I almost thought I didn't have to say it, but this is the result of the "time" poll so far:
What will be the winning time of the 2017 Berlin Marathon?
Sub-2:02:00
16%
61
2:02:00 to 2:02:29
44%
164
2:02:30 to 2:02:56
32%
121
2:02:57 to 2:03:29
6%
22
2:03:30 to 2:03:59
1%
5
2:04:00 or slower
0%
0
Are you guys nuts? 93% of you think they will break the world record, and 60% of you think it will be by at least 28 seconds. The last time that happened was 2007. And the thing about breaking the WR is now it's lower and they'd have to break THAT
Can it happen? Of course. That's why we're so excited about this race. Will it happen? With 64/52 projected high/low, 86% projected humidity, and possible wind, the odds are against them. Not to mention it's a $%&^ing marathon, and tons of stuff could go wrong. Like going out in the planned 60:50 and then fading to a 62:40 second half...it wouldn't exactly be a bad race.
I voted for 2:03:30-2:03:59, and I wouldn't be surprised if I guessed too fast. In reality, the most likely category is probably the slowest one, since it contains any time starting with 2:04, 2:05, 2:06, etc.
Man, there's nothing more I'd like to see than three guys kicking with their eye rolled back as the clock says 2:01. That could happen! But more likely is a fast early pace, semi-difficult conditions, and a very strong 2:03/2:04 winning time. Should be a hell of a race!