A proposal to recalibrate the track and field world records by removing all records set prior to 2005 has caused considerable controversy. I offer some views on the proposal, and explain why the step is probably necessary, but should not be ‘abused’ as a sign of a new generation.
Event analysis
The sub-2 hour marathon attempt: The pacing strategy
The Nike-Breaking 2 attempt will happen in Monza this weekend. I don’t think a sub-2 is possible, but what will be fascinating is to see a) how they go about pacing the attempt, and what happens if it starts to fall away; and b) what the collective advantage is of all the tactics employed. I predict 2:01:55 at best, a DNF is also a real possibility. More thoughts here.
On the Jamaican clenbuterol positives: A procedural failure and credibility black hole
An explosive new investigative report has revealed that numerous athletes have tested positive when their samples from Beijing 2008 were retested. They include Jamaican male sprinters, so dominant in those Games. The IOC and WADA however did not act, suggesting the cases are all contamination, not worthy of pursuing. How viable is this, and what does it mean for already bottomed-out anti-doping credibility?
The “2-hour marathon” season begins
Kenenisa Bekele kicks off the 2017 Marathon season in Dubai, with what is a potential world record. It’s the year of the “Breaking-2” after Nike’s announcement last December. This article is an expanded version of one I wrote for an SA Newspaper on Jan 15th, 2017
The sub-2 hour marathon in 2017? Thoughts on concept
Nike’s announcement that they’re backing three top marathoners to break the 2 hour marathon barrier in Spring 2017, is the latest installment in the sub-2 hype. Relevance and legitimacy aside, what would it take, product and course wise, to achieve? I look at shoes and downhill running to illustrate the concept of physiological barriers and how they might be shifted.