I well knew that the competitions of Lonah Chemtai Salpeter had to produce a lot of suspisions, because I well knew her talent, together the training she uses from October 2017, had to produce results, unbelievable for all the "dreamers" of doping as only reason for the ability running fast.
Now I explain the true story, and Dan (who wrote in this thread) can confirm, adding some other particular.
Lonah is Kenyan, and moved to Israel several years ago (maybe about 10) working in the house of the Kenyan Embassador in Tel Aviv. She was a runner in the school, never going for real training. In Israel she met Dan Salpeter : they married some year ago, Lonah continued running 3-4 times per week (no longer than 40 easy minutes) and was a total "amateur".
About 5 years ago, they had a wonderful baby boy (already able to speak English and the language of Israel), who is one of the most educated children I saw in my life.
Since Israel didn't have any strong athletes in long distances, Lonah, with her very little training, tried to qualify for Olympics, and the only way was to try a marathon, since the qualifyer limit was very easy. So, she ran her first marathon (I repeat, practically WITHOUT preparation) on 27th February 2016 in Tel Aviv, winning in 2:40'17". She changed her training, increasing the volume too quickly, and in Rio de Janeiro (14th August) was very tired, and finished the fuel after 30 km, not finishing the race. After Olympics, she recovered with very little training, went Berlin (25th September) and repeated the same time of Tel Aviv (2:40'16"), arriving in 11th position.
In 2017, she started to run a little bit more. At the end of the season she improved everywhere : 4'23"94 (1500m), 9'26"44 (3000m), 16'12"51 (5000m), 32'43"89 (10000m), but especially 1:12'48" in HM. However, her preparation for the Marathon was still very poor : she had 10000m in her mind, but again the only way for running in WCh (London, 6th of August) was to compete in the longest event, since already had the qualification limit, and again ran 2:40'22", finishing in position 41.
At the beginning of October, Dan came to meet me in Kerio View in Iten. We spoke about training, but really I didn't have idea of the talent of Lonah, so I went with Dan to see a training session, and I was impressed by the running technique, and the body, of the athlete.
When we met again, the next day, I told Dan that, in my opinion, Lonah could become one of the best in the World, looking directly to Marathon.
Till that period, she never had the opportunity to run with strong athletes, on track or on the road (with the exception pf the big championships in the marathon, clearly not ready).
So, I put in front of Dan the road to follow : increasing volume of training, and inside the volume also the quality ; to work with a manager, as soon she was able running under 1:10 in HM ; to meet some more strong athlete in any event ; to build a strong mentality and a right self confidence, step by step.
She trained in Iten till the end of January, competing in the Discovery Cross Country (28 Jan) for training, and going home immediately after. In February, she had to run in Israel in all the Championships of the Country : 15 km on the road in Rishon Letzion (2nd Feb) winning with the NR of 49'47" (NR in 10 km also with the split of 33'12"), NR on track (10th Feb) in 3000m, totally alone (9'06"60), National Cross Country Champs for training only in Tel Aviv (16th Feb) running 34'43" for a distance of 10.2 km, and after that period went back Kenya for preparing the WHMCh in Valencia (24th March).
In that race, Lonah had the first confirmation of her talent, finishing in position 12 with 1:08'58". Now, she needed to start a real international activity.
I put Dan in touch with the Italian manager Chiara Davini, that started to take care of every particular, leaving the only focus for Dan in training.
We had a discussion, at the beginning of April, because I told Lonah she could win European Championships in Marathon, but she was not mentally ready for thinking of the distance, and had 10000m in her mind. I accepted the idea of Lonah (Dan was more open about the marathon), and we decided to have a period of speed. Lonah ran her PB in 1500m immediately after going back Tel Aviv (4'17"22 on 21st April), and 5 days later ran, alone, 10000m on track in 31'39"63, with a very fast first half (NR in 5000m in 15'26"8, with the second half in 16'03").
At this point, she needed a test against stronger competitors, and I suggested Dan to ask to the Federation to enter Lonah in the European Cup of London (19th May). There was a Kenyan rabbit, but Lonah had to go alone after the first 5 km, winning with a negative split, in the new NR of 31'33"03.
The approach to the ECh of Berlin had still 3 steps : the control of endurance (15 km in Valencia on 2nd June, winning in 47'38" with the last 10 km faster than her NR), the control of speed (NR of 1500min Tel Aviv during the NC of 4th July in 4'11"69 behind Eglay Nalyanya) and the control of specific speed endurance (5000m in Kortrijk on 14th July winning in 15'17"81, of course NR).
European Championships in Berlin : easy victory in 10000m (8th August in 31'43"29), and a disqualification in 5000m for closing the first turn with one step inside the cones, where she made also a mistake going for a sprint with Sifan Hassan, one lap too early... and in any case finishing under 15' !
The last competition on track was in Birmingham (18th August) : she was 7th with a good 8'42"88, of course NR.
From the next day, the mind was fully in direction of the marathon.
During the preparation, Lonah had 2 competitions, under full load of training : an easy victory in Zaandam (10 miles on 23rd Sep in 50'45"), and a second position in Lisbon (14th Oct) in 1:07'55".
In Firenze, Lonah was the first athlete (men ar women) able to run with a negative split. The conditions were terrible (rain, slipering cobblestones during the last 5 km, a lot of turns). That day (25th Nov) her 2:24'17" clearly showed she could already run under 2:21' in a perfect situation.
The current continue increase of value is a product of the continuity of training (including what is around the training : rest, diet, physiotherapy) and of a always better self confidence, coming from clear strategies starting from far.
Immediately after Florence, with Dan and Lonah we decided Prague was the marathon for running under 2:20' and everything (including the HM in 1:06'09") was in that direction.
So, absolutely no surprise, but only full confirmation of the previous plan, for who are at the base of her results.
She has not finish to improve, you can see something important from now till Tokyo.
What is really ridiculous is the fact that too many people DON'T THINK possible running fast, or improving so much and so quickly, if there is not some "secret doping" at the base of the performances.
I repeat again : it's not possible to deny that there is s doping problem in Kenya and in many parts of the World. It's not possible to deny that some top athletes used doping (maybe in bigger number than who already was caught).
But WE KNOW WHAT IS POSSIBLE TO DO WITH PROPER, SERIOUS TRAINING AND RIGHT MENTALITY.
And is ridiculous, unfair, not honest and also very stupid (fruit of the total IGNORANCE of the effects of training) to think that all the strong athletes are strong because doped.
Talent, training and mentality are at the base of every result, and, yes, DOPING IS A CHOICE FOR WEAK MINDS.