www.letsrun.com
I have run Boston 6 times best time 3 hours :34 mins an 20 miles in under 3 hours. I fall victim every time not managing my effort especially over the last 10k. It's hard managing the rolling hills at the end.Lemma's coach addressed it.
10 Things We Learned at Boston Marathon Media Day
Evans Chebet says he's ready to run at the Olympics if Kenya names him to the team, plus updates from Emma Bates, CJ Albertson, & Jenny Simpson.
Sisay Lemma is one of the world’s best marathoners coming off the best race of his life, a 2:01:48 victory in Valencia in December. But it was a surprise to see the 33-year-old Ethiopian as part of the Boston field considering his track record in Boston: DNF in 2017, 30th in 2019, DNF in 2022. Why would he come back rather than run in London, where he was the 2021 champion?
Lemma’s coach Gemedu Dedefo was happy to explain to LetsRun.com. In addition to Lemma, Dedefo coaches Tamirat Tola, who set the NYC Marathon course record of 2:04:58 last fall. Both men are prime candidates to be selected to the Olympic marathon team this summer — in LetsRun’s 2023 world rankings, we ranked Tola #2 (behind only the late Kelvin Kiptum) and Lemma #4.
Dedefo said that if both men were to run the same marathon this spring, one could overshadow the other when it comes to Olympic selection. For instance, if they went 1-2 in London, the federation might not put as much stock in a the runner-up’s result — even if it was a great performance — because he was beaten by a fellow Ethiopian.
Instead, they decided to split up with Lemma running Boston and Tola doing London. Dedefo’s hope is that both men win next week. But if they don’t win, Dedefo still believes they have a better chance of getting both athletes selected to the Olympics by having them run separate races.
“We did it tactically,” Dedefo said, adding that he believes a top-3 finish in Boston would be enough for Lemma to earn selection given his 2:01:48 in Valencia is #2 in Ethiopian history behind only Kenenisa Bekele‘s 2:01:41 from the 2019 Berlin Marathon.
Given Lemma’s history in Boston, it is fair to wonder whether he is simply not made for the course — not every runner is. But Dedefo said that in previous years, Lemma has always had some sort of issue, noting that he was nursing a small injury heading into the race on a couple of occasions. Dedefo said those issues were not enough to prevent him from getting to the start line, but they became magnified on Boston’s up-and-down course, which is known for pounding the legs.
“Inside of the race, if you have something little (an injury), you feel double on this course,” Dedefo said.
This time, Dedefo says Lemma is healthy and hoping that the course is not an issue for him.
Even the streets of Boston don't like black people.
Even post Boston bombing where security has been stepped up at big races, I am always uneasy at the start lines for big races. These events have always seemed like a place a mass shooter would choose. At large races you are packed in like fish in a barrel at the start line for a good 30 minutes before the race gets underway. My PR was at the Columbus marathon years back, they set off loud fireworks right at the start of the race which seemed like a odd choice.
What was your worst?
Yeah I started biking last few years as well
4:45
That's still really good.
Thanks brother, I just wanted to finish
