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发帖数: 507 | 1 http://www.boston.com/sports/marathon/blog/2011/04/why_kutais_r
Why Mutai's record is . . . not a record
April 18, 2011 03:32 PM
By Chad Finn, Globe Staff
Kenya's Geoffrey Mutai ran the fastest 26.2 miles in history today,
finishing the 115th Boston Marathon in a time of 2 hours 3 minutes 2 seconds.
Yet it is not a world record. Why? The explanation is pretty logical,
actually, and it turns out "have the wind" at your back isn't the best
advice in such matters.
Because Boston features more downhills than uphills and is a point-to-point
Marathon course rather than a loop, it is not eligible for marathon records.
Further, a course that is point to point can have its times significantly
affected by tailwinds, which is exactly what happened today.
The first four finishers -- including American Ryan Hall (2:04:58) --
surpassed the course record of 2:05:52 set last year by Kenya's Robert
Kiprono Cheruiyot.
There are no wind or elevation advantages on a loop course, which is why the
world record of 2:03:59 set by Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie in Berlin in
2008 still officially stands.
Mutai has no complaints, however. He picked up $150,000 for winning the race
, and the Boston Athletic Association will pay him another $75,000 for his
course record and "world-best" performance. |
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