Only difference between that and Kona is that 100’s of guys have run under that olympic record time, and by a lot. So there is a new standard out there for the marathon, just not at the olympics. At Kona, those times still stand alone. And not just Kona, there are the many, many sub 8:10’s that Paulli Kiru did around the world, and a few others like him. Other than Germany where they have been going exceptionally fast ever since it began, who is doing the sub 8:10’s that we regularly saw back then?
Steve Spence medaled in the '91 world championships and he was American born and raised. Is that what you are looking for?
I count 8 last year;
Patrick Vernay, Raynard Tissink - IM Western Aus
Marino Vanhoenacker - IM Austria
Timo Bracht - IM Germany
Chris McCormack, Eneko Llanos, Peter Jacobs, Thomas Hellriegel - Roth
.
As I said, other than the races in Germany. I believe Austria is notoriously short, but I don’t know about Western Australia. So that might be one, maybe someone in Oz can tell us about that course there and it’s accuracy.
Would you still compete if they told you your next swim would be partially through the sewage reclamation area?
Yep! Tempe Town Lake!
I might name my first born son Meb Keflezighi 
Athens 2004:
Meb Keflezighi (Silver Medalist): http://www.runmeb.com/home.asp
*not trying to start a debate over what an ‘American’ is
**
Deena Kastor (Bronze Medalist): http://www.deenakastor.com/
.
In comparison I count 19 runners who went under 2:08 marathon last year, throw out Amsterdam, Berlin, and London as Roth-esq courses and you have 4 runners.
I might name my first born son Meb Keflezighi
A German from TN named Meb Keflezighi Krabel…that rolls right off the tongue Herbert!
Let me get this straight. You’re telling Haile to HTFU…? Just want to clarify what you are asking of the man who has been kicking ass for most of his life!!!
Well last year his best was over a minute slower than the 10th fastest performer in the world, and I think he was about the 30th fastest marathoner last year. So at least 25 guys should be considered favorites ahead of him.
Keeping in mind that maybe 10 -15 of them are knocked out of the OG because Kenya and Ethiopia can only send 3 athletes a piece, realistically I would rank him just outside the top 10.
Can he medal, sure. I hope he does, but I wouldn’t bet money that he will beat the 10 - 20 athletes in the race who will have run multiple marathons in faster times than his best.
Styrrell
Assuming he stays healthy, I’d put money on Hall to medal in the olympics. I have no idea if he can run in smog though which unfortunately may be the test there…we should find out how competitive he is against the world’s best in April at London…that’ll be a great race to watch.
On the women’s front - for the U.S. - Boston should be interesting. I heard Hall’s wife may run Boston and try to make the Olympic team…although I haven’t confirmed that. Have any couples ever run the Olympic marathon before?
Dave
No no no, I’m not telling Haile to HTFU. Read what I said, that “the title of this thread my border on blasphemy” and I was asking Slowtwitch its thoughts which is why I phrased it the way I did.
If I was telling him to HTFU I probably would’ve said something like “I’m an American and like most Americans I don’t care about distance running in any of the years before or after the Olympic year. Which means I don’t care what you’ve done in multiple world championsip races or how many records you’ve set. In fact, I don’t know anything about you, other than you’re the favorite to win the Marathon in Beijing and you’ve now pulled out of the race because you’re escared.”
But that would be ignorant, so I didn’t say that ;^)
Not in the top ten? Seriously? You gotta tell me what 9 are beating him.
I personally think he’ll finish top 5, and has great potential to medal. He’s just getting faster right now (knock on wood for no injuries).
I am by no means a marathon expert, but that guy ran the trials like a man possessed. He can hang with the big boys (see London), and that was one of his first efforts.
Just my $0.02
HTFU… Now you just wrote that in jest to get some ST visiters to your thread.
On the news headlines(TV) tonight it said he was not doing the marathon because he gets asthma. The polution there would certainly play havick with your lungs.
Have you visited Beijing? I stayed in the YHA just opposite the central train station for about 6 nights. Went running and cycling in all the big cities of the world where I stayed but there was no way in Beijing. Could feel my lungs clogging up just walking on the streets for 30mins.
many of the events such as the triathlon are about 50kms from the town centre, but still in the outskirts of Beijing. While watching the triathlon I was thinking there was no way I would want to do a triathlon in that smog.
Then soon after leaving I heard they were going to have the World Championship ITU triathlon there in a few years(???).
Certainly won’t go back to Beijing myself!!!
here is an image I got at the ITU world cup race there late last year:
Shane Reed making a break off the front. He is looking pretty certain to be the 3rd guy from N.Z to get a starting spot for the Olympics there.
Used all the photo software at my disposal to make the photos better quality, and the smog still shows up(see background).
So her is a link to some more Beijing Triathlon images:
Americans who have medaled? Why I believe a little sprite named Joanie Benoit got the first womens marathon gold at LA, and power house Deena Kastor was bronze at Athens.
Couples at the Olympics-- that would be the darling duo of Adam and Kara Goucher.
2:04:26 Haile Gebrselassie (Eth) Berlin 09/30 2:06:29 Emmanuel Mutai (Ken) Amsterdam 10/21 2:06:39 Samuel Wanjiru (Ken) Fukuoka 12/02 2:06:45 Richard Limo (Ken) Amsterdam 10/21 2:06:50 Deriba Merga (Eth) Fukuoka 12/02 2:06:51 Abel Kirui (Ken) Berlin 09/30 2:07:12 Paul Kirui (Ken) Amsterdam 10/21 James Rotich (Ken) Amsterdam 10/21 2:07:13 Atsushi Sato (Jpn) Fukuoka 12/02 2:07:19 Mubarak Hassan Shami (Qat) Paris 04/15
Thats the ten fastest performers from last year. His best is over a minute slower. Their are about 20 other in between. At least one of the 10 ten, SW, is younger than RH and his 2:06 39, which is 2 minutes aster than RH was his first marathon. Also I think RH OT run was amazing on a tough course, probably etter than london, be he was slower not faster.
Again, I’m a fan of his and I hope he medals, but I had this same type of arguement last OG when a few posters were all over me after one predicted that Webb would win gold. He idn’t even make the final. I hope I’m wrong, but his medaling would be an upset, and making the top 10 while not a shock would be a very good result.
Styrrell
You have some great shots, do you have one of the athlete (I forget who) who had his front wheel taco on that climb?
My favorite picture of yours is the one of Mac Brown’s fiance.
As for Haile and his asthma, doesn’t about 70% of the cycling peleton have asthma ;^) If someone told me there was a 50/50 chance I may die but I’d be allowed to race in the Olympics…I’d have to think about it. But that’s just me.
What does his ‘front wheel taco’ mean?
Just updated the Beijing page on my site and put the image below on it to show what the original photos were like.
Have some more amazing images in my head of the smog(especially the view out the the dirty YHA hostel windows). It won’t have changed and couldn’t tell if it was day or night when I first looked out(now that would have made an image).
Exercise induced asthma sounds more plausible to me. If one exerts enough effort, sometimes the lungs can start gasping before the heart shoots of the scale I reckon. If they are allowed an asthma inhaler can I use a drug to slow my HR when it goes above 190bpm??
And yes I agree that the ‘Sports Ilustrated’ model in the ST thread, 'I need a new desktop photo’ will sell more magazines than any Triathlon image.
No worries man. I’m not upset. Times are just numbers when you line it up though. I agree that those guys have faster times and are probably favorites upon further review. But, in NYC on a tough course, he shut it down near the end, IMO, running all over the road and pumping his fist and what not. There’s more in there.
I’m with you, and I’m going to retain my hope. Otherwise, I won’t even want to watch the olympics. 
I believe this is a smart move and his pulling out from one event, not from the Olympics since he will try to qualify for the 10K.
Fred.