For obvious reasons Rupp is a contender, and when you run 27:30 and sub 61 as Estrada has, one has to consider him to be a real threat. Of course, being excellent in the 10 and half doesn't always translate to the marathon. What I was trying to do was to show everyone for whom there is some reason to think he's in the running for a spot--Vail, for example, but he was out injured for a long time, and so I don't see him as a viable contender--but then to cut down that list. In the case of Ward and Pennel, while they are fine runners, when you look at their PRs in the marathon, and look at their PRs in other events, I just don't see it. Now one could argue that Ritz went from 2:14 to 2:11 (in the Central Park course) to make the team for 2008, but those guys don't have Ritz's talent. So even if Ward improved a minute and Pennel two minutes, I still don't see them as viable contenders. Another way of putting this--Ritz's PR is over 5 minutes better than Ward's and almost 6 minutes better than Pennel's. Meb's PR is almost the same in difference to them. Puskedra's 2:10 is over two and a half minutes better than Ward. I see Rupp, Ritz, Meb, and Puskedra as being in a different league (Curtis approaches that league, in part because of the way the Hansons are bringing him along). Nevertheless, I could see a dozen guys being together at 30k, and in a marathon, the unexpected does happen.
Ahemm ..... wrote:
Popcorn eater wrote:He said many factors, dimwit.
What I stated was correct, a-hole.