Bekele Going For 10K WR At Pre!

[26mi235]

4:49.99

[joeltetreault]

In addition to his 4:49.99, Bekele also dominated the 2008 WXC Champs, even with having to stop and get his shoe. And last year, he ran personal bests of 7:25 and 7:26, two of the fastest 3000m times since ElG's 7:23 mark in 1999. The way he negative split that 7:26 in the last kilo and the rainy, cold conditions it was run in, definitely indicate he has a 7:24 in him.

It should be noted that his 5000m mark for 2007 (Zaragoza) had some extenuating circumstances. Clearly given his 3000m times, he was in or close to WR shape, but it was extremely hot and he had to take control of the race earlier than expected (2000m) and was all by himself for the remainder. He finished almost 30 seconds up on second place. I really think he was in shape to run 12:37 or at least 12:40, but the rabbits and weather conspired against him.

[BCBaroo]

It's just exciting for Bekele to run on US soil. I think it's a "tad bit" unfortunate that it's been labeled as a WR attempt, therefore making it a disappointment if he just runs mid 26.

But then I guess maybe it was "his handlers" who announced that it was a WR attempt... So, good onya.

[DrJay]

What's the American soil 5k best?

http://www.alltime-athletics.com/m_5000ok.htm

North American allcomers record: 13:00.77 Richard Limo KEN 18.11.80 1 Edmonton 10.08.2001

US allcomers record:
13:04.05 Tariku Bekele ETH 21.01.87 1 New York City 02.06.2007
13:04.56 Abraham Chebii KEN 23.12.79 1 New York City 03.06.2006
13:05.59 Saïd Aouita MAR 02.11.59 1 Los Angeles 11.08.1984
13:06.18 Micah Kogo KEN 03.06.86 2 New York City 03.06.2006
13:07.14 Benjamin Limo KEN 23.08.74 3 New York City 03.06.2006
13:07.54 Markus Ryffel SUI 05.02.55 2 Los Angeles 11.08.1984
13:07.83 Luke Kipkosgei KEN 27.11.75 1 Eugene 31.05.1998
13:07.96 Vénuste Niyongabo BDI 09.12.73 1 Atlanta 03.08.1996
13:08.10 Abraham Chebii KEN 23.12.79 1 Eugene 24.05.2003
13:08.16 Paul Bitok KEN 26.06.70 2 Atlanta 03.08.1996
13:08.29 Paul Bitok KEN 26.06.70 1 Eugene 26.05.1996
13:08.32 Julius Gitahi KEN 29.04.78 2 Eugene 31.05.1998
13:08.37 Khalid Boulami MAR 07.08.69 3 Atlanta 03.08.1996
13:08.4 Henry Rono KEN 12.02.52 1 Berkeley 08.04.1978

[Dutra]

FWIW I agree with ZZ. Bek is not improving and why should he?

Why shouldn't he?

What would make him faster as he turns 26?

What made Paul Tergat faster. He set his WR when he was 28, and he won his two Olympic silver medals when he was 27 and 31.

There are lots of other examples. Not all athletes are over the hill at 26. Many keep improving. Will Bekele be one of them? I've no idea, but I wouldn't dismiss the possibility.

What the poster is merely pointing out is that Bekele may not be able to improve on his WR. Does that equate with "over the hill". If he ran 26:27 would that be a performance considered "over the hill"?

I don't think it's far fetched at this point to think that the guy may not break his own WR.

[zzbottom]

Dutra provided a nice synopsis of my point. Well done.
This is not intended as anything other than food for thought, much like gh's listing of some ages of wr holders. But as long as Geb has been around, look at the age he was at the time of his personal bests:

3:31.76i 24
3:33.79 26
3:52.39 26
4:52.86i 24
4:56.1 24
7:25.09 25
8:01.08 24
12:39.36 25
26:22.75 25

Geb's 5000 and 10000 pbs are 10 years old, and he is still one of the best runners in the world but when you look at his personal bests, and then realize how few runners even get remotely close to his best times, it is amazing. On the track, Geb was every bit as good as Kenenisa.

[dl]

FWIW I agree with ZZ. Bek is not improving and why should he?

Why shouldn't he?

What would make him faster as he turns 26?

What made Paul Tergat faster. He set his WR when he was 28, and he won his two Olympic silver medals when he was 27 and 31.

There are lots of other examples. Not all athletes are over the hill at 26. Many keep improving. Will Bekele be one of them? I've no idea, but I wouldn't dismiss the possibility.

Tergat didn't start running until relatively late. Maybe around 1992 or so (don't have my copy of Train Hard Win Easy with me), so it took him several years to develop into a world record setter.

[Aiden]

Tergat didn't start running until relatively late. Maybe around 1992 or so (don't have my copy of Train Hard Win Easy with me), so it took him several years to develop into a world record setter.

Was it '97 when he set the world record at 10000 meters? That's only five years. And he was world cross champ before that.

[ponytayne]

Whether K Bek breaks his WR in the 10k or not, it will be exciting to see him race in the US. If he simply breaks 27 min, the Hayward field crowd will love it. There are knowledgeable fans there, and they will know what they are witnessing.

[Aiden]

I'll run down on the track and do my own victory lap if he breaks the record. Just so you all know who the crazy guy is.

[AS]

But as long as Geb has been around, look at the age he was at the time of his personal bests:

3:31.76i 24
3:33.79 26
3:52.39 26
4:52.86i 24
4:56.1 24
7:25.09 25
8:01.08 24
12:39.36 25
26:22.75 25

Geb's 5000 and 10000 pbs are 10 years old,....

Of course, Geb has ran a few handy road PRs in the past year or two...

[Brian]

In addition to his 4:49.99, Bekele also dominated the 2008 WXC Champs, even with having to stop and get his shoe. And last year, he ran personal bests of 7:25 and 7:26, two of the fastest 3000m times since ElG's 7:23 mark in 1999. The way he negative split that 7:26 in the last kilo and the rainy, cold conditions it was run in, definitely indicate he has a 7:24 in him.

It should be noted that his 5000m mark for 2007 (Zaragoza) had some extenuating circumstances. Clearly given his 3000m times, he was in or close to WR shape, but it was extremely hot and he had to take control of the race earlier than expected (2000m) and was all by himself for the remainder. He finished almost 30 seconds up on second place. I really think he was in shape to run 12:37 or at least 12:40, but the rabbits and weather conspired against him.

And one reason Bekele's times haven't kept improving in chunks over the past two seasons is because of the interval needed to return to normalcy after the death of his fiancee. To have such an event happen--to say nothing of how it happened--him being present--is a tremendous emotional upheaval. Quite frankly, if it wasn't for the East African attitude towards the subject of death, in that they are more accepting of it as an inevitable act of God, etc., I doubt he might have ever run well again. As it was, two years to get back into your life isn't unreasonable.

I think to even run as well as he did the past few years is mind-boggling.

Every athlete requires the physical and emotional stability of a daily life routine in order to be at their best. Now that he is married and the stability totally back in his daily life, why shouldn't he be able to improve at age 26, especially in the 10,000m.--? [3,000m., you may have an arguement.]

[SQUACKEE]

It is possible the Bek will P.R. has he gets closer and closer to 30 but its unlikely. I think its meaningless to bring up the runners who are the exception to the rule. Most of the runners who set their world records around 25 never bettered them. Most, but not all. I can see Bek running a 26:25 but a 26:16? I hope im wrong.

[pickle47]

Going for a WR when you are the current WR holder, win everything in sight, and beat everyone in sight, takes an extraordinary amount of motivation. Each year world class runners have to come up with goals that will take them through training that is arduous (understatement), sometimes boring (same), etc., etc.

I have no doubt that KB is physically capable of breaking his 10K WR. That leaves two questions: First, will he find himself in a race, a true race, with someone like Tadesse pushing the pace way up, and have to actually race to win, setting a WR in the process? Not likely, but if he did, bye-bye WR. Second, since he won't find the first scenario, does he have the motivation, and currently the shape, to take it down on his own? Tall order. I say doubtful.

[26mi235]

Geb had a race in his 5000 WR of 12:41 against Daniel Koman, (Zurich, 1997), but what other WR at 3000 or up was set in a 'real' race since, well, Viren? At the 1500 it might be Cram /Aouita

3:29.67 Steve Cram 1 Nice 16/07/1985
3:29.71 Saïd Aouita 2 Nice 16/07/1985

although this cam SSSOOO close

3:26.12 Hicham El Guerrouj 1 Bruxelles 24/08/2001
3:26.34 Bernard Lagat KEN 2 Bruxelles 24/08/2001