Unusual marathon progression

[Run DMC]

The WR stood at 2:06:50 for ten years (1988-1998), then down to 2:06:05, then KK ran 2:05:42, 2:05:38 with 3.5 years in between (1999, 2002). Then Tergat ran a 2:04:55 WR(2003) and it held there for 4 years. When Tergat ran that, he and Khannouchi were the only ones to break 2:06 more than once.

The progression of times in the marathon has been supernatural since Tergat's WR. Is Tergat even in the top 10 anymore? The drastic number of sub 2:06 times in just the past few years must have some explanation. What is causing this?

Money has always been there for big marathons and it has never extended very deep into the field. Are training techniques are drastically different?

[Ned Ryerson]

Re: Unusual marathon progression

Remember when Wanjiru ran 26:41 WJR in 2005? Why didn't he stick with the 10000m for a few years before moving to the marathon? Because there isn't any money in the 10000m any more. Up until a a few years ago, a good 10000m runner had opportunities to run in Hengelo, Ostrava, and Brussels. But with only an in shape Bekele seen as the sole contender for the 10000m WR, organizers don't want to stage it for the most part, certainly not as a prime time event. A fast 10000m might be set up somewhere for qualification purposes, but you can't expect too much money in it.

Meanwhile, there were loads of road races with lots of money, particularly marathons. So the conventional thinking because, "why am I running hard on the track for pocket change when there are road races with full budgets most weeks of the year?" So now you have a generation of what would be sub-27 10000m runners all going to the marathon in the prime of their career, instead of spending most of those years on the track. This is why the half marathon and marathon all-time lists have been rewritten so dramatically in recent years.

[Run DMC]

Re: Unusual marathon progression

You may be right. Again, the marathon money is really not very deep. 4th place usually makes a few thousand dollars, 10th is usually around $100. That is a big chance to take for a race that will ruin you for 2-3 months after and little racing during a 3+ month build up. In other words, 1/2 year salary rides on one race that may not deliver much money. Somebody could run many races of shorter distances during that 6mo for more consistent money. Maybe the payday for top 3 is worth the risk.

Unfortunately, I still don't understand why a whole generation of sub 27 guys exist, too.

This may be a big failure of T&F promotion too. Everything has to be a record attempt and a good race is lost almost every time to a glorified time trial with rabbits. The 10,000 has lost out completely because the WR is unlikely to be broken by a mortal. Hence, no one cares anymore. And the Marathon has become a parade of Kenyans and Ethiopians so no Americans care anymore. Sometimes marathons are good races because the payday for 4th on is so paltry compared to the winner that they really go for it, but it is still often a runaway with the sole survivor of a suicidal first 30K.

[unclezadok]

Re: Unusual marathon progression

I think it's because there is much more concentration than there used to be on going for records at the fast city marathon courses. Also, the Kenyans have concentrated on the marathon more.