London Marathon Elite Fields

myflipflops

Despite the volcanic ash scenario, Dave Bedford has managed to get all his elite athletes over to London for 2 of the best mens and womens marathon fields ever assembled.

Is Wanjiru beatable and will Tadese get the distance this time?

Is Mikitenko back to her best or will Shobukhova become the next womens star over 26.2?

Should be 2 great races anyway. Fileds below (Martin Lel a scratch again unfortunately).

http://www.virginlondonmarathon.com/news-and-media/news-and-media/champions-return-defend/

robinph

I saw something the other day that they had chartered a private jet to go out and fetch Wanjiru and bring him to Madrid where they were going to stick him on a bus, and they went around Africa picking up whoever else they needed to pick up as well. I guess they didn't put them on the bus in the end though, or at least got it to stop at the next airport it passed once the airspace re-opened and put them back on the plane again.

myflipflops

robinph wrote: »

I saw something the other day that they had chartered a private jet to go out and fetch Wanjiru and bring him to Madrid where they were going to stick him on a bus, and they went around Africa picking up whoever else they needed to pick up as well. I guess they didn't put them on the bus in the end though, or at least got it to stop at the next airport it passed once the airspace re-opened and put them back on the plane again.

Dave Bedford said that they dipped into the contingency fund and spent 150k sterling getting everyone there.

That's some contingency fund!

dermCu

Dont forget that Tadese broke the WR for the half marathon a few weeks ago. Has he peaked too early? Even if he hasn't I suspect that Wanjiru just has a bit too much marathon know how to hold him off.
Kibet might be the guy to split them.

colblimp

myflipflops wrote: »

Dave Bedford said that they dipped into the contingency fund and spent 150k sterling getting everyone there.

That's some contingency fund!

I'm presuming you didn't watch the programme about the VLM extorting money from charities, then? That's where the 'contingency fund' originates!:rolleyes:

rovers_runner

colblimp wrote: »

I'm presuming you didn't watch the programme about the VLM extorting money from charities, then? That's where the 'contingency fund' originates!:rolleyes:

The money the make is crazy, charging charities £5000 for 4 running places and a small box of advertising in a magazine and a website banner.

Where does the money go? Who gets paid(or pays themselves) £240,000 for organising a running event.

It's time that this event should be taken back by the people. Charities and participants should refuse to by these "bond" places.
Why not have everyone run for £60 (instead of £30 to cover costs) and then choose a cause they can donate to personally ensuring the charity gets 100% of what they raise.


Was interested last year in the rumours doing the rounds about a second marathon in London only for it to be shot down by someone on the London Marathon events Ltd board......

Peckham

I think I paid £32 for my entry....although I agree, something seems very odd about the charity nature of London marathon.

robinph

The scandal about the charity places that program was trying to create was nowhere near what the headlines of the program might suggest. There are very few places going for the thousands to the charities and only about a third even go to the golden bond places. Most are in the ballot for anyone to apply for, just three or four times as many people apply for them.

The only bad thing I actually got from the program was that the bonded places never change which charities they go to so unless a charity was in at the start years ago they can never get a place now without paying for one of the very few expensive advertised places.

ManFromAtlantis

while not in the elite section I'll be keeping an eye on steve way? (bournemouth ac) england. he only took up running in his 30's was 16 stone - lost about 5 stone and now is aiming to break 2 : 18. !!

Clum

My guess is Kibet or Kebede to win. They can push each other to 2.04.xx if the pacers get it right at the start.

TFBubendorfer

With Lel not running I think Wanjiru will run away with this one (awful pun in there).

Kibet has disappointed in every race since Rotterdam last year. It looks to me as if that had been a once-off.

Last year I'd have fancied Tadese, but when he blew up last year it put a question mark on his marathon ability.

Then again, marathons are notoriously unpredictable.

MrCreosote

Wanjiru to win! If the weather's good within 30s of the WR (faster or slower).

T runner

Clum wrote: »

My guess is Kibet or Kebede to win. They can push each other to 2.04.xx if the pacers get it right at the start.

I think the organisers made an error with the pacing last year. They had a gang of photographers in the van with the pacing clock and only a small clock. It was clear that the pacers had a problem seeing the clock. The sun may ahve also been a factor. (clcok needed a shade) Every time they accelerated to get a closer look the bloody van accelerated! I remember the pacers signaling several times.

The commentators blamed the pacers--saying everything but what they meant ofcourse (that they were African idiots who couldnt read a clock).
It pissed me off no end. Hopefully the organisers will abondon the few quid extra profit by leave the photographers out of the pacing van and install a readable chronometer.

mithril

robinph wrote: »

The scandal about the charity places that program was trying to create was nowhere near what the headlines of the program might suggest. There are very few places going for the thousands to the charities and only about a third even go to the golden bond places. Most are in the ballot for anyone to apply for, just three or four times as many people apply for them.

The only bad thing I actually got from the program was that the bonded places never change which charities they go to so unless a charity was in at the start years ago they can never get a place now without paying for one of the very few expensive advertised places.

I agree. I thought it was a pretty poor program.

They did not have access to the accounts of the London marathon and did not have the material for the expose they were promising.
They then got diverted into other peripheral issues to fill the hour slot.

As long as the money for charity places ultimately is spent on charity then I have no problem with what they are charging for them.

There were no examples in the program of spending by the marathon foundation on areas that seemed inappropriate to their mission statement.

average_runner

How much is it to enter the race itself?

Krusty_Clown

Sunday 25th April:
BBC 2 - 08:30am - 10:00am - London Marathon 2010, Part 1
BBC 1 - 10:00am - 2:00pm - London Marathon 2010, Part 2

christeb

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Sunday 25th April:
BBC 2 - 08:30am - 10:00am - London Marathon 2010, Part 1
BBC 1 - 10:00am - 2:00pm - London Marathon 2010, Part 2

Excellent, we'll all be catching this right after our Sunday AM LSRs - looking forward to it

Krusty_Clown

Sunday Morning
06:40: MotoGP
07:45: Match of the Day
08:30: London Marathon

Think I'll be doing my LSR on Saturday!

average_runner

Is MOTOGP going ahead?

Thought it was called off due to the Volcano and air flight restrictions??

Krusty_Clown

average_runner wrote: »

Is MOTOGP going ahead?
Thought it was called off due to the Volcano and air flight restrictions??

You're right. That's an extra lie-in of an hour or two. They've moved it to 3rd October.

myflipflops

In Lel's absence I'm calling Wanjiru to win the mens.

Liliya Shobukhova to win the womens.

Hopefully my double @ 3/1 and 12/1 will pay off!

shels4ever

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

You're right. That's an extra lie-in of an hour or two. They've moved it to 3rd October.

lazy
Should be a run window

robinph

...and Pekham is off, ony 42 seconds after the gun went off he must have got right up the front.

RacoonQueen

robinph wrote: »

...and Pekham is off, ony 42 seconds after the gun went off he must have got right up the front.

How can you follow runners? Can't find anything on the site.

robinph

There is a Facebook app if you have their race numbers:

http://apps.facebook.com/marathon-tracker/index.html

robinph

It doesn't give proper split times by the looks of it, but think peckham is through 5km in about 21 mins

robinph

A couple of people dropping out of the womens by the looks of it, they didn't go off as fast as the mens pacers last year but I guess they shouldn't have all asked fo the same speed to half way. Yamamuchi a bit off the lead but still ahead of a pb time.

Sosa

The tracker is useless...i make it 21:16 for peckhams first 5k.
It has not updated since

robinph

He's through 10km alright, but it's clearly written by someone who doesn't know anything about split times and which umbers you actually want to know. I can't do the sums in my head but:

Start: 9:45:42
5km: 10:06:58
10km 10:28:17

Quite who wants to know the hour of the day that you passed each point I'm not sure, but anyway.

RacoonQueen

Through 10k in about 43 minutes then...if it's been done right. The traker on the official adidas website says he hasn't started yet

Krusty_Clown

The tracker is awful (seems aimed more at spectators than internet voyeurs!), but at 14.1km/hr average pace, he would be bang on the money for sub 3 (or another 3:00:00!). C'mon Peckam!

Anyone know DermCu's number?

chinguetti

Saw a Boards vest at the Cutty Shark camera that went through around 10.30 on the telly. I couldn't see the face as the shot cut away.

misty floyd

chinguetti wrote: »

Saw a Boards vest at the Cutty Shark camera that went through around 10.30 on the telly. I couldn't see the face as the shot cut away.

Think I spotted that. Was it on the right hand side of the screen?

robinph

Start: 9:45:42
5km: 10:06:58
10km: 10:28:17
15km: ???


It is pretty rubbish aplication alright, I see from the Adidas page, which I guess is where the Facebook one gets it's data from, that it's designed for spectators and mobile phones. Fine for spectators, rubbish for nerds.

robinph

Start: 9:45:42
5km: 10:06:58
10km: 10:28:17
15km: 11:11:03
20km: 11:15:37

A new 5km world record for pekham there.

Krusty_Clown

14.07km/hr for Peckham at the moment. A tiny bit off the pace (if the numbers are correct) but he ran the last stage at 14.34km/hr, so he could be running a perfect negative split.

robinph

Start: 9:45:42
5km: 10:06:58
10km: 10:28:17
15km: 11:11:03
20km: 11:15:37
Half: 11:32:22
25km: 11:53:53

Not sure that any of those "split" times are to be belived though.

menoscemo

robinph wrote: »

Start: 9:45:42
5km: 10:06:58
10km: 10:28:17
15km: 11:11:03
20km: 11:15:37
Half: 11:32:22
25km: 11:53:53

Not sure that any of those "split" times are to be belived though.

looks like he is paying for the pace between 15 and 20 km :pac:

shels4ever

robinph wrote: »

Start: 9:45:42
5km: 10:06:58
10km: 10:28:17
15km: 11:11:03
20km: 11:15:37
Half: 11:32:22
25km: 11:53:53

Not sure that any of those "split" times are to be belived though.

yep i'd say the 12k and half are wrong,

Krusty_Clown

Think we'll just have to hold off for the final numbers, and hope for the best.

RacoonQueen

Says he went through the 25 by 12:38. A good final surge should have seen him come in just under the 3 hour mark.

Edit: Now it says 35k by 12:48...

robinph

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Says he went through the 25 by 12:38. A good final surge should have seen him come in just under the 3 hour mark.

Edit: Now it says 35k by 12:48...

It's showing me that 12:48 as finish time.

You have to decode their stupid way of displaying times, and the start of each section is actually the end of each section.

shels4ever

robinph wrote: »

It's showing me that 12:48 as finish time.

You have to decode their stupid way of displaying times, and the start of each section is actually the end of each section.

Any results from this, ?

robinph

shels4ever wrote: »

Any results from this, ?

Stupid Facebook app would give a time of 3:03:04 I think if I've taken the times of day away from each other correctly?

start: 9:45:42
end: 12:48:46

shels4ever

robinph wrote: »

Stupid Facebook app would give a time of 3:03:04 I think if I've taken the times of day away from each other correctly?

start: 9:45:42
end: 12:48:46

Think it is right, around the 3:02 mark, any way to search my names i was looking ot track a few other people.

Just got a text peckham 3:03 .

robinph

Haven't been able to find out what Nell McAndrews time was yet though?

Krusty_Clown

I suspect that Peckham will be a little disappointed with a 3:03 (if that is indeed his final time), but to put it into perspective, it's a great finishing time for someone who was struck down with an injury in the midst of their training program. It'll be a perfect launch platform to aim for 2:4x in Berlin in September.

misty floyd

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

It'll be a perfect launch platform to aim for 2:4x in Berlin in September.

Agree. Another solid marathon in the bag too. Anyone know how dermcu got on?

shels4ever

TheRoadRunner = 2:48 in Madrid.
Super running on a hard cours not far off a pb too, 1:25 , 1:23

Sosa

shels4ever wrote: »

TheRoadRunner = 2:48 in Madrid.
Super running on a hard cours not far off a pb too, 1:25 , 1:23

Great running from road runner and Peckham.
Id imagine he will be pi$$ed but as Krusty said,he has hardly had the smoothest of training programs and if he does Berlin and gets a good run at training he will go sub 3.

Well done lads...

RacoonQueen

Well done folks especially Peckham. We don't actually know what you're finish time was but we know it was in and around 3 hours, savage running given the bad ride you've had.

Can't believe a marathon as big as London doesn't have a way to track runners.

edit: 3:03:02 according to the London site. Great running Peckham. Bang on the sub 3 at half way too.