I was slogging through my long run last night and got to thinking about how many people have gone under 2:40 in an IM marathon. Are there a lot or just a small handful? Also, for me it feels like a 3 week IM taper is too much. Has anyone had success with a 2 week or even smaller taper? I’m familiar with the idea of a ‘reverse taper’ and am tempted to try it in a half IM as I’ve noticed in training that some of my best sessions come on the tail end of a big training block. Thanks!
-Matt
About 5 or so years ago, I believe there was an IM race (not sure if it was WTC) in South American where I guy went 2:17. Let me dig to see if I can find the info…
As for taper, there are lots of theories…
on an accurate course, very few. officially:
Peter Reid in Austria, 2h35’ (nearly 2km short though) (1999)
LVL in Roth 2h36 (1997)
Colin Dingum in Canada 2h37 (2003?)
Cristian Bustos in Canada went 2h36’ I think, not sure what year
Gerrit Schellens went under 2h40’ 3 times in Almere, Holland
Peter Kropko went 2h39’ in Roth once
Macca went 2h39’ in Roth 04 (course was shortened to compete with the star packed field of IM Frankfurt)
that’s all I can remember right now…but I am fairly sure there are others.
That is the first I have heard of last year’s Roth being shortened. I thought they had a fairly consistent and accurate course layout. So, what is the story?
what I heard was that the turn arounds were earlier in the forest and along the canal…idea was to have a super fast race to compete with frankfurt
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Viktor Zyemstev has done it a couple of times at IM Austria, if I am not mistaken.
no. his fastest is only (sic) 2h41’.
I remember seeing his posted marathon time as 2h37’ somewhere. I can easily be mistaken, though.
The Bustos effort at IMC in 1991 was on a run course that was about 2K short
Colin Dignum’s 3:37 was on a proper length course at IMC in 1997. Perfect day, little wind, overcast and cool.
I had the luck to have raced both of these races. In 1991, I clocked a “2:49” run. I knew I had a good day but not that good. Add 2K and it would have put Bustos at around 2:45 me around 3:00, which makes more sense. In 1997 Colin passed me at about the 15 mile mark like I was standing still and I was running 7:00 min. miles at the time. It’s amazing what the difference a min/mile makes!
Fleck
I checked on xtri.com
he went 2h41 - 2h44 - 2h49
maybe he went 2h37 but not in austria
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Frankie,
I will ask him and see what he says.
He is training near me with Andriy Yastrebov. I was with them a few days ago - great learning opportunities.
When Mark Allen and Dave Scott did 2:40 and 2:41 back in 1989, didn’t that time include transitions, too? If so, that would put both of them at or below 2:39 -ish.
Wow!
all these guys did it once !!
gerrit schellens like francois said did it three times in a row !!! however quiet unorthodox
he runs the first 14k (one lap) @ 2.20 pace 
The fact that Nicole Leder went well under 3 hours in Roth '04 seems to validate short course.
From my husband, who did Roth in 2004, according to his run splits the distance was right on. He’s had some experience with IM Marathons and would have noticed a 2km short course. His run times are pretty consistent from race to race too. He doesn’t remember that the turn around spot was different last year.
Support Crew
I keep the bike volume rolling but. I start to back off the run about 3 weeks out.
I do my last long workout 2 weeks out:
5 hour ride, 30min t-run.
Still probably put in 6 hours on the bike in the 7-14 days out.
Last hard swim 8 days out. Also do a 20min HARD anaerobic tempo run that day too.
So yes… 3 weeks taper for everything is too long. You’ll feel flat.
The only person that I know who went sub 2:40 on an ACCURATE course (the other sub 2:40’s are debatable IMHO) was Colin Dignum at IMC97.
When Mark Allen and Dave Scott did 2:40 and 2:41 back in 1989, didn’t that time include transitions, too? If so, that would put both of them at or below 2:39 -ish.
Wow!
no, the bike time included both transistions in those races.
mitch gold from counterpart coaching wrote an article last year called taper interrupted that talks about racing success with little or no taper:
what’s the woman’s fastest time? isn’t it sub 2.50 by erin baker?
Well now I’m curious about the times people have gone under 8 hours. Were those all on short courses?
-C