Alan Tobin wrote: <<Who's to say that these Kenyans are actually 16-19? There's a reason why Kenyans tend to drop in times when they are in their mid 20s...1. Are actually probably 30 and not 25, 2. After so many years of top level running, whether you start at 16 or 20 you tend to fizzle out. Check road race results, the winning Kenyans are listed as early/mid 20s and only a few stay competitive after 30 whereas many Americans/Europeans stay competitive after 30. >> i decided to test this theory against the World Rankings. Yo, Alan, time to check facts before you spout off! Years in World Rankings (including this year's probability), all distance events, with *=decrepit Africans who can't run past 30: 9 Zatopek 9 Geb* 9 Keino* 8 Viren 7 Clarke If there's a reason that Euros and Americans hang on much longer (which the run-of-the-mill internationalists do) it's becuase they haven't made enough to retire. The Kenyans do: one becuase they win significant prize money and two becuase what seems like a little money here is buy-a-ranch-and-retire kind of cash over there. gh
