the event at this point."
"At this point." is exactly the question. The suggestion is that KB wants to go back to training like when he ran 26:43 in 2011 rather than marathon training that he isn't sure he can do long enough to both qualify for and run Rio.
I think most of us understand that 26:43 won't win the 10,000 in Rio and maybe that KB can't even do it anymore. But wouldn't it be fun to see KB line up and try for it rather than watching Rupp lead at 29 flat pace because no one else will take it?