Dang thats fast..

[ultraslacker]

By the logic being used in this thread, Geb isn't a real athlete since he can't compete with the guys doing the 100m.

It's a different distance, on a different surface. Hence, a different set of elites.

[dgrant]

By the logic being used in this thread, Geb isn't a real athlete since he can't compete with the guys doing the 100m.

I disagree that this is the logic being used. If you substituted 100m with, say, 5000m then I would agree... but of course Geb has indeed been a super-elite at the 5000m, 10000m, half marathon and marathon virtually concurrently. The argument I've tried to make is that running is running. Looking at today's superstars of the marathon, almost all of them have had world-class success on the track, cross-country, or shorter road racing. And don't forget that most top marathoners train at least as many (if not many, many more) kilometres as any ultragod. So it's not like they can't take the beating.

Speaking purely anecdotally, if you look at the first page of results from the trail races I put on (among the largest in North America), the finishing order is pretty much as one would predict from those runners' road times.

Distance running is distance running, and I just can't believe that there is a magical distance or terrain where runners suddenly jump an order of magnitude in their relative position on the spectrum.

[ian]

I think I might have a better analogy. In the CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport), there is a 500m track event. This distance is obviously very similar to the 400m, but the world's best 400m runners have probably never raced 500m. As a result, the 500m WR, whatever it is, might be demolished by any of a hundred 400m runners if there was any incentive to do so. That shouldn't take anything away from the athletes who compete in the 500m.

The original discussion on this thread was about the world record for 50K on the road. Surely this is similar enough to 42.2K on the road that we can extrapolate the abilities of hundreds of world-class marathoners and conclude that at least some of them would have no problem breaking that record. Change the surface to rugged trails or change the distance to 50 miles and I'd probably admit that I wouldn't be surprised if the current top ultrarunners could hold their own with (or even beat) elite marathoners. There are lots of great athletes in both sports but the sheer money and glory currently attached to the marathon suggests that it is going to be a lot easier for a top marathoner to succeed in ultras than vice versa.

[daddy_runner]

I think I might have a better analogy. In the CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport), there is a 500m track event. This distance is obviously very similar to the 400m, but the world's best 400m runners have probably never raced 500m. As a result, the 500m WR, whatever it is, might be demolished by any of a hundred 400m runners if there was any incentive to do so. That shouldn't take anything away from the athletes who compete in the 500m.

The original discussion on this thread was about the world record for 50K on the road. Surely this is similar enough to 42.2K on the road that we can extrapolate the abilities of hundreds of world-class marathoners and conclude that at least some of them would have no problem breaking that record. Change the surface to rugged trails or change the distance to 50 miles and I'd probably admit that I wouldn't be surprised if the current top ultrarunners could hold their own with (or even beat) elite marathoners. There are lots of great athletes in both sports but the sheer money and glory currently attached to the marathon suggests that it is going to be a lot easier for a top marathoner to succeed in ultras than vice versa.

Okay, I'll give you that. But you usually don't find too many elite ultramarathoners such as the ones previously mentioned in the tread running a 50k road race. I also think the fact that the current 50k road record has stood for over 20 years says something.

All that said, we can at least agree that in no way is an ultra record anything like those "one-shot" world records (like cycling backwards with a violin).

[Syscrush]

I have nothing of substance to contribute to this thread but I will say that as far as I'm concerned, anyone who can run 50k is a Syscrush-certified god. Same goes for anyone who can do any of the following:

1) finish an Ironman
2) rock 6-pack abs
3) benchpress over 500 lbs (raw, I mean - that shirt stuff sucks!)
4) control a stand-up wheelie on a motorcycle
5) speak 5 languages or more



I'm with the OP and DBB on this one - that accomplishment is far outside the scope of what I can wrap my head around.

[jamix]

1) finish an Ironman
2) rock 6-pack abs
3) benchpress over 500 lbs (raw, I mean - that shirt stuff sucks!)
4) control a stand-up wheelie on a motorcycle
5) speak 5 languages or more

I wager that benching 500 lbs is much harder than 1). Almost anyone with enough will power could finish an IM.

[Spirit Unleashed]

1) finish an Ironman
2) rock 6-pack abs
3) benchpress over 500 lbs (raw, I mean - that shirt stuff sucks!)
4) control a stand-up wheelie on a motorcycle
5) speak 5 languages or more

I wager that benching 500 lbs is much harder than 1). Almost anyone with enough will power could finish an IM.

I wager it takes more than will power!

[Syscrush]

I wager that benching 500 lbs is much harder than 1). Almost anyone with enough will power could finish an IM.

I wager that if you posted the same list on bodybuilding.com, someone would say that benching 500's a lot easier than finishing an IM.

[jamix]

Spirit

IM may take more than just will power, however even your average joe can accomplish quite a bit if he puts the miles in and isn't concerned with his/her pace.

I wager that benching 500 lbs is much harder than 1). Almost anyone with enough will power could finish an IM.

I wager that if you posted the same list on bodybuilding.com, someone would say that benching 500's a lot easier than finishing an IM.

Nah, only a few would. With that said, I'd bet that most on bodybuilding.com could accomplish neither .