merga's running stategy

[kenric]

Deriba Merga was quoted recently:

"I never finish unless I will finish in the top 3. If I anticipate ahead of time that I will not be top 3, I quit. That is my philosophy."

he runs races to win and isnt afraid of blowing up.

whats everyones thoughts on this? if you cant achieve the goals you want to achieve in a race, is a DNF an option? or is every race a must finish race? ill admit that ill take a DNF over a very sub par performance.

wiki on merga :
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deriba_Merga

[Kenny Pfeiffer]

I feel like it comes down to a pride issue. A race, especially a marathon can be a very humbling experience. However, to me it is always best to finish. In racing bad days are gonna happen but it takes a lot of nuts to finish when you're race has gone into the tank. It would've been easy for me to get a DNF at Charity Run this past year as I pulled up after crossing Broad and could not stop vomiting. It sucked bad and was a major blow to my pride to see people that I regularly beat passing me as I stood on the side of the road. For me though, I felt like I had started the race and to not finish when I know I was capable of finishing would've been just pussing out. There is a lot of pain that comes in distance running and it says a lot to me about a person who can finish even when in a great deal of pain.

Going back to Merga, I wonder what he would've done had Ryan Hall caught him in the last meters of Boston. It would've dropped him to 4th. Would he have pulled up just 10 meters before the finish. That would be a big puss act.

[Ali Stevens]

I think for us 'fun runners' there isn't a need to take a DNF unless there is a genuine risk of injury. However, for the elite it is a case of earning a living. If they are not going to place high then they need to drop out so as to preserve energy for another big race and pay day. I remember seeing Gabrselassie standing at the side of the road a few miles into the London Marathon after he dropped out when he realized Lel was going to beat him. It was a smart move as he went on to win the Berlin and the Dubai marathon.

[Daniel Gardner]

I would rather crawl across the line to finish than get a DNF. No such thing exists in my vocabulary. But, I don't make money at it so you also have a point Ali.

[Ali Stevens]

I saw Samuel Wanjiru took a DNF at London today. He went through the half in 1.03.06, then pulled out a few miles later. Either he decided he wasn't going to win and saved himself for another money race or he couldn't handle racing in the GREAT country!

[kenric]

i think he found out what haggis was and became ill

gotta love english cooking!

[Justin Parker]

I've finished every race I've ever started.

I swing for the fences more often than not, and usually pay for it late, but I finish the race.