2:00:25 (Read 326 times)

http://www.runnersworld.com/2-hour-marathon/so-close-kipchoge-runs-a-20025-in-the-breaking2-attempt

"Nike employed 30 of the world’s best runners as pacers, including Bernard Lagat and Sam Chelanaga. Key to the attempt was the drafting method. Runners ran in what is best described as an arrow formation, in which six pacers formed the arrowhead while the three runners followed, single file, behind."

Even if they broke it, he would have done it with help with pacers and permanent drafting wall of runners that weren't racing them. Puts a little taint on it. I want to see someone break 2 hours without the help, relying on their own sense of pace, no wind block for the entire 26.2, and of course perfectly clean (no PEDs).

Just the fact that Nike's involved taints the whole thing.

The whole thing was a fascinating experiment, but definitely with the multiple levels of "cheating" it has more than just a little taint to it.  This was pretty far from real race conditions but still a very interesting endeavor.

Was it a Nike circus event -- yes. Were these race conditions -- no. But we shouldn't let the whole Nike thing diminish what Kipchoge accomplished. The other two world class marathoners with these same conditions managed 2:06 and 2:14. 2:00:25 is truly special even for a guy that averages a 2:04. A 3% improvement at that level is an amazing human performance regardless laboratory perfect conditions.

pedaling fool -

This post from "The Science of Sport" should answer your questions and then some on the shoes in question

 

http://sportsscientists.com/2017/03/ban-nike-vaporfly-carbon-fiber-devices-future-performance-credibility/

Thanks for posting that.  When I said "far from real race conditions", I wasn't even really thinking about the potentially magic shoes.  I was thinking about the perfect setup in terms of weather, day and course, all of which could still be legal, but additionally the pacing and fluid and nutrition support that clearly were not.  Considering the shoes, too, I think the whole thing is not nearly so "amazing."  Fascinating from a scientific point of view for sure, but not "amazing" from a human performance point of view.

The results may be tainted, but marathons are so long and variable that something like wind and incline/decline can cause huge changes in one's performance. Also, to the point of 'tainting', there are plenty of races where pacers were used to help lead world record holders to their accomplishments. Kenenisa Bekele used two pacers to help him lead to a 26:17 10k world record. Hicham el Guerrouj had two pacers lead him to his 3:43 mile. Not to mention that they were all run on a track. Hey, Roger Bannister broke 4 by the help of two world class middle distance runners. Point is that a lot of the world record holders had help. Rather call it tainting, legal assistance is a much better word.

So I'll point out the obvious.  Multiple world class runners were involved in this attempt.  One ran 2:00:25, and the other two ran times not even competitive on the world Majors circuit.  In fact they fell off pace pretty early in the race.  If this race were truly so incredibly advantaged, why did only one guy benefit?

I don't know, but did only the 2:00:25 runner have the magic shoes?  If not, one must ask what real advantage was conveyed.

My honest opinion is that what we witnessed was an honest 2:01:XX run on a legit course where people actually went for the record.  What would happen in Berlin if the winner got 200K, but a sub-2 got 10 million, and anything under the current WR got 2 million, regardless of if it was a winning time?

People need to let go of this as a WR attempt.  This was an effort to show what was possible, physically, even if the deck was stacked.  Pretty much nobody thought he would come even close, but he did.  So what does this do?  It tells the elites that maybe they shouldn't be happy with 2:03.  It breaks the mental barrier.  It tells them that 2:02 and 2:01 are worth reaching for.

I still hate Nike and will never buy any of their products.  But this was an important inflection point for marathoning.

So I'll point out the obvious.  Multiple world class runners were involved in this attempt.  One ran 2:00:25, and the other two ran times not even competitive on the world Majors circuit.  In fact they fell off pace pretty early in the race.  If this race were truly so incredibly advantaged, why did only one guy benefit?

 

I don't know, but did only the 2:00:25 runner have the magic shoes?  If not, one must ask what real advantage was conveyed.

 

My honest opinion is that what we witnessed was an honest 2:01:XX run on a legit course where people actually went for the record.  What would happen in Berlin if the winner got 200K, but a sub-2 got 10 million, and anything under the current WR got 2 million, regardless of if it was a winning time?

 

People need to let go of this as a WR attempt.  This was an effort to show what was possible, physically, even if the deck was stacked.  Pretty much nobody thought he would come even close, but he did.  So what does this do?  It tells the elites that maybe they shouldn't be happy with 2:03.  It breaks the mental barrier.  It tells them that 2:02 and 2:01 are worth reaching for.

 

I still hate Nike and will never buy any of their products.  But this was an important inflection point for marathoning.

You bring up some very good points. I was very surprised in the times (relatively slow times) of the other runners, but I've been a little focused (some may say tunnel vision) on these shoes.