monty wrote:
There have been so many great runners that passed through our sport, and many are just unknown to todays fans. Glen Cook and Olaf Sabatuis ran 1;03/04 half marathons. Greg Whitley ran a 3;55 mile and a low 13;20+ 5k. There was a lifeguard I worked with, name escapes me now, but he was routinely running fastest runs in ITU in the early days, just from 2nd pack and thus anonymous. He ran low mid 28 10k. And remember all these old runs were in the old shoes too, so you can handicap that however you feel necessary.
I think Ryan Bolton now a coach, ran a 2 teen marathon, and was a top NCAA steeple chaser I think. Lukas Verbicas had a short career, but sub 4 minute miler in high school, who also ran some pretty fast times. Craig Mothram was a pro triathlete for a bit, 12;55 5k and mid 27 10k with a 3;48 mile. Alan Webb was even faster in the mile, and of course was a pro runner for a long time before and after be did triathlons.
There are just so many from back in the day and many more now. Its just that most dont do pure running races, and certainly not marathons for most besides the ones in Ironmans. The ITU top 20 runners are all sub 29 10k runners, so no doubt some of them would excel at longer running races.
And then you have guys like Blu who beat our current high 27+ 10k runners in the biggest race on the calendar, head to head too. So not a stretch to think guys like him do not have super fast stand alone runs in them too. Think I saw a training race he did where he went a 13'50+ 5k. And all the current times are in season ones, where these guys are still competing triple sports.
maybe today's fans don't know them. maybe also, "the older i get, the faster i was"?
olaf's 1:03 PB
appears to be a 1:04:51, which is indeed blazing. i can't find anything for glen cook.
greg whitely was indeed a track star with
13:21 and 28:45 track PBs, and a road 5k of 13:44; his best multisport result looks like a
38th at ITU Duathlon worlds in '95.
bolton is down
as a 1:05 half marathon, (not a legal result) and definitely had an ironman win in his career along with his short-course success.
lukas verzbicas is down for a
3:59.7 mile and a 14:51 5000.
mottram raced tri as a junior, and is definitely the only multisporter who ever took gebreselassie to the line.
alex yee shows a
10000 PB of 27:51 and a 5000 of 13:29, which is definitely on the edge of 27-high and 13-mid, though again on a track, in spikes, against track athletes. and Blummenfelt's
10000 is a 29:42 at bislett. he did indeed go
13:51 at an invitational 5k in norway, where gustav went 14:07 and caspar went 14:13. but none of those is a low-13.
i still just don't know where the shitloads of 13-minute and 27-minute triathletes are.
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https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/