Originally Posted by
Travs
Killian Jornet may well be a professional runner/racer, but of the back off one record breaking run, to now suddenly call Billy Bland's record, just an "amateur record" is doing him a bit of a dis-service in my humble opinion.
Nobody got near for 36 years. Everybody said it was unbeatable. Even Killian Jornet would likely not have had the resources to beat it without a team of highly elite pacers. He quite obviously has more speed than Billy Bland, but I'm sure a few people did... and he soundly thrashed the record, but it doesn't make the previous record any less unbelievable.... does anyone think any less of Joss Naylor's Wainwrights record now that he is no longer the record holder...?
I think to have two records is just confusing matters. And if anyone on the planet is even remotely capable of challenging Killian Jornet's new record, then it is probably Carl Bell, Rob Jebb or Ricky Lightfoot. All "amateur" fell runners.
Absolutely no offence meant to you, but to call the previous record setters, and today's crop of Fell runners, as not real runners, is a little harsh. There's a reason the record wasn't beaten for so long, and nobody came over to have a serious go, and that's because it was a super-human record. Killian Jornet just happened to be another super-human!
I'd personally love to see him stick around and have a go at Wasdale or the LDMT... might be a different story? I'm sure he'd do well though...
Hi Travs I have re-read my post and I fail to see where I called Billy Blands BGR record just another amateur record in fact I said Billy Blands record was set by another very good runner, this in the same sentence where I described KJ as a good professional runner, thus in my view suggesting that the two runners were on a par with one another, which is a long way short of doing Billy Bland a dis - service in fact I would like to think that it endorses my view that his record was outstanding and I still think it will be the record to beat by any amateur runner.
( although of course Billy Bland was an amateur runner, just imagine what his time may have been had he been a professional )
At no point did I say todays runners were not real runners all I said was that as amateurs they do not have the same advantages as professionals.
I make no apologies for saying that comparing a professionals time with an amateurs time is not offering a even playing field, as there is no comparison in the different lifestyles that the two different type of athletes lead.