Eliud Kipchoge Dashes Past 2-Hour Marathon Barrier In Assisted Event
- Thread starter Yappi
- Start date
Zunardo
Well-known member
I wondered when it would happen. Of course, the "assisted" part takes some of the shine off. Having rabbits to set the pace is okay, but having them serve as windscreen? I think this guy has what it takes to do it without that. Having a legacy name like Kipchoge doesn't hurt.
Actually, a sub-2 hour marathon was discussed as a possibility long before the 1990's. There's a little-known 1970 film called "The Games" in which a coach vicariously trains a young man to do just that at the Olympics in Rome. I saw this on TV when I began running track in the 8th grade, and that goal made an impression me, although not enough to pursue it myself.
While a bit cheesy with some comical scenes, the movie does a decent job covering the dark and cynical side of Olympic competion, complete with huge egos, sadistic coaches, illicit drugs, and racism. And one particular scene near the end is a running metaphor that actually happens - if you've seen it , you know what I'm referring to.
Fans of Michael Crawford, Ryan O'Neal, and Sam Elliott will have fun watching them as mere whippesnappers in this flick.
Actually, a sub-2 hour marathon was discussed as a possibility long before the 1990's. There's a little-known 1970 film called "The Games" in which a coach vicariously trains a young man to do just that at the Olympics in Rome. I saw this on TV when I began running track in the 8th grade, and that goal made an impression me, although not enough to pursue it myself.
While a bit cheesy with some comical scenes, the movie does a decent job covering the dark and cynical side of Olympic competion, complete with huge egos, sadistic coaches, illicit drugs, and racism. And one particular scene near the end is a running metaphor that actually happens - if you've seen it , you know what I'm referring to.
Fans of Michael Crawford, Ryan O'Neal, and Sam Elliott will have fun watching them as mere whippesnappers in this flick.
clarkgriswold
Well-known member
Usain Bolt just broke the 100 meter record on a downhill course with a 25 mph wind behind him.
Mr. Slippery
Well-known member
Even though the effort was not eligible for world record consideration, it was good for the sport of distance running. People were talking about it over the weekend. Gus Johnson even mentioned it on Sat. afternoon during the Oklahoma-Texas college football game. It was only a matter of time (half marathon world record was recently lowered to 58:01), but it proves it can be done. Generally, the only time I see marathons mentioned by the mainstream media is to announce the Boston winners or to mention someone dying during competition.
When will it happen under ordinary racing circumstances? It's difficult to say. It might be awhile before a strong enough field is assembled to create the competitive atmosphere capable of mimicking a group of rotating pacers unless a sponsor is willing to shell out a mountain of money for appearance fees (yup, the top notch guys get paid to show up and kick the butts of guys like you and me). There's no reason for a bunch of 2:01-2:03 marathoners to get together in 1 place and risk a low finish that won't pay anything when they can each go to different races and collect a winner's check plus bonus money for a course record and whatnot.
Incidentally, the Boston Marathon course is not eligible for world record consideration due to the magnitude of elevation loss, nearly 500 feet from start to finish. So why don't we see more fast times at Boston? 1) The prestige of winning and the prize money is too great to risk going "all-out" from the beginning like is required for a world record attempt. 2) The weather isn't always the greatest. 3) All that downhill running taxes the quads, so that when one encounters the hills at miles 17-21 ("Heartbreak Hill" being the last of them), the quads are often too trashed to negotiate the climbs.
When will it happen under ordinary racing circumstances? It's difficult to say. It might be awhile before a strong enough field is assembled to create the competitive atmosphere capable of mimicking a group of rotating pacers unless a sponsor is willing to shell out a mountain of money for appearance fees (yup, the top notch guys get paid to show up and kick the butts of guys like you and me). There's no reason for a bunch of 2:01-2:03 marathoners to get together in 1 place and risk a low finish that won't pay anything when they can each go to different races and collect a winner's check plus bonus money for a course record and whatnot.
Incidentally, the Boston Marathon course is not eligible for world record consideration due to the magnitude of elevation loss, nearly 500 feet from start to finish. So why don't we see more fast times at Boston? 1) The prestige of winning and the prize money is too great to risk going "all-out" from the beginning like is required for a world record attempt. 2) The weather isn't always the greatest. 3) All that downhill running taxes the quads, so that when one encounters the hills at miles 17-21 ("Heartbreak Hill" being the last of them), the quads are often too trashed to negotiate the climbs.
arizonawildcat
Well-known member
At the top of Heartbreak Hill lies Boston College, my alma mater, at about the 20 mile mark. There's a steady rise for two miles to get to the Hill, then it's all downhill from there. Many runners drop out or start walking when they get to the Hill.
Mr. Slippery
Well-known member
Kipchoge had made a prior attempt at breaking 2 hours in 2017 and missed by 26 seconds. That attempt came at an F-1 racetrack in Italy.
Thavoice
Well-known member
I Cou
I will never forget at the USAR Half a few years ago. Around the 8-9 mile mark maybe of the Half also doubled as like 17-18 of the full, or something like that, and I feel like I am trucking along at an 8 min/mile pace and doing well and all of a sudden about 8-10 full marathon people truck by us like we were nothing!!!!
One day I would like to try a full, but man the training up to it is a bitch.
Maybe that was it...........Seems amazing.
I will never forget at the USAR Half a few years ago. Around the 8-9 mile mark maybe of the Half also doubled as like 17-18 of the full, or something like that, and I feel like I am trucking along at an 8 min/mile pace and doing well and all of a sudden about 8-10 full marathon people truck by us like we were nothing!!!!
One day I would like to try a full, but man the training up to it is a bitch.
eastside_purple
Well-known member
Kipchoge is an elite athlete for sure.
Has anyone seen the transformation of Ryan Hall since he stopped running and started lifting weights? He went from 120 to adding 45 lbs of muscle.
That’s Not Fat: How Ryan Hall Gained 40 Pounds of Muscle
In retirement, the fastest American-born marathoner is driven to be big and strong.
www.runnersworld.com
Mr. Slippery
Well-known member
That is true if you want to run a time you'll be happy with. If you only want to finish a marathon, the training isn't nearly as bad. All you need is that 1 long run on the weekend, but it's still far more time and effort than is required to run a half. I haven't run one in 10 years and am physically in a place where my body wouldn't survive the training necessary to run a time that would satisfy me, i.e. qualify for Boston with enough time to spare that I would be eligible for the earlier registration window (i.e. beat your qualifying time by 5+ minutes). Otherwise, you register with all the others who barely qualified, and the race probably sells out almost instantly.
My last marathon qualified me for Boston, but I lacked the disposable income to enter at that time. It didn't matter since my health started going south right after I qualified. I consistently logged 50+ miles a week in the 4 months leading up to that qualifying effort using a plan I drew up myself (biggest week was 74 mi.) and had done a lot of base mileage prior to that 4-month training period. No way I could handle that workload now. Things start to go south if I exceed 40 miles per week, and I have to space my harder efforts out so much that they can't build toward anything. That won't cut it toward running a good marathon.
Thavoice
Well-known member
I ve done a couple of halfs, and when I realize that is even less than half of the training for a full I am not sure I can commit that much time.