As mentioned in an earlier post, after being shelved in terms of expectations, Kenenisa Bekele won the 2019 Berlin Marathon in 2:01:41, just two seconds shy of tying the world record and three shy of breaking it. In a post last year, I said that if he were to break the world record at that distance, he would be the GOAT.
Some make the case that his time at Berlin cements his status as the GOAT and I would argue the opposite. Without a doubt, it’s a phenomenal time but there are two problems. His best time prior to this was 2:03:03 and at that time, it was six seconds off the world record. Three years later (he is three years older) he knocked nearly ninety seconds off of his personal best, yet fell short of the world record. Typically we don’t get faster as we get older and it seems logical that this 2:01:41 may have been within him, but he never ran it. In other words, it’s possible that he didn’t maximize his potential over the past few years.
Between the other contenders for GOAT status, they did set new records and transcended the existing patterns and perceived limits of their time. Haile Gebrselassie crushed the existing 5000M and 10000M world records. Eliud Kipchoge obliterated the marathon world record and then shattered the two-hour marathon barrier when the eyes of the world were on him. To say that Bekele ranks third on my GOAT list is not a knock on him, but praise for two runners who elevated their performances when it mattered most.
In my post, I also said that if Kipchoge were to break the two-hour marathon barrier, he would rank as the GOAT in my book. At the time, I was unaware of the upcoming 1:59 challenge and was considering sub-two in the context of him winning a major in 1:59:59 or faster. I’ve also been wary of including someone in the GOAT argument who did not dominate, as Gebrselassie and Bekele have, at the 5000M and 10000M distances in addition to the marathon.
While we need some structure and rules so that our society doesn’t spin off into anarchy, there are times when we need to consider whether we’re being held back by rules and assumptions that don’t make sense. Kipchoge’s time at the 1:59 challenge doesn’t count as an official record. Two of the rules (fueling and pacing regulations) make no sense for the professional runners out there. The third one, that records need to be set with an event that includes more than one person, broadly makes sense though in the Ineos1:59 case, there’s no doubt that the event was measured properly and wasn’t a dubious effort that is difficult to ratify. In my mind, he should have the official time of 1:59:40. Also, maybe we can consider someone for the GOAT status even if they didn’t dominate at either the marathon or the track events.
Kipchoge is the greatest marathoner of all time based on a number of factors: he holds the ratified world record, he holds the two fastest non-ratified times of all time, he has only lost one marathon that he’s ever entered (and with the exception of the sub-two attempts, he has participated almost exclusively in majors and Olympics), and on the most recent sub-two attempt, he said we would go under that time and did. This was not brash or cocky, it was the quiet confidence that he carries. Even though he is not as decorated at the shorter distances, the level of dominance he has maintained for the last five years at the marathon, and his willingness to embrace two sub-two attempts that are controversial and find success at both, is mind-boggling. There is a consistency there which not even Usain Bolt maintained at the sprints despite his dominance. On top of this, Kipchoge only races twice per year. Training is essential race preparation but most runners would agree that racing is one of the best mental preparations for racing. To only enter two events per year and consistently win without tune-up or preparation races is very impressive.
I still would call Bekele the GOAT if he were to break the marathon world record. Gebrselassie was at his prime during my formative running years and that may be part of the reason it’s hard to let his GOAT status go. But, when you look at the consistency Kipchoge has demonstrated (and his achievements at the 5000M and 10000M are not shabby by any standard) then it seems acceptable to break with tradition just a little bit and move the laurel to his head for now.
Sources used:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5000_metres
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10,000_metres
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenenisa_Bekele
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usain_Bolt
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haile_Gebrselassie
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliud_Kipchoge
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