218 Kenyan marathoners have run 2:18:00 or faster this year

ss43

Just thought I'd point out this ridiculous fact about Kenyan marathone runners -

With less than half the year gone

40 Kenyans have gone 2:10:00 or faster
218 Kenyans (plus three more running for Qatar [1] and Bahrain [2]) have gone 2:18:00 or faster (qualifying standard for World Championships)

We have no athletes ranked that high so far. Have we any capable of running that fast this year other than Fagan?

jlang

I think a poster here a few days ago came close enough in a training run.

Hard Worker

We have a few who are capable. Chris Cariss is a 2.15 marathon runner who ran 2.19.46 in Hamburg this year. Hopefully we will have three Irish who'll run sub 2.18 in Dublin this year.

p to the e

218 ran 2:18. coincidence or conspiracy?

shels4ever

Hard Worker wrote: »

We have a few who are capable. Chris Cariss is a 2.15 marathon runner who ran 2.19.46 in Hamburg this year. Hopefully we will have three Irish who'll run sub 2.18 in Dublin this year.

Should be a good dublin marathon this year then, will defo try to get to a few places to watch as the tv coverage is terrible. Any chance they will do something extra this year as its a landmark year?

thirtyfoot

shels4ever wrote: »

will defo try to get to a few places to watch as the tv coverage is terrible.

Is it true TG4 are showing it this year? If so, lets hope Kathryn Davis can't speak Irish.

crosbie

A good video on this;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QApyq4bops&feature=fvst

Hard Worker

If Martin Fagan were to run in the next European Marathon Championship, I think we could have good back up with two or three from Vinny Mulvey, Joe McAlister, Chris Cariss and a few more who might move up to the marathon. We have plenty capable of running sub 2.18 if they put their minds to it.

ecoli

Hard Worker wrote: »

I think we've strayed a bit from the OP.
If Martin Fagan were to run in the next European Marathon Championship, I think we could have good back up with two or three from Vinny Mulvey, Joe McAlister, Chris Cariss and a few more who might move up to the marathon. We have plenty capable of running sub 2.18 if they put their minds to it.

Sean Connolly is also another anme who could be talked about on level par with the lads being mentioned here

thirtyfoot

ecoli wrote: »

Sean Connolly is also another anme who could be talked about on level par with the lads being mentioned here

I think Sean should focus on track for a while. Compared to Vinny Mulvey and others he looks really at home and more natural on track and is very strong and compact. Maybe 5000 or even 10000. His control and domination of the IMC 3000 was very impressive and his move on the back straight was great.

ecoli

Tingle wrote: »

I think Sean should focus on track for a while. Compared to Vinny Mulvey and others he looks really at home and more natural on track and is very strong and compact. Maybe 5000 or even 10000. His control and domination of the IMC 3000 was very impressive and his move on the back straight was great.

True and he does have a natural speed however his training is very similar to Vinny s so he would well able to cover the distance and as for more natural on track his 10k national road title shows that he can adapt this to the roads so who knows what his plans are

Clum

Hard Worker wrote: »

If Martin Fagan were to run in the next European Marathon Championship, I think we could have good back up with two or three from Vinny Mulvey, Joe McAlister, Chris Cariss and a few more who might move up to the marathon. We have plenty capable of running sub 2.18 if they put their minds to it.

I don't mean to undermine Vinny Mulvey or Joe McAlister in any way, they are top class athletes, and this point applies to all athletes, but until a runner can prove himself at marathon distance there's no point speculating about what they can do.

The marathon is a huge step up from 10,000m, even from the Half marathon, and is very unpredictable. Best example I can think of is Zersaney Tadese. A double world half marathon champion and World Cross Country Champion yet he dropped out of the London marathon after being heavily tipped as one to watch.

It'd be great if we did have a solid team in the marathon, but at the moment we've very few proven marathoners in top form out there. Even Fagan, although he ran his heart out in Dubai and put in a magnificant performance, can't be taken for granted. The one marathon he did complete took chunks out him.

walshb

ss43 wrote: »

Just thought I'd point out this ridiculous fact about Kenyan marathone runners -

With less than half the year gone

40 Kenyans have gone 2:10:00 or faster
218 Kenyans (plus three more running for Qatar [1] and Bahrain [2]) have gone 2:18:00 or faster (qualifying standard for World Championships)

We have no athletes ranked that high so far. Have we any capable of running that fast this year other than Fagan?

And we're being told they are starving!:rolleyes:

Mick Rice

What's the link between the number of marathoners under 2:18 in Kenya and poverty in Africa?

Can you explain?

ss43

Mick Rice wrote: »

What's the link between the number of marathoners under 2:18 in Kenya and poverty in Africa?

Can you explain?

Not directed at me but I'll give it a go -

Many Kenyan's live in very poor conditions. This gives them motivation to work very hard to get out of this situation. After seeing the success of Kip Keino and others, athletics became a popular way of achieving this. Kenyans began having wholesale success across a range of distance track and cross ocuntry events. More recently, Kenyans have moved to the marathon. This is because: 1) the depth of Kenyans running world class times makes it difficult to get into track meets worth any money and 2) the marathon boom means there are lots of available marathons to run and earn cash from.

I don't think you'll find to many Kenyans running marathons for the laugh and ocminghome in three hours. The money is a huge motivational factor which comes from living in poverty.

walshb

Mick Rice wrote: »

What's the link between the number of marathoners under 2:18 in Kenya and poverty in Africa?

Can you explain?

I supose that you could surmise, that with all the so called poverty, it's a little strange that they can still win gold in sport events. I wonder, are they really all that hungry. Maybe Trocaire and GOAL and all these other agencies should start working here; maybe then we'd be able to compete against these Kenyans!

asimonov

walshb wrote: »

And we're being told they are starving!:rolleyes:

I don't think real people dieing from real hunger should be played for laughs.

thirtyfoot

walshb wrote: »

I supose that you could surmise, that with all the so called poverty, it's a little strange that they can still win gold in sport events. I wonder, are they really all that hungry. Maybe Trocaire and GOAL and all these other agencies should start working here; maybe then we'd be able to compete against these Kenyans!

If you are serious you probably need to get a grip. Have you ever been to Kenya or east Africa? I was in Tanzania a few years back. I would meet a few kids and guys out running when heading out to villages in pretty rudimentary running gear. At the same villages I met families riddled with poverty and many with HIV. One woman in her 40's looking after her two daughters in their 20's, both with HIV. I returned to the village a week later and both girls were dead. Elsewhere, poverty and hunger was rampant and this wasn't a particularly bad area. Uprisings in Kenya in '07 killiing many including athletes. Its a cake walk out there all right!

If you are having a laugh I'd see that as trolling warranting a ban as there are several regular posters here who will have connections with this part of the world through running and will find jokes about the same as offensive. There are others with no connection other than a love of the way Kenyans/Ethiopeans run who will also find it offensive. Then there are others who will find it just plain offensive.

Mick Rice

I think we all understand what motivates poor africans to see sport as a route out of poverty. I was just asking the question out of hope that the previous poster wasn't taking what looked to me to be a cheap shot at starving Africans. Perhaps I'm wrong but that's the way it looks.

ecoli

walshb wrote: »

I supose that you could surmise, that with all the so called poverty, it's a little strange that they can still win gold in sport events. I wonder, are they really all that hungry. Maybe Trocaire and GOAL and all these other agencies should start working here; maybe then we'd be able to compete against these Kenyans!

Its very suprising to see that a moderator coming out with this kinda thing i wouldnt expect it from any of the posters. Many Kenyans are driven to a level of focus we could not even imagine. For many of these athletes running is there only hope of survival and escaping life of war and poverty.
Even in terms of getting a job at home the number of Kenyan armed forces who are runners shows a distinct favouritism towards athletes and as such shows very little in terms of an alternative option.
You wanna talk about competing with these maybe we should get out and two 2 to three long runs a day. Their focus should be admired and not mocked by ignorant westerners

--amadeus--

Walshb infracted for trolling. If you are serious and that is an argument you want to have it belongs in Politics not here.

walshb

Holy sh!t, why the sensitivity here. Relax, it was a simple comment on how Kenyans are portrayed by the west as poor and hungry and starving every time one puts on the tv or looks at the paper, yet they are winning tons more medals at championships than we will ever win. I didn't mean any offence and have ZERO against Kenyan people!

ecoli

walshb wrote: »

Holy sh!t, why the sensitivity here. Relax, it was a simple comment on how Kenyans are portrayed by the west as poor and hungry and starving every time one puts on the tv or looks at the paper, yet they are winning tons more medals at championships than we will ever win. I didn't mean any offence and have ZERO against Kenyan people!

To be honest in most charity appeals, Kenya is very rarely specifically mentioned in fact i cant recall one that actual uses Kenya as an example

walshb

ecoli wrote: »

To be honest in most charity appeals, Kenya is very rarely specifically mentioned in fact i cant recall one that actual uses Kenya as an example

I disagree completely, anyway, this doesn't belong in the athletics forum

Seems that maybe we deserve a mention every time a Kenyan runner
laps one of our own!

So, all that training and running they do is a little easier since
we here in Ireland are feeding them and funding them!

http://www.farawayupclose.ie/series4/3kenya/abo_hum_sit.htm

ecoli

walshb wrote: »

I disagree completely, anyway, this doesn't belong in the athletics forum
Seems that maybe we deserve a mention every time a Kenyan runner
laps one of our own!

So, all that training and running they do is a little easier since
we here in Ireland are feeding them and funding them!

http://www.farawayupclose.ie/series4/3kenya/abo_hum_sit.htm

This is the only part of your comment i will dignify with a response it doesnt belong in an athletics forum so should be dropped

walshb

ecoli wrote: »

This is the only part of your comment i will dignify with a response it doesnt belong in an athletics forum so should be dropped

Good retort!

Anyway, wouldn't any country, even Ireland, possibly do better if other countries were
looking after their finances, making sure they had food and shelter and making sure that they could train for hours a day without having to worry about mortgages and food and education, sure the Irish will sort that, lads, just keep training and winning medals.

Hey, some might be a little sensitive discussing it. Why?

These athletes have ZERO to do but run and train by the looks of it.
Any issues or problems, ha, Ireland and the WEST will look
after that!

buck65

Jeez walshb what are you on about?
You're a good guy , back down now this is crazy talk and you are burying yourself here.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0225/p25s11-woaf.html

thirtyfoot

walshb wrote: »

Good retort!

Anyway, wouldn't any country, even Ireland, possibly do better if other countries were
looking after their finances, making sure they had food and shelter and making sure that they could train for hours a day without having to worry about mortgages and food and education, sure the Irish will sort that, lads, just keep training and winning medals.

Hey, some might be a little sensitive discussing it. Why?

These athletes have ZERO to do but run and train by the looks of it.
Any issues or problems, ha, Ireland and the WEST will look
after that!

So you are serious:(. People are a little sensitive because they perhaps have Kenyan friends and have seen at first hand the problems that exist in eastern Africa. Are you seriously saying that there is a connection between the charity money that Ireland donates to Africa and their success as athletes? Thats like saying the tax I pay that goes to people who are on the dole in rough working class areas is helping the kids in the local boxing club versus say the kids in my running club ( I see you are a Boxing mod so just using this as an example) as they and their parents don't need to work or pay for the roof over their head so they can concentrate totally on boxing :rolleyes:. What a ridiculous point that would be to make in a sports forum even if I did believe it (which I don't) so I'd never make it as we all know it isn't true. The opinion was relayed once to me and I disagreed and argued against it much like many are agrueing against you here.

While you are entitled to your opinion, I think that you are ignorant in relation to Kenyan running and why many of these guys do it and what they have to go through. For practically all it is their chance to escape and make a living. Many who do make a living inject much of what they earn back into their community or live simple lives when they retire, living off a bit of land that they could afford when they made some money on the circuit. Very ignorant understanding of sport from someone obviously involved in sport yourself. Sport in many societies allows people who otherwise would be from very poor and disadvantaged backrounds achieve great success. Kenyan athletes, Brazilian footballers, Sri Lankan crickerters, black american bastketballers and so on.

A novel idea, lets stop all overseas charity drives and pump into the GPA:D

ss43

walshb wrote: »

they could train for hours a day without having to worry about mortgages and food and education

The reason a lot of them run is so they have money to buy food, land and pay for education for their families. The aid doesn't just suddenly make life easy.

The aid goes to those in the worst circumstances - these generally aren't the ones who make it to the top. The kids with HIV or the ones brought up sniffing glue and lving in dumps (literally) probably won't turn out to be 2:10 marathoners so you can help them without worrying it'll hurt our own athletes chances too much.

The runners seem to come from very poor families but ones that weren't quite on the brink of dying of hunger so they probably didn't see too much of the aid. A lot of the runners don't finish school so they're not using the educational aid funds either.

JKF

ss43 wrote: »

Not directed at me but I'll give it a go -

Many Kenyan's live in very poor conditions. This gives them motivation to work very hard to get out of this situation. After seeing the success of Kip Keino and others, athletics became a popular way of achieving this. Kenyans began having wholesale success across a range of distance track and cross ocuntry events. More recently, Kenyans have moved to the marathon. This is because: 1) the depth of Kenyans running world class times makes it difficult to get into track meets worth any money and 2) the marathon boom means there are lots of available marathons to run and earn cash from.

I don't think you'll find to many Kenyans running marathons for the laugh and ocminghome in three hours. The money is a huge motivational factor which comes from living in poverty.

Good point. Alistair Cragg made the same comment in that Ireland's Olympians documentary rte showed before Beijing. Can't for the life of me find a link to it now but I imagine its somewhere on the website

cfitz

Tingle wrote: »

So you are serious:(.

You'll have to remove his infraction so