Comments on: OLD FATHER TIME

By: Kevin Smith

Kevin Smith — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 11:38:33 +0000

intersting post, I agree its wonderful to watch a great race but then you run the risk of it becoming a slow dawdle with nobody wanting to take it on early for fear of blowing up and it merely coming down to a last 400m-half mile sprint.
If the point was to tryly prove oneself as the genuinely fastest marathon (or half marathon) runner ever then they would have to both be willing to go out hard and stay that way right from the start.

By: Jonathan Howland

Jonathan Howland — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 17:45:21 +0000

Robert McGinnis said:

“The man who runs the fastest time is the best! Track and field is ultimately all about the clock, after all. If Haile holds the world record, then he is BETTER than Wanjiru and all the rest, if they can’t run as fast a time. By the same token, Bekele is now the best in the 5 and 10, since he broke Haile’s records.”

This is just an opinion, and one that many of us disagree with strongly. When Dave Bedford took Lasse Viren’s World record from him, did anybody really think he was “the best?” Competitive ability is at least of equal importance with the ability to run fast. This does not detract from the magnificence of a World Record performance–but to me, the race is all. Contrast some of the “solo” WR’s in the mile and 1500 with Seb Coe’s mile WR at Bislett in 1979, beating everybody but Ovett. Now that was a performance for the ages.

By: Satan

Satan — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 04:49:42 +0000

The question is, will Haile G. actually dodge top level competition? Based on the London Marathons, obviously not. Hopefully the media and corporate sponsors will cough up enough money so that the “dream marathon” of Haile G., Wanjiru, Lel, Gharib and Kebede, in Berlin, can become a reality.

I think that Haile hasn’t had a lot of competition in Dubai, Berlin and Amsterdam because the organizers cannot afford any other proven 2:05 guys after they pay Haile his appearance fee.

By: Robert McGinnis

Robert McGinnis — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:05:04 +0000

Haile is such an accomplished runner, who has defeated the best the world has to offer for much of his career, that many say he is the best ever. I find nothing wrong with his personally steering his career now to attack times and world records. He has earned this. If he can set a world record that no man has ever accomplished before, that in itself is a remarkable feat, and even though he may have done it in a venue that contained no current high caliber competition (Wanjiru), certainly that same competition has other races that they participate in, and if they want to try and beat Haile’s world records, there is nothing stopping them!
The man who runs the fastest time is the best! Track and field is ultimately all about the clock, after all. If Haile holds the world record, then he is BETTER than Wanjiru and all the rest, if they can’t run as fast a time. By the same token, Bekele is now the best in the 5 and 10, since he broke Haile’s records.

By: tim johnston

tim johnston — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 13:59:54 +0000

Good stuff, Pat - as usual. Actually, ‘for the record’, the records i referred to were 25 and 30k (dont think there is an official 40k record). I have no objection to pacemakers per se, who can in fact facilitate a head-to-head confrontation (cf. the great haegg/andersson races of the 1940s, all paced in the opening stages), but, yes, what we all want to see is genuine competition, rather than races against the clock.

By: David Ian Cocksedge

David Ian Cocksedge — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 12:45:04 +0000

Another thoughtful piece, Pat. Whilst I can see Haile’s point, a clash between him and Wanjiru at the World Champs over 42.2 kms would be riveting.
Seems however that they will both race marathons at Berlin in 2009 - but a few weeks apart!
Coe and Ovett did a great dis-service to their British fans by not racing each other more times on home soil. We can list their records, but the memory of Ovett and Steve Cram going head-to-head in the Coke Mile at Crystal Palace in September 1983 will live with me forever. One was world 1500m champion, the other was world record holder at the distance (whilst Coe held the mile record with 3:47.33 in Brussels in 1981).
When they burst from the pack with 300m to run, it was an awesome sight - they seemed to be pulling away from the rest of the field with every stride, and the 19,000-strong crowd was roaring all over south east London.
Ovett lost - just; but both men were heroes that night.
That’s what it’s all about (as you state) - competition, NOT records!