How do you feel about the world record for the fastest marathon not getting recorded?

It was finished by Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot in like 2:05:52 but apparently won't get recorded as the fastest full marathon to this date due to the steep decline of the Boston Marathon course. He still gets the time, but they won't consider it a world record though.





Thoughts anyone? Congratulations to him though still on a feat well accomplished!|||Andrew, that was last year. Moreover that time would never have been the world record which is 2:03:59 and set in 2008 by Haile Gebrselassie. This years results were the following:


1. Geoffrey Mutai, KEN, 2:03:02


2. Moses Mosop, KEN, 2:03:06


3. Gebre Gebremariam, ETH, 2:04:53


4. Ryan Hall, USA, 2:04:58





As to your question, if there weren't standards you could parachute from 26.2 miles and claim a record. Or if the Boston organizers wanted a certified course they could have designed one. Ever hear of Obadele Thompson? He ran a 9.69 100 meters15 years ago, a time only beaten by Usain Bolt two years ago. You haven't heard of him because the time was wind aided much like the Boston race this year (and downhill). What will forever be the fodder for debate is whether they would have broken the record on a legit course.|||His time is certainly an amazing feat, but world records need to be reserved for courses that (a) do not have significant elevation declines from start to finish and (b) little influence from a tail wind. Given that the course for the Boston marathon has an elevation decline and goes in one direction, I feel not awarding the world record is justified.





Think of it this way, assume a marathon course (a) started at the top of a mountain and went down to the finish and (b) had a wind blowing from behind the whole way. Should a record on that course count? I would say no, because a runner has too many advantages that are not present on typical marathon courses. Granted, the Boston course is not as extreme as the course in the hypothetical, but the same principles apply.|||There are standards set up and the course didn't meet them so idk why everyone is crying about it. It was an amazing feat and if he did it there, hopefully he can do it again on a valid course.|||Yeah I saw that well done him. Think it's something to do with the fact that a lot of the course was downhill.