Forums >General Running>Mo Farah in the marathon
Why is it sideways?
One thought, does training and racing for a marathon reduce his capability to still switch to being a winner in the 5k/10k world given a decent training cycle prior to the big events? Assuming no injury, he should be as good or perhaps stronger for the marathon effort. SO nothing really lost by going long or at least low career risk. What do you think?
I would say that certainly training for the marathon for Mo is not compatible with continuing to be #1 in the world over 5k/10k. Mo is #1 in the world not because he is an unusually strong 5k/10k runner but because he has the best speed at the end of the race. He couldn't keep that speed and also train for the marathon (I think.)
London was a good chance to see if he could be a dominant marathoner and earn a great appearance fee, with plenty of time to get back to 5k/10k prep for the next Olympics. I doubt we will see him in the marathon again before the Olympics.
So a money grab. since his chosen profession I can respect taking a calculated risk to better himself financially.
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Mo is #1 in the world not because he is an unusually strong 5k/10k runner but because he has the best speed at the end of the race. He couldn't keep that speed and also train for the marathon (I think.)
Yes! I totally agree and this is the reason why I don't think he will ever be a great a marathoner as gebresallasie or bekele. Yes he will be good given his ability, but he specializes in finishing, not a continuous all out effort like bekele, who has the world records in the 5k/10k and had the 6th fastest debut marathon in Paris where he won by almost 2 minutes
Other reasons
- Most East Africans switch from the track to the roads at an early age, because there's more money and their chance of being selected for major international competitions are small. 20 East Africans broke.2:05 for the marathon last year. In contrast, Mo only has to face 3 Kenyans, 3 Ethiopians and a couple of other East Africans in international competitions. The Kenyans don't even select their fastest 3 runners due to a controversial selection policy.
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