[andy popp]

Is there really no athletics/track and field thread?

Fantastic performances from Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Dina Asher-Smith. Maybe I'm just missing stuff but it seems like athletics and its stars used to have a much higher profile?

[fatneck]

Good call Andy - have loved watching the world champs! Highlights for me have been DAS in 200 and 100, KJT absolutely smashing the heptathalon - especially as she has been accused by some of being flaky in the past. Really held it together in the second day!

Salwa Eid Naser winning the 400 last night was outstanding! Men's pole vault too.

Loads to be excited about - the lad has loved it although the wife is a bit sick of rugby and athletics now...

Deffo reckon athletics is lower profile than it used to be

[SA Chris]

I wish I could get the interview with Michael Johnson earlier in the week where he was saying she was unlikely to do it. He's backpedaling furiously now.

Agree, fantastic achievement.

While we are here, this seemed to slip under the radar unnoticed.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/49710148

Just mind boggling. His pace is faster than the fastest club runners do a 5km race at.

[Plattsy]

I've not watched the athletics much this time round. Seen some highlights. DAS in the 200 was impressive. Enjoyed the Poles having a go with a change of order in the mixed relay.

Bekele missing the marathon record by 2 seconds the other day and the four fastest marathon times happening in the last two years by folk wearing VapourFlys.Think the chap in the half marathon mentioned above was wearing them too.

How far can shoes improve before it is decided they're providing too much assistance? Is "4%" assistance ok for a valid time? Are they an unfair racing advantage?

[T_B]

Bekele missing the marathon record by 2 seconds the other day and the four fastest marathon times happening in the last two years by folk wearing VapourFlys.Think the chap in the half marathon mentioned above was wearing them too.

How far can shoes improve before it is decided they're providing too much assistance? Is "4%" assistance ok for a valid time? Are they an unfair racing advantage?

The whole thing is a bit ridiculous really. Nike are no doubt stockpiling Vapourflys for the massive sales uplift which will be brought about this month if/when Kipchoge breaks 2 hours in Vienna.

I don't know what the answer is other than making them run bare footed! Maybe ban carbon fibre inserts?

Setting aside the aid provided by the shoes, I would love to believe all of these incredible times for distance running but having watched Icarus (and seen how easy it is to get around the testing) I'm pretty cynical.

As to Doha, the British press are even more negative than me! But what with Alcazar's recent ban and MJGold's comments about Coleman, maybe they don't have the appetite for it? Shame given the incredible performances of DAS and KJT.

[steveri]

Enjoying the Worlds despite the empty stadiums and slightly flat atmosphere. They seem to have responded to criticism and bussed in fans as the week has gone on. Doha is an odd choice and I shudder to think of the carbon footprint of air conditioning an open stadium. UK athletics seems to be in a time of transition after the highs of 2012. That said Two World Champions!

[SA Chris]

Just mind boggling. His pace is faster than the fastest club runners do a 5km race at.

That's 2:46 min / km btw.

[cheque]

Doha is an odd choice and I shudder to think of the carbon footprint of air conditioning an open stadium.

Sounds similar to the situation with the coming World Cup in Qatar or last year’s Europe League final (played between Chelsea and Arsenal in a near-inaccessible, half-empty stadium in Azerbaijan) .  Big sport (for want of a better term) seriously needs to find better ways to satisfy the competing interests of expanding global interest & spectatorship, not contributing to climate breakdown and taking massive bungs from unethical nation states.

Are these new Nikes the Firés of running then? Probably too late to get my other half a pair in time for her marathon on Sunday... I’m disappointed to see they’re pretty normal-looking- I was hoping they’d look like Marty’s trainers in Back to the Future 2.

[IanP]

Enjoying the Worlds despite the empty stadiums and slightly flat atmosphere. They seem to have responded to criticism and bussed in fans as the week has gone on. Doha is an odd choice and I shudder to think of the carbon footprint of air conditioning an open stadium. UK athletics seems to be in a time of transition after the highs of 2012. That said Two World Champions!

Bit of transition maybe but also it's just that athletics is really competitive on a world stage.  In actual fact Team GB got 6 athletic medals at 2012, 4 golds, 1 silver, 1 bronze,  of which only 2 were women's.  We could hit 6 this time with Laura Muir and the sprint relays, but would be 5 women and only 1 men's.  In the end a lot is down to special individuals, in 2012 Mo won 2 golds in 2019 DAS got gold and silver (and potentially another medal in relay).

On subject of the original post we've been really enjoying the athletics coverage despite the crowd/atmosphere issues.  Seb Coe came across as complete d**k with his criticism of Gabby Logan for talking about the crowds.

[SA Chris]

I think interest in athletics is always at its lowest at this point in the Olympic Cycle. Hype and interest will start next year..

[Duma]

So Kipchoge has done it, lots of excitement on social media.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/50025543
Seems a big marketing gimmick for nike (who have massive questions to answer around the Salazar case) tbh, think his real marathon record or Bekele a couple of weeks ago in Berlin are more impressive. The science of sport podcast has a good rundown of the tactics/fudges/sidesteps used to get under the 2hr mark.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3IRMB2ubzZdwiDLPk4Ka9H?si=KdwvztsJQlC74O8k8s0iGw
Interesting comment that if had been a small company that developed the Vapourfly it would have been banned immediately.

[SA Chris]

With all the conditions set up in his favour, It almost felt like to him it was a foregone conclusion. Still an incredible feat though.

Shame it overshadowed this amazing feat from yesterday;

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/50035304 Pity PR's record had to go, but I'm amazed it stood for this long.

[remus]

Seems a big marketing gimmick for nike (who have massive questions to answer around the Salazar case) tbh, think his real marathon record or Bekele a couple of weeks ago in Berlin are more impressive. The science of sport podcast has a good rundown of the tactics/fudges/sidesteps used to get under the 2hr mark.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3IRMB2ubzZdwiDLPk4Ka9H?si=KdwvztsJQlC74O8k8s0iGw
Interesting comment that if had been a small company that developed the Vapourfly it would have been banned immediately.

Good podcast recommendation! Personally I think it's a little overly pessimistic, but agree that they've pushed the tactics pretty far.

[T_B]

Literally running in circles.. Maggie Guterl wins outright at the Big Dog Backyard Ultra in Tennessee.

'A race to the death'. 4.166667 mile loops. Each one to be completed within an hour. Last Man (or in this case, woman) Standing wins.

Maggie ran 60 laps = 250 miles. 50:38:40 actual running time in the 60 hours 

Some clips here https://twitter.com/irun4ultra

[Muenchener]

Didn't Stephen King write a novel about that?

[SA Chris]

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/feb/17/tokyo-marathon-restricted-to-elite-runners-over-coronavirus-scare-athletics

Sucks for anyone who has a place, and almost no chance of getting one next year now...