Sad_Day wrote:
Sad day - even though most of us figured this was coming. Ryan brought so much to this sport and had some truly electric performances. For the period he was at his peak, no US marathoner was even in the same stratosphere.
I've written similar posts here before, but I'll write it again--Ryan is the best the US will ever produce. Look at the all-time US list below.
Take out Khannouchi, who was already world-class pre citizenship change, and the difference is even more glaring. Ryan stands alone among Americans in the ability to consistently produce world class marathon results. Even his haters, who cry about the wind-aided 2:04 in Boston, must admit that most of the people on this list ALSO have their PRs from Boston. Take out all Boston times, and use Ryan's 2:06 as the standard, and again, the difference is even more glaring.
There has simply never been anyone like Hall, and none on the horizon.
Raised at altitude.
High mileage since HS.
Beautiful stride.
Not afraid to stick his nose in with top Africans.
The hate he got from so many is criminal. I hope you all appreciated him while he was rolling well, because that's the best an American-born male can do. PERIOD.
2:04:58 a 4 Ryan Hall (USA) 14 Oct 1982 18 Apr 2011 2:05:37.8 1 Khalid Khannouchi (USA)22 Dec 1971 14 Apr 2002
2:05:56 1 Khalid Khannouchi - 2 (USA) 22 Dec 1971 13 Oct 02
2:06:17 5 Ryan Hall - 2 (USA) 14 Oct 1982 13 Apr 2008 L
2:07:01 1 Khalid Khannouchi - 3 (USA) 22 Dec 1971 22 Oct 00
2:07:04 4 Khalid Khannouchi - 4 (USA) 22 Dec 1971 23 Apr 06
2:07:47 9 Dathan Ritzenhein (USA) 30 Dec 1982 07 Oct 2012
2:08:04 5 Ryan Hall - 3 (USA) 14 Oct 1982 09 Oct 2011
2:08:24 7 Ryan Hall - 4 (USA) 14 Oct 1982 22 Apr 2007
(10) 2:08:37 a 1 Mebrahtom Keflezighi (USA) 05 May 1975 21
2:08:41 a 4 Ryan Hall - 5 (USA) 14 Oct 1982 19 Apr 2010
2:08:44 5 Khalid Khannouchi - 5 (USA) 22 Dec 1971 10 Oct
2:08:47 a 7 Robert Kempainen (USA) 18 Jun 1966 18 Apr
2:08:52 a 1 Alberto Salazar (USA) 07 Aug 1958 19 Apr 1982
2:08:54 a 2 Dick Beardsley (USA) 21 Mar 1956 19 Apr 1982
2:08:56 4 Abdihakim Abdirahman (USA) 01 Jan 1977 22 Oct
2:09:01 a 1 Greg Meyer (USA) 18 Sep 1955 18 Apr 1983
2:09:01.9 1 Ryan Hall - 6 (USA) 14 Oct 1982 03 Nov 2007
2:09:08 1 Mebrahtom Keflezighi - 2 (USA) 05 May 1975 14
(20) 2:09:13 Mebrahtom Keflezighi - 3 (USA) 05 May 197506 Nov 2011