Who is the distance running GOAT, or the Greatest of All Time? Now that the 2018 New York Marathon is in the books, mainstream running events are largely done until the Dubai Marathon in January. The next event that is most likely to help define the discussion around the GOAT is the London Marathon in April.
So who is the distance running GOAT? The argument recently has come down to three people: Haile Gebrselassie, Keninisa Bekele, and Eliud Kipchoge. Traditionally, someone in contention for the GOAT title is prolific at the 5000M, 10000M, and marathon.
Let’s look at each candidate.
Eliud Kipchoge. His name gets included now largely due to his dominance at the marathon level. Besides crushing the world record at Berlin this past September and almost going sub-2 hours, only one person has ever beaten him head-to-head at the distance. All of his marathon wins, except for one, have come at marathon majors, the Olympics, or the highly selective Breaking 2 project. To maintain this kind of dominance for several years at this distance is phenomenal, possibly unprecedented. He also earned bronze and silver medals at the 5000M distance in two Olympic games and has posted times in the top-25 all time for the 5000M and 10000M. Because he has not set world records at either distance and did not earn gold at the Olympics for those, his inclusion in the GOAT argument is very recent and more complicated, but well-deserved. The fact that he doesn’t have as many medals and accolades at the 5000M and 10000M distances would make it difficult for some people to say he should get this title over these other two contenders.
Keninisa Bekele. He holds the current world records in the 5000M and 10000M and has posted the third-fastest marathon time of all time (and it was the second-fastest when he ran it) which he earned when he won the 2016 Berlin Marathon. He has three Olympic gold medals (2004 10000M in Athens, 2008 10000M and 5000M in Beijing) and 1 silver (2004 5000M in Athens). He owns six world championships on the track and eleven world cross-country titles. However, his marathon career has been inconsistent. He frequently DNFs and though he has posted fast times, his performance when he’s been in the same race against Kipchoge and other current greats has been disappointing. He has raced nine times against Gebrselassie and came out ahead of him six times. That being said, Bekele was getting into the prime of his career and Gebrselassie was coming towards the end. Bekele’s dominance on the track and in cross country cannot be doubted and puts him as the GOAT for many people. His inconsistency at the marathon keeps me from saying he’s the GOAT.
Haile Gebrselassie. He held the world records at 5000M, 10000M, and the marathon at different points of his career. He has two Olympic gold medals, both at 10000M at the 1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney games. He doesn’t have as many world championships as Bekele and has zero cross-country world championships. However, Gebrselassie took monster amounts of time off the 5000M and 10000M world records and though Bekele’s records are technically faster, they’re not as big of a drop from the prior ones. Furthermore, besides setting the world record for the marathon, he won four straight Berlin Marathons and a Dubai marathon. It’s a very difficult call between Gebrselassie and Bekele, and Bekele’s track and cross country career obviously includes many more championships. However, given that Gebreselassie took the 5000M and 10000M into a new stratosphere and that his marathon career was more decorated, I would say he gets the edge for GOAT.
One similarity that Bekele and Kipchoge share is that they have been prolific in one area but not as decorated in the other. The advantage Kipchoge has, in my mind, is that his consistency at the marathon level is unparalleled. He doesn’t lose despite the fact he’s always running against the world’s best. In terms of someone being the greatest, I would argue that consistency is a big factor.
So what could change these arguments, either for me or someone else?
Haile Gebrselassie: Nothing, as he’s retired.
Eliud Kipchoge: If he wins the 2020 Tokyo Olympic marathon or were to go under two hours for the marathon, I would say it makes him the GOAT. Elite marathoners typically can stay at a high level for a few years. Kipchoge won his first marathon major in 2014, two years before the Rio Olympic games. To win a second gold six years and multiple major wins after the first would be nothing short of incredible. If Kipchoge were to win additional multiple majors and break his own world record, that might also be enough to make him the GOAT.
Keninisa Bekele: If he were to set the world record in the marathon, I would say he gets GOAT status. Given how difficult world records are to achieve and his dominance at other distances, two or more additional major marathon wins might also push him into that status, especially if he posted times in the 2:02 or low 2:03 range. His resume at the 5000M and 10000M distance, as well as cross-country, is so far above other runners’ that he doesn’t necessarily need a long, prestigious marathon career. But, while he’s had a marathon career that 99% of runners would gladly take, compared to Gebrselassie, he doesn’t have consistent excellence (relatively) at that distance.
Comparing these three runners is like comparing three five-star similar-fare restaurants. There will be little things that move people to choose one over the other but they’re all incredible. However, the argument is fun, there’s no definitive answer, and it keeps going.
At the present, there’s no other current runner who looks like they will be able to challenge these three but someone will come along. When they do, one of these runners will move off the list, or it will get more crowded and complicated.
In honor of a holiday revolving around food, here are three running food reviews.
Running food reviews of the week: (note–gels, bars, chews, and other items affect everyone differently. Try them on a short run before using them for a key training run or race):
Gu Campfire S’mores: Note that it’s not oven s’mores or microwave s’mores. Campfire S’mores. To maximize the flavor, I tried this on a cold, rainy morning. It tasted good (maybe the weather helped) and it had a positive energy boost. I actually ate this on the first morning after taking 9 days off and it helped me run through any rust buildup.
Gatorade Cucumber Lime: If you ever wondered what it would taste like to drink a cucumber that’s been seasoned with lime, here’s your answer. I used this on a cold, snowy day though it had a “summery” taste. One thing that I liked was the lightness of the flavor. If you were feeling full but you needed hydration, taste-wise this might feel better going down. Technically it may fill you up the same way but the placebo effect could be there. I was not a fan of the taste but I could see value in using it for sustained energy. If you like the taste of drinking a cucumber, that’s an added bonus with this one.
Jelly Belly Sport Beans Lemon Lime: These taste like you would expect lemon lime jelly beans to taste, which is to say pretty good. For the energy boost, I did feel better on last two-thirds of my run so I would say they did their job. No caffeine in this one so they are better if you’ve already had your morning caffeine.
Sources used:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliud_Kipchoge
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haile_Gebrselassie
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenenisa_Bekele
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5000_metres
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10,000_metres