An incredible performance was buried under the ME times – the Dutch Wonder Woman can try the same trick as Lasse Virén at the Olympics

Both women’s and men’s marathons have been pushed to a fierce ME pace during the fall. Ethiopian woman Tigst Assefa26, set a sensational women’s world record of 2.11.53 two weeks ago.

Kenyan 23 year old Kelvin Kiptum on the other hand, a running legend swept the Chicago men’s marathon on Sunday Eliud Kipchogen 34 seconds off the ME time with a time of 2:00.35.

Beneath the wild ME carols, less attention has been paid to the Dutchman of Sifan Hassan act in Chicago. Better known as a track runner, the 30-year-old athlete ran the second time of all time in the women’s marathon, 2.13.44.

The Dutchman, who only ran his second marathon in his career, improved the record time he set earlier in London by almost five minutes.

The most talented individuals

What makes Hassan’s achievement even more incredible is that, in addition to the marathon, he also holds the second time of all time in the 10,000 and 1,500 meters. In addition to these three distances, he also holds the European record for 5,000 meters.

You can easily talk about Hassan as the most versatile female endurance runner of all time.

In recent years, there has been a lot of talk about the importance of new evolution shoes. Endurance running coach and once competed at marathon level Tuomo Lehtinen doesn’t find Hassan’s blistering marathon ME time so surprising given his Dutch background.

At the World Championships in Budapest, he managed a total of six runs. He won medals at 1,500 and 5,000 meters. At ten, he was close to the World Championship gold, but fell before the finish line.

– He has always been known for the fact that he has a shockingly hard program in value competitions. He might pull three sports. Usually endurance runners focus on one or two, but he is an extremely good rebounder.

– You can talk about one of the most talented individuals of all time, who has tied his sneakers on his feet, Lehtinen estimates.

Main focus on the marathon

Only six weeks had passed since the World Championships in Budapest. Lehtinen believes that Hassan has been training for the marathon for a long time. His best runs in terms of track distance are a few years away.

– That side has not been as good as it was at its best. It suggests that the main focus in training is aimed at longer distances. It is, however, wild that an athlete aiming for a marathon first takes a couple of World Cup medals on the track and runs a ton vito in 3.56.

In addition to hard talent and training, the background is successful coaching. Hassan was previously coached by those who frowned Alberto Salazar, who two years ago received a lifetime ban from the US SafeSport for sexual and emotional abuse. He has also been suspended for doping.

Hassan’s current coach has served as Salazar’s assistant coach Tim Rowberry.

– A successor was found in the same team. It must have been the same type of training as during Salazar’s time, Lehtinen states.

A tuned versatility miracle

Hassan, who was born in 1993, has taken marathons and endurance running in a new direction for women.

– In a way, he does the same things as Kipchoge in men. He had a hard track background. Especially at 5,000 meters he was extremely good. In the men’s marathon, in the last 5–10 years, Kipchoge has been the one who has been able to turn his track career to a whole new level in the marathon.

Hassan moved the British into history in Chicago by Paula Radcliffe A 20-year-old European record. His time of 2:15:25 was the world record for more than 16 years before Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei crushed it in 2019.

Radcliffe, winner of the women’s marathon at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki, once also shone as a powerful track runner.

– Paula was also extremely versatile. Hassan is an even more tuned version of him, says Lehtinen.

A rare trick in Paris?

With next year’s Olympic summer in mind, an interesting question is what Hassan will be running in Paris.

Hassan himself has said that as an athlete, he is motivated more than medals by challenging himself. One intriguing scenario is that Hassan would first run the 10,000 meters and less than two days later the marathon.

– Maybe I’m crazy enough for that. I like challenges, but it’s really tough. 10,000 meters is really fast and a long way to beat you. Maybe everything will be perfect. When everything is perfect, I’m looking for something difficult and tough, Hassan said, according to Views from the Concourse.

Runner size Emil Zatopek won the 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters and the marathon at the 1952 Olympics. Lasse Virén attempted that trick in Montreal 1976 but failed in the marathon.

Lehtinen delights in the idea that Hassan would run both the 10,000 meters and the marathon in Paris.

– In terms of schedule, such a combination would be possible. I would definitely like to see it, because that would be something new. In the past, the same races were held both on the track and on the road, but not anymore today. That would be really sweet.

Hassan will turn 31 at the beginning of next year. Usually, the peaks aiming for the marathon leave track trips in the background, but in Hassan’s case, track running will continue to go hand in hand.

– Hassan has come from Holland through the European system. He has been actively involved in the track the whole time. There are many African runners who do not go to the track. They go straight to the marathon.

– However, the evolution of the sport makes it possible for there to be athletes like Kipchoge and Hassan. Hassan can weigh ten years there. At some point, he will leave the track and run only road races. There’s so much money moving around in them that it’s not worth ending your career right away, Lehtinen sees.