The bar has been raised: Ethiopia just had 7 men under 2:04:45 and 6 women 2:20:45 or better in one race

I'm suspecting, "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark," actually whoops I just Ethiopia.

A matter of record `' wrote:

Brief story wrote:

Some pompous english jerk burst into Ngugi's home demanding his blood without identifying himself and without any Kenyan officials present.

Ngugi rightfully tossed the jerk out on his ass, and was banned.

Whil Wheaton wrote:

How was Ngugi tested all of the other times out of competition?

He always passed every test easily.

Didn't he refuse a test?

Take a look at the maps for Dubai, Berlin, London, Chicago. The facts are simple.

Less turns = faster marathon

Not true, though often claimed.

From October last year:

But now, we can update the course records, which doesn't change Dubai's ranking:

Berlin: 2:02:57

(Boston: 2:03:02)

London: 2:03:05

Frankfurt: 2:03:42

Chicago: 2:03:45

Tokyo: 2:03:58

Dubai: 2:04:00

Rotterdam: 2:04:27

MeHereYouWhere?! wrote:

vivalarepublica wrote:

I also heard a snippet on the broadcast that the pavement might be conducive to fast running, but maybe that is simply because it’s in really good condition compared to some other major city marathons.

Cough Cough Oil Money Cough Cough

Only 5% of Dubai's income comes from oil.

straight and narrow wrote:

Less turns = faster marathon

This is true. Also the Dubai course appeared to be run on new pavement.

If the whole course was freshly paved then the runners in Dubai could run without constantly looking down at their feet.

Ghirmany BERHANU:

Ethiopian police are investigating Girmay Birhanu for breaching an anti-doping law after he failed a test for meldonium last year and he could face three years in prison, Gebrselassie, the Ethiopian Athletics Federation (EAF) President, told Reuters.

How many of the course records on the list are doped?

100m wrote:

Kenya has more legitimate testing than Ethiopia.

Just follow where Mo goes. That will answer your question.

Five of the six Ethiopian athletes suspended and under investigation for doping by the country's authorities tested positive for the newly banned substance meldonium, the national track team doctor said on Friday.

Abeba Aregawi, the Ethiopia-born former 1,500-meter world champion who competes for Sweden failed an out-of-competition test for meldonium this year. She reportedly failed the test in Ethiopia. Also, 2015 Tokyo Marathon winner Endeshaw Negesse has been linked to a positive test for meldonium, although Ethiopian authorities have not said if Negesse is one of their athletes being investigated.

Ayalew attended meetings on Friday in Addis Ababa with WADA deputy director Rob Koehler. WADA's Africa director, Rodney Swigelaar, also traveled to Ethiopia.

WADA has urged Ethiopia to strengthen its anti-doping program and conduct more tests following serious problems in East African neighbor and fellow distance running power Kenya, which was declared non-compliant by WADA last month and had its drug-testing agency suspended.

https://sports.yahoo.com/news/ethiopia-team-doctor-ap-5-athletes-failed-meldonium-205801183--spt.html

Tokyo Marathon winner Endeshaw Negesse has become the first Ethiopian named in connection with a failed drugs test following reports that as many as nine athletes from the distance running powerhouse are under investigation.

Negesse tested positive for meldonium, the same recently banned substance which it emerged that Sweden's Ethiopian-born former world 1500 metres champion Abeba Aregawi had failed for this week.

Official confirmation is expected today.

The identity of another Ethiopian marathon runner to have failed is also expected to be revealed.

Negesse beat reigning Olympic champion Stephen Kiprotich of Uganda en route to victory in Tokyo last year, crossing the line in a time of 2hours 06min 00sec.

This followed a personal best of 2:04:52 when finishing fourth at the Dubai Marathon in 2013.

https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1034922/ethiopian-tokyo-marathon-winner-negesse-reportedly-fails-drugs-test-for-meldonium

Abeba Aregawi is an Ethiopian 1500-metre runner who transferred to Sweden in 2009 and claimed to have lived there until 2012 when she was apparently married to Ethiopian-born Swede Henok Weldegebriel for convenience.

She is the 2013 IAAF World Track and Field Championships gold medallist and the 2014 champion at world indoors. She finished fifth in the 2012 London Olympic Games 1500-metre final. An event so riddled with drug users that six of the 12 finalists have been suspended for testing positive for performance enhancing drugs, including the gold and silver medallists from Turkey Asli Cakir Alptekin and Camze Bulut as well as the fourth, fifth, seventh and ninth place finishers.

At the time Aregawi claimed to have lived with Weldegebriel in Stockholm. Aregawi got into tax trouble and eventually had to confess that she never lived in Sweden and her marriage to Weldegebriel was indeed a sham; they divorced shortly afterwards. She is now married a second time to Ethiopian Yemane Tsegay. The couple currently lives in Addis Ababa. Tsegay owns a marathon personal best of 2:04.48 from Rotterdam in 2012.

“The problem with her was her husband, he was a f*cking lunatic. He advised her to not pay taxes, she almost went to jail for that,” added Hermens.

On February 29th, Aregawi was suspended for doping from an out of competition test that the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) conducted the month before. She was found to have indications of the heart medication meldonium in her blood.

“These random isolated positive drug tests in Ethiopia and Kenya have nothing to do with management, it is just random pharmacists or doctors and sometimes doctors who are not fully certified offering drugs to athletes. It’s just some random lunatic doctors,” added Hermens.

According to the Guardian.com: ‘the national team doctor, Ayalew Tilhaun said Ethiopians recently tested positive for steroids, testosterone, the stimulant ephedrine and the diuretic furosemide, among other banned substances.’

Apparently world record holder in the 1500m, Genzebe Dibaba’s coach, Jama Aden may also be under investigation.

Last year two of his athletes were suspended including Laila Traby of France, who is a 10,000m runner. French police found EPO in her apartment, while Hamza Driouch was suspended for Athlete Biological Passport anomalies, Driouch competed for Qatar.

“You can see why these athletes dope. Not that I am saying that it is okay or anything like that, as I am not, but the very best athletes do not need to dope. It is the male 2:10 marathon runners who want to run 2:05 and the women who run 2:30 who want to run 2:22 and earn $30,000 prize money. That to them is a lot of money and when they win $30,000 in prize money it doesn’t matter so much to them that they are suspended for four years,” said Hermens of the Ethiopians and Kenyans who have been suspended recently.

http://athleticsillustrated.com/editorial/jos-hermens-i-have-never-been-involved-or-assisted-any-athlete-at-anytime-to-dope/

It is just a coincidence.

Whoops again in Ethiopia wrote:

“You can see why these athletes dope. Not that I am saying that it is okay or anything like that, as I am not, but the very best athletes do not need to dope. It is the male 2:10 marathon runners who want to run 2:05 and the women who run 2:30 who want to run 2:22 and earn $30,000 prize money. That to them is a lot of money and when they win $30,000 in prize money it doesn’t matter so much to them that they are suspended for four years,” said Hermens of the Ethiopians and Kenyans who have been suspended recently.

Cool story, Hermens. But try this:

"You can see why these athletes dope. Not that I am saying that it is okay or anything like that, as I am not, but the very best athletes dope. It is the male 2:05 marathon runners who want to run 2:03 and the women who run 2:20 who want to run 2:17 and earn $1,000,000 prize money."

Makes sense?

That would also be in line with Seppelt's findings: the medal winners have more suspicious blood values than the also-rans.

But wait? Is he implying that doping makes a 2:05 runner out of a 2:10 guy? Oh oh...