Mottram BESTS Mo Farah. Mottram once toyed with the idea of running for GB. Mottram is better, see...

CWG Melbourne 2006-03-20: 5000 m: 12:58.19 (2) VS 13:40.53 (9)

This shows Craig Mottram 25 vs Mo Farah, 3 days from 23. That's sub 13 for the Big Mazungo and +:42 for Mobot. Of course, he wasn't Mobot then.

Jordan Stanford CA 2008-05-04: 10000 m: 27:34.48 (1) VS 27:44.54 (5)

This shows Craig Mottram 27 vs Mo Farah 25. Farah's 27:44.54 was his PR.

Herc Monaco 2011-07-22: 5000 m: 13:29.56 (15) VS 12:53.11 (1)

Shows Craig Mottram 31 vs Mo Farah 28. 12:53.11 -- a time almost 2.5 seconds faster than Mottram's 12:55.76 (which he ran at 24 years old).

To today -- Mottram just turned 36 and he's basically been retired for years. Ran 2:28 at London. Which makes below all the more red flagish.

London GBR 2016-07-23: 5000m: 12:59.29 (1) Mohamed Farah 33 years old.

Ahhh...somebody catch this fool.

Agree Squared wrote:

CWG Melbourne 2006-03-20: 5000 m: 12:58.19 (2) VS 13:40.53 (9)

This shows Craig Mottram 25 vs Mo Farah, 3 days from 23. That's sub 13 for the Big Mazungo and +:42 for Mobot. Of course, he wasn't Mobot then.

Jordan Stanford CA 2008-05-04: 10000 m: 27:34.48 (1) VS 27:44.54 (5)

This shows Craig Mottram 27 vs Mo Farah 25. Farah's 27:44.54 was his PR.

Herc Monaco 2011-07-22: 5000 m: 13:29.56 (15) VS 12:53.11 (1)

Shows Craig Mottram 31 vs Mo Farah 28. 12:53.11 -- a time almost 2.5 seconds faster than Mottram's 12:55.76 (which he ran at 24 years old).

To today -- Mottram just turned 36 and he's basically been retired for years. Ran 2:28 at London. Which makes below all the more red flagish.

London GBR 2016-07-23: 5000m: 12:59.29 (1) Mohamed Farah 33 years old.

Ahhh...somebody catch this fool.

I don't understand how Farah somehow ended up running all his PRs as he got past what is traditionally the prime for runners, and I'm also very suspicious of his tendency to train in remote African locations. However, your selection of results is very heavily biased.

You ignored the 3 victories Farah had over Mottram in 2007 during the World Championships and World Athletics Finals, as well as the fact that Mottram's abilities degenerated VERY quickly from his peak.

I only pulled a few. The 3 head-to-head wins in 2007 are part of racing. What's most disconcerting is that the rest of Farah's wins come at the end of the list, post 2010. Mo Farah's 27th birthday must have been magical because he basically was lossless from around that time. Certainly by 28 he was unbeaten.

I just had Trackbot run Motts vs Rupp and Rupp edges him, but that's because it captures Craig's tail end.

I was at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne '06. Mottram was super fit. Nobody looked at Mo Farah there. He was 23 and a good runner, but as the video shows, not even close. Not even close.

Good to watch that again. Great run by Choge.

The Mo Farah story is stained with dope. He goes from so-so to chasing down Bekele? Bull shite. Absolute doper. Epic ruin.

Mottram was 12-0 against him at one point

Mo goes 10-2 the rest of the way. Hmmmm.

Beside Kennedy, he was the first caucasian to dip under 13.

Trackbot! Compare Bob Kennedy vs Dieter Baumann

Trackbot! Dope Dieter Baumann

You see Mottram and Farah walking down the street. Who would you guess is faster?

Head-to-head record between Bob Kennedy (left) and Dieter Baumann (right):

WC Tokyo 1991-09-01: 5000 m: 13:54.47 (12) VS 13:28.67 (4)

OG Barcelona 1992-08-08: 5000 m: 13:39.72 (12) VS 13:12.52 (1)

Weltk Köln 1994-08-21: 3000 m: 7:37.43 (4) VS 7:34.69 (1)

WC Göteborg 1995-08-13: 5000 m: 13:32.10 (7) VS 13:39.98 (9)

WK Zürich 1995-08-16: 5000 m: 13:03.37 (4) VS 13:01.72 (2)

VD Bruxelles 1995-08-25: 3000 m: 7:40.28 (6) VS 7:39.21 (4)

OG Atlanta GA 1996-08-03: 5000 m: 13:12.35 (6) VS 13:08.81 (4)

Herc Monaco 1996-08-10: 3000 m: 7:33.96 (8) VS 7:44.66 (10)

WK Zürich 1996-08-14: 5000 m: 12:58.21 (5) VS 13:20.46 (11)

Bislett Oslo 1997-07-04: 3000 m: 7:31.77 (2) VS 7:31.81 (4)

DNG Stockholm 1997-07-07: 5000 m: 13:06.62 (6) VS 13:10.93 (8)

WC Athína 1997-08-10: 5000 m: 13:19.45 (6) VS 13:17.64 (5)

WK Zürich 1997-08-13: 5000 m: 13:07.71 (9) VS 12:54.70 (5)

Bislett Oslo 1998-07-09: 2000 m: 5:02.4h (6) VS 5:02.7h (8)

Bislett Oslo 1998-07-09: 3000 m: 7:38.07 (13) VS 7:35.61 (8)

GGala Roma 1998-07-14: 5000 m: 13:05.18 (7) VS 13:04.10 (3)

Herc Monaco 1998-08-08: 3000 m: 7:30.84 (8) VS 7:30.50 (6)

ISTAF Berlin 1998-09-01: 5000 m: 13:03.57 (6) VS 13:26.71 (13)

WK Zürich 1999-08-11: 5000 m: 13:05.54 (5) VS 13:11.68 (12)

Bob Kennedy total wins: 8

Dieter Baumann total wins: 11

No doping offenses found for Dieter Baumann

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I'm not saying that Farah isn't suspicious (because he absolutely is), but rather, Mottram is a terrible example to use for proving this point.

You say that it is concerning that Farah's wins come at the end of the list. However, even if Farah hadn't experienced his 2011 improvement (i.e. his abilities stagnated at their Pre-2011 levels), it's very likely that he would've had those victories.

After the 2008 season, it was game over for Mottram's career. During the 2008 Olympics, he couldn't even make the 5000m final. His injuries then prevented him from running for nearly all of 2009, and when he came back right before 2010, he never approached any of his PRs again.

This shows a decline in Mottram in 2007. A surge from Mo around 2010, I analyzed this in another thread, I reckon that he got a lot of fine refined muscle around this time. Now how could he have done that I wonder?

I love the discussion generated by this thread; it's the type of discussion that TrackBot is really supposed to be about so I'll chip in.

I don't think the OP's stat by itself is reason for alarm with Farah. Mottram happened to approach his peak before 2009, and Farah peaked after that. Farah was still close to world-class in 2007/8/9 though, so they grot a chance to race each other often and Mottram unsurprisingly won.

But after 2009, Mottram declined at an unusually fast rate and didn't really get to race Mo that often. If Mo was still the 7th-at-worlds runner that he was in 2007 for the rest of his career, I really don't think this head-to-head record would have been all that different, because old Mo would have still been better than 'new' declining Mottram.

I keep forgetting that Mottram ran a 3:48 mile back in 2005 (Alan Webb also ran 3:48 in that race). Not as impressive as Mo's 3:28s but still SUPER fast for a 5k guy.

A couple of my club mates beat Mottram in the London Marathon this year and they are even older than he is! They couldn't even get in the same race as him for much of their club running careers! This thread has confirmed my suspicions about them. Thanks TrackBot.

Seyta wrote:

After the 2008 season, it was game over for Mottram's career. During the 2008 Olympics, he couldn't even make the 5000m final. His injuries then prevented him from running for nearly all of 2009, and when he came back right before 2010, he never approached any of his PRs again.

Exactly. Mottram has a slew of injuries and it just became to hard to regain his form. He trained too hard when things were breaking down and he didn't listen to his body well enough.

Similar thing happened to Solinksy. He was riding on super fitness and then he had a non-running related injury, surgery, and it was impossible for him to regain his fitness and form. And Kenny B experienced this as well, though he's done well enough at times post-injuries.

Maybe Farah has grey area doped in his later career. But if he did then the much heavier (more than 30lbs) less aerodynamic Mottram probably did the same to run his 12:55, the heavier bulkier Kennedy probably did too.

Since when did 27 become old or a runner? Mottram shot his load early. Mo continued to work hard and his move to a training group was a sign he was committed to doing being the best. Lagat is another example.

Mope Dealer wrote:

This shows a decline in Mottram in 2007. A surge from Mo around 2010, I analyzed this in another thread, I reckon that he got a lot of fine refined muscle around this time. Now how could he have done that I wonder?

this has already been established. push-ups is the key.

Remember that time Farah was Mottram's pacer in training?

"His training partner, England's 500m runner at the games, Mo Farah ran the 1st lap in 65 secs and Mottram went to the lead running the

2nd lap faster, the 3rd lap faster again and once more increasing the pace on the

last lap. He ran those laps in 59, 58 and 57 for a final 1600m time of 3.59."

http://www.traq.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/bideauoncoaching.pdf

Sorry, but if you've got the talent to be a multiple global champion, and on a program that worked that well for Mottram, Benita Willis and Sonia O'Sullivan, you would be running better than 13:42. Doping is the only explanation.