Would Hagos G have beaten Mo Farah in his prime last night? Closed 26:48 race in 54.4, Farah closed 26:49 race in 55.6

Can't wait for the world championship. We'll have Rhonex, Joshua Cheptegei and Hagos. This will be a barn burner.

Nope. Its safe to say Mo races with the same tactics as he does, which is ensuring the lead heading into the final 400, it would take a crazy effort for Hagos to get around him or out-sprint him in the final stretch. Mo also tripped up on the rail on the last lap. He also gapped the field relatively easy in the final stretch. He also eased off the gas in the closing 30 meters. So I'd have to say no in that one.

If it was a week after he miscounted laps in a 5K and lost a race to a lot of the same guys (he raced last night) because of it maybe. That had to light a fire under him a little bit maybe?

I'd say this brings us back to being put in perspective that Mo was racing at a perfect time. Bekele was injured and trying to perpetually rehab, Kipchoge had migrated to the marathon and the next generation of studs was far too young to be at their peak yet.

Now you have Berega running far faster in the 5,000M and Cheptegei crushing races over all terrains. Cheptegei has clearly reached a new level since Farah retired from the track, as evidenced by taking down Kamworor at world XC. He wasn't old enough with enough years of training to do that back then.

Rhonex wasn't even hitting the scene yet back then, and again was just a kid.

Str8 Fax wrote:

Nope. Its safe to say Mo races with the same tactics as he does, which is ensuring the lead heading into the final 400, it would take a crazy effort for Hagos to get around him or out-sprint him in the final stretch. Mo also tripped up on the rail on the last lap. He also gapped the field relatively easy in the final stretch. He also eased off the gas in the closing 30 meters. So I'd have to say no in that one.

I agree. Farah does what he needs to to get to the front at the bell and I think if Gebrhiwet was challenging him on the final lap, he would have been able to pick it up and hold him off.

I also told Rojo, I wouldn't say that Farah was in his prime in 2017. Obviously he was still very, very good as he won Worlds, but I'd put his prime in the 2012-2015 range.

Close but it looked like this race was more consistently paced not crazy fast then slower in the middle

Disagree.

My two cents... wrote:

I'd say this brings us back to being put in perspective that Mo was racing at a perfect time. Bekele was injured and trying to perpetually rehab, Kipchoge had migrated to the marathon and the next generation of studs was far too young to be at their peak yet.

Now you have Berega running far faster in the 5,000M and Cheptegei crushing races over all terrains. Cheptegei has clearly reached a new level since Farah retired from the track, as evidenced by taking down Kamworor at world XC. He wasn't old enough with enough years of training to do that back then.

Rhonex wasn't even hitting the scene yet back then, and again was just a kid.

The only thing reasonable here is that Bekele was injured.

Kipchoge was never actually that spectacular on the track. His most amazing performance came from 2003 when he beat Bekele and El Guerrouj at the World Championships, but he never managed anything quite like that again. In the marathon, he's the absolute best there has ever been, but his track performances aren't even remotely comparable.

The thing is, Farah, in 2015, ran a 3:28 1500m, an 8:03 2-mile, a 26:50 10000m, and 2 x Mid-59:xx Half-Marathons within HALF a YEAR. Of these, the 3:28 1500m and one of the Half-Marathons were run within TWO MONTHS of each other. You can credit Aden, drugs, doorbells, whatever, but Barega, Cheptegei, and the others are utterly pitiful compared to that.

Besides Bekele and Gebrselassie, there are likely no other runners that would be able to top Farah during his prime.

Keep in mind, he was not racing slouches. He was beating up on guys that could put together performances like this:

They just happened to turn into idiots everytime they raced him in a championship.

Straight to the back, trips over, closes in 55 for the win. Hagos nowhere in sight.

Mo SCARED everyone to the roads. People were terrified of Mo on the track. He would have dominated that race.

To even suggest otherwise is just plain stupid.

Let me analyze a few arguments on here.

Seyta wrote:

The thing is, Farah, in 2015, ran a 3:28 1500m, an 8:03 2-mile, a 26:50 10000m, and 2 x Mid-59:xx Half-Marathons within HALF a YEAR. Of these, the 3:28 1500m and one of the Half-Marathons were run within TWO MONTHS of each other. You can credit Aden, drugs, doorbells, whatever, but Barega, Cheptegei, and the others are utterly pitiful compared to that.

What's your point? In the last year, Kejelcha has run the equivalent of all of those times and he got smoked by Hagos yesterday. Here is what Kejelcha has done in the last 12 months.

3:47.01 mile - equivalent to 3:30.15 1500 - Farah's pb is 3:28.81

7:28.00 3k - equivalent to 8:03. 2 mile (same as Farah)

12:46 5k - Farah's lifetime pb is 12:53

26:49 10 k - Farah's pb is 26:46

59:17 half- Farah's pb is 59:22

Seyta wrote:

Besides Bekele and Gebrselassie, there are likely no other runners that would be able to top Farah during his prime.

What are you talking about ? Jeilan smoked him on the last lap in 2011 in the Worlds 10,000. The reality of that loss and his loss to Edris in 2017 is simple - Jeilen and Edris were better than Farah on those days. I don't want to hear crap about how it was before and after Farah's prime.

In that 5000 in 2011, Farah closed in 53.3 - the fastest he ever closed in any championship 10,000 that he ever won and yet he lost as Jeilen closed in 52.8.

In 2017, Farah lost because Edris closed in 3:57.6 - which is faster than the 3:57.7 that Farah closed in to win a similarly timed Worlds in 2013. Edris' last lap was 52.4 to Farah's 53.4 in 2013.,

So those two examples show when someone comes up with a close that is half a second or a full second better than what Farah has done in the past, then Farah loses. Add in the fact that Kejelcha - basically the same as Farah at every distance - was a distant third and I don't think it's crazy to think Hagos would beat him.

It's hard to appreciate the greatness of Hagos' run because it was run in front of zero people with a guy filming it on his phone, but it was world class.

Probably not IMO

Does gebriwhet ever actually win anything?

just sayin wrote:

Probably not IMO

Does gebriwhet ever actually win anything?

He won a 10000m race yesterday.

Seyta wrote:

Kipchoge was never actually that spectacular on the track. His most amazing performance came from 2003 when he beat Bekele and El Guerrouj at the World Championships, but he never managed anything quite like that again.

Kipchoge ran 12:46 for the 5k after that, and had many good track times and achievements.

Besides Bekele and Gebrselassie, there are likely no other runners that would be able to top Farah during his prime.

Daniel Komen ran 12:39, and would have beaten Farah easily at his peak.

Farah's fastest 5k was 12:53 in a race where he was 6th or 7th place.[/quote]

BergLaufer wrote:

just sayin wrote:

Probably not IMO

Does gebriwhet ever actually win anything?

He won a 10000m race yesterday.

**Anything of note

Farah could win a few different ways and did in the 2010s

I would say Farah loses to prime bekele and geb though

Seyta wrote:Kipchoge was never actually that spectacular on the track.

Kipchoge's 2003 performance is one of, if not the greatest 5000m upset ever. Kipchoge beat the greatest 5000m runner ever, and the greatest miler ever, at a world championship, as a 18 year old. Bekele would go on to run 12:37 the next year, and El G would go on to complete the incredible 1500-5000m double the next year as well. El G already had the 1500m world record, and Bekele had won both the short race and the long race in world XC in 2003 and 2002, and the short race and the u20 race in 2001. At the same championship, Bekele closes a 26:49 10k in 12:57 & 55 last lap, dethroning the great Haile Gebresalassie.

Kipchoge's performance at 2003 WCs defines "spectacular on the track".

If we look at Farah v geb and bekele

this is pre-abp so Farah is permitted to load up on the hermens special epo sauce

just sayin wrote:

BergLaufer wrote:

He won a 10000m race yesterday.

**Anything of note

Farah could win a few different ways and did in the 2010s

I would say Farah loses to prime bekele and geb though

You're moving the goal post, but anyways:

All quality videos of this seem to have disappeared from youtube, but in this race HG had the fastest close. The officials splits showed a sub-13 backstretch. He was well-poised to move up around the turn but Lagat got in his way and he slowed to a 14 second turn before re-accelerating as the traffic cleared to snag the bronze. Start him in front at the bell and he wins easily.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR8U3Ng8InU