anonymous tool wrote:
If he wants to be considered the GOAT by most running fans
Sorry, but nobody wants that. Have you ever heard or read interviews with US runners? They hate LR posters. They have individual goals: PRs, time barriers, making teams, winning medals, whatever. Not a single professional runner is clamoring to be the blue collar idol of hardcore running fans. Even Noah Droddy has loftier goals than that!
Look at Paul Chelimo, seems to be at close as we've got to your perfect vision right now--he went out to give fans what they wanted in the US 5k, but do you think that's his season's goal? You don't think he's more worried about medalling in London than he is about appeasing fans who complain about sit-and-kick races? The dude sits and kicks all the time, he sat and kicked in NY instead of going over to London to duke it out with the Ethiopians.
You wanna know some great 5000 runners who don't have impressive marathon times? Daniel Komen, Gebremeskel, Sileshi Sihine, Brahim Lahlafi, Mohammed Mourhit, Salah Hissou, John Ngugi. Just because Geb, Bekele, Tergat and Kipchoge do something doesn't mean it's a precursor to being great. Why doesn't Geb get sh*t for sucking at XC? I thought that was the ultimate benchmark of a runner's balls and heart? He couldn't touch a guy he routinely outkicked on the track.