I continue to be amazed by the fact that folks don't seem to get that straight running talent is only a part of ultra running ability. While I respect the running ability of many successful ultra runners (I couldn't go 4:00 flat for the mile or 2:14 for the marathon), some elite ultra runners are simply not great straight runners. My impression is that there are a bunch of guys out there with my 5000m to marathon running ability who excel at the ultra distance.
That isn't because you only need to be a good runner to excel, it is because you need to be other things in addition to being a good runner; or maybe it is better stated that you need to be a good runner as a result of having certain qualities as a runner. Either way, I would expect a 14:20 guy with a cast iron stomach, the ability to run gobs and gobs of miles, the physical strength to run hills and on uneven surfaces, and the ability to go mentally blank for long periods to do better than a 13:50 guy who lacks those abilities.
As a (long ago) 14:20 who lacks those abilities, I will never go the ultra route, an I am certainly not going to assume that if I did, I would destroy all the 14:40 guys who are in the sport.
They are really just altogether different animals.