2021 Marathon Season

[Andrew A.]

Welp, ALL six WMM races are pushed to this fall and we're less than a month out from the start of this year's condensed marathon season. It's a lot to take in for us fans. Berlin is actually first in about 10 days, I suppose @imnothammer is due to travel over pretty soon. There are already rumblings that Tokyo will cancel. Where are your favorite marathoners racing? Which race has assembled the most intriguing fields?

Berlin always has some of the fastest fields, though typically not really deep competition. This year Bekele is the big name coming in.

London has a slew of guys with sub-2:05 PRs, including Kitata though no Kipchoge, and a slew of ladies with sub-2:20 PRs, including WR holder and Tokyo silver medalist Kosgei.

Rupp and Hall are the chief notables in Chicago, looks like a prime set-up for US wins and a shot at the AR.

One day later, Boston might have stronger overall fields than Chicago, with notable US runners including Abdi, Huddle, Linden, and Hasay.

NYC has the most US Olympians plus Emily Sisson plus Tokyo gold medalist Jepchirchir, men's silver medalist Nageeye, Bekele, Ward, and True.

 

[imnothammer]

EU and UK entry restrictions are holding steady. I leave for Berlin on Thursday of next week and then for London (after a stop in Munich)!

I have to give myself a pat on the back because my marathon double will be spread over just 7 days, whereas the mortal Bekele will enjoy more than 40 days of rest in between his efforts at Berlin and NYC.

This next month or so is going to make for a really interesting professional "season"

 

[Andrew A.]

Godspeed, @imnothammer!

 

[imnothammer]

Ran Berlin incredibly slow, finishing in about 4:23. This was partly by design but mostly because of the high temperatures and an incredibly undisciplined start. The hype was real and I was on pace for a 3:15 finish through the 10k. Hilariously I started fading before the half. I had to crack up because around mile 23 one of my splits was 11+ minute. When I looked down at my watch I made a visibly disgusted face and a local runner started laughing and said "It is not our day today - huh?"

I ran London much quick (but still not burning up the road), finishing in about 3:41. The cooler temperatures were absolutely the difference here, as it was about 25 degrees cooler.

Both races had incredible atmosphere and energy. It was such a joy to run in a major event again. Berlin did a remarkable job with covid protocols. London was a little sketchy (relying on a self-administered and self-reported antigen test).

Even with the unremarkable performances, I may type up some race reports for these.

 

[Andrew A.]

I'll look forward to reading whenever you get around to reporting!

Life has been busier than ever for me recently so I haven't been tracking the WMM races much. We watched Chicago since I was home and it was on at a waking hour. My wife caught me up on some of the Boston results after she got home. I don't expect to get to watch NYC, which is in a few weeks, right?

Meanwhile, we're talking about going to CIM next year...

 

[Andrew A.]

A little spice for what must be the end of the fall 2021 marathon season in Valencia:

Should you wish to see the entire race: