Runnerville

Below, some quick, shoddily-researched numbers on Ryan Hall’s strong 5th-place showing in London this weekend. Personally, I think the last little factoid is perhaps most exciting…

• 2:06:17 makes Hall the 16th fastest marathoner, all-time.
• 2:06:17 puts Hall just 12 seconds behind #10, all-time.
• 2:06:17 is almost 2-and-a-half minutes faster than any American not named Khalid Khannouchi.  Put another way, Hall would put half a mile on some of the greatest American marathon performances ever.  Put yet another way, Hall would be at least halfway through a ham-and-pineapple pizza (his favorite - he’s from California) when the shades of Kempainen, Salazar and Beardsley crossed the line.
• 2:06:17 is the 3rd fastest American performance ever.
• 2:06:17 is just 20 seconds slower than Geb ran in his 3rd marathon.
• 2:06:17 is a better PB than those owned by perennial Major contenders Cheruiyot, Ramaala, Ivuti, Gharib, and Baldini.
• 2:06:17 is 24 seconds FASTER than Martin Lel – arguably the top marathoner in the world, at the moment — had ever run before Sunday.

I’m sure there will be more to come in the Ryan Hall lovefest in tomorrow’s Runnerville Weekly, so check back then!