Pat, this is all soitulacepn. As and when time permits, Ill send you a more reasoned assessment. I think it is possible, but it will need a 5/10k runner of the calibre of Bekele, with the speed/endurance of a Lel, and who is prepared to dedicate himself to the task the way Haile did.Pacing is likely to be the key. If the guy is carried to 30 or 35 km, then I think it could happen relatively soon. On that point, you have to discount Paulas 2153. Yes, a fine run, but she was indeed carried for the entire distance: 2 Kenyans in front and one either side. Maybe its sour grapes, cos she broke my PB by a second, but I would rate her 2173 (including a pit-stop!) as a far superior performance. Assuming that her form was roughly the same on both occasions, and that weather conditions were similar, that suggests that tight pacing of this kind could be worth as much as 2 minutes. On the subject of wind-assistance, at last years Hague Half-Marathon, I watched 5 guys finish a sub-60 race with a last km inside 2303. The winner finished at 3553 mile pace. The wind was moderate, the gradient just slightly downhill, the competition intense which suggests that, for a 2-hour time, irrespective of the issue of pacing, youll need a real RACE which Haile never had in his various attempts. Cheers,Tim |