Charles Krupa/AP

The 2011 Boston Marathon was one of the more historic races in recent history. The men’s wheelchair division was decided by a mere 1 second, the woman’s marathon by 2 seconds and the men’s marathon by 4 seconds. Are you serious?

The men’s marathon champion, Geoffrey Mutai, shattered the course record and shaved :58 seconds off the marathon world record (Haile Gebrselassie in Berlin 2008) there is now a storm brewing.

The Boston Marathon is not considered a a world record qualifying course because the marathon route is “downhill” and too “straight.” Throw it a predomently tailwind and all hell has broken loose. The Boston Athletic Association (BAA) is asking the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) to certify Mutai’s performance as the world record.

As fellow Lobe, Troy Schrenk can attest, Boston is no walk/run in the park. Besides the net loss of elevation, there are many rolling hills that make the race one of the more difficult marathons on the major marathon circuit.

There’s a reason that elite marathoners opt for races like the Berlin Marathon, Chicago Marathon and London Marathon to attack world records. They’re easier. Also, Boston (along with the New York City Marathon) don’t allow pace setters. This means that the athlete has to actually get the record based on their own talent and determination.

TANGENT ALERT!!! I don’t have any problem with pace setters. They make for a less tactical race and make the elites throw it down from the start. What I do have a problem with is the fact that the pace setters are contractual obligated to bow out at a specific point of the race. If a pace setter can lead a pack out on record pace and then hold that pace for the entire race…I say let them go for it!!! During the Rotterdam Marathon, Sammy Kitwara set the pace for the marathon field. He was constantly egging the field to keep up with him during his reign at the front of the pack. He should have been allowed to throw down the hammer and finish the race. From the look of it, he could have wiped the rest of the elites out that day.

The majority of the running community is standing by Mutai’s record and I for one hope that the IAAF certify’s it as one of runnings great accomplishments.

RMFR

“When I was 14 or 15, my brother tried to encourage me by giving me a pair of running shoes. But I threw them away because I was so used to running with bare feet and they were too heavy.”
- Haile Gebrselassie, Ethiopian distance great

And to think, I thought I couldn’t run another step unless I got orthotics!!!