Wilson Kipsang and Patrick Makau going for WR at Berlin Marathon, say sub-2:03 may be possible

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10 years ago 09/06/2013 1:46am EDT

re: His Majesty Trollist, III

I'd say forget Wilson and Patrick -- what's going to be really interesting is to see what Geoffrey Kipsang and Eliud Kipchoge can do. Wise of the Berlin organisers to have got these newer runners on board to keep it interesting.

Wilson has his hotel business and Patrick has been in and out of shape since the WR, and I think London showed that neither of them are at the top of their game anymore.

I'm still not sure if Makau has much left at all or whether he's just talking the talk and banking the appearance fees while he can.

Trouble is for these guys is that no one is satisfied with just a good race and a win anyone -- everyone wants to see a WR. The Berlin pacemakers will be setting out to run a 1:01.30 half... so we could see a re-run of London.

What will be really interesting is to see what Dennis Kimetto can do in Chicago, though from what I understand he'll be racing the Chicago course rather than doing a Berlin-style time trial, so in all likelihood it'll be a 2:04-2:06 race. It'll also be interesting to see if Moses Mosop can come back.

Spoke with Geoffrey Mutai the other day, he seems to be at a loose end at the moment with no immediate plans. A shame as I loved watching him run and his NYC CR was a classic.

So interesting couple of races ahead -- which will tell us if the group of Kenyans who've been so dominant over the past few years still have it or are about to be replaced by a new crop.

10 years ago 09/06/2013 2:48am EDT

re: FrenchHack

You are forgetting that Makau ran last fall in Frankfurt and won in 2:06 in very unfavorable conditions. The weather was cold with freezing temperatures for much of the race, and not negligible winds (over 10mph). I had my clients in that race, and it was impossible to run at the intended pace without huge energy costs. Makau ran very smart, let the second placer get ahead of him and then surged at the right moment. After finishing, he had stated that he had not even attempted to run at WR pace, once he had seen the temperature and the wind.

He may very well break the WR in Berlin.

10 years ago 09/06/2013 3:29am EDT

re: Talisman

Raptured wrote:
After London this year, it seems like he isn't able to hang for long at WR pace anyway, so I guess it doesn't matter.

You can't judge a marathoner off of one race like that.

Anyways, no matter what happens tactically, I guarantee the winner will not be as high as the ballpark of 2:09...

10 years ago 09/06/2013 5:33am EDT

re: Hardloper

The key for Patrick Makau is to have a disciplined build up to this race. As long as he gets the appearance fees for being the world record holder he will probably continue with his current lifestyle. Although one big push for 2-3 months may be enough to get him in 2.05-2.06 shape but nothing more.

10 years ago 09/06/2013 7:39am EDT

re: FrenchHack

Wow. Fascinating thread, thank you for opening up all these intriguing plot lines in the coming marathons.

10 years ago 09/06/2013 8:28am EDT

re: Woodchopper

I spoke to Patrick a couple of days ago and will probably see him next week. He says he feels like he's in good shape, and the fact that he ended up running a slow time in London meant that he could leap back into good training fairly quickly.

Still, he says that you can never tell on the big day how things will go. Wise words.

It's so hard to tell with the Kenyans -- there is of course the classic Wanjiru case of getting rich, big house, women etc etc pressure and then they go off the rails. But Makau and Wilson Kipsang seem to be very level headed and both very keen to show they still have it.

We also take it for granted that these guys can knock out 2:05's like it's a walk in the park. When talking marathons with the Kenyan elite, they still have big respect for the distance and understand full well that things can either way when they're at the edge. So it's pretty much impossible to write anyone off or bet on WR's. Still, I think the Kenyan pack at Berlin makes for a really interesting mix of new and old blood.

Berlin + Chicago + Mo/Geb/Bekele at the GNR will make for some really interesting races ahead.

10 years ago 09/06/2013 10:08am EDT

re: FrenchHack

FrenchHack wrote:
I'd say forget Wilson and Patrick -- what's going to be really interesting is to see what Geoffrey Kipsang and Eliud Kipchoge can do. Wise of the Berlin organisers to have got these newer runners on board to keep it interesting.
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If you have been following Kipsang and for the people who know him on a daily basis(trainingwise), this guy is very serious about chasing the WR. He is in great shape and barring adverse weather, he will run no slower than 2:04:30. This the only thing that has been in his mind for this year. He gave up his selection for the world championship for this.
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Wilson has his hotel business and Patrick has been in and out of shape since the WR, and I think London showed that neither of them are at the top of their game anymore.
I'm still not sure if Makau has much left at all or whether he's just talking the talk and banking the appearance fees while he can.
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I totally disagree with you. Wilson has had his hotel for sometime now and this has not affected his training or ambitions. He is a humble guy who never gets carried away by achievements. Remember the guy ran only 4 seconds slower than the WR!
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Spoke with Geoffrey Mutai the other day, he seems to be at a loose end at the moment with no immediate plans. A shame as I loved watching him run and his NYC CR was a classic.
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There is still plenty of time for Mutai to be slotted into one of the marathons. NYC is on top of that list. Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Fukuoka and Honolulu are still adding the runners.

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Wilson Kipsang and Patrick Makau going for WR at Berlin Marathon, say sub-2:03 may be possible

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