Category: News

that. I rarely have problems like that but I guess it was sort of an anti-climax after the Florø race that left my body very tired after being out of racing that fast for almost two years.

Considering the times I was running last year the time was some 25 seconds better but this spring has been totally different. I feel back to normal again but last year I was out of it on almost all workouts and all races. That is what is frustrating to think about. Bislett means alot to me and I wanted to run at least under 13.20. Especially in this last meeting at the old stadium.

This evening I will travel away from Oslo, up to 800 meters “altitude” – to the peaceful mountainsides of Norway. There I will stay in the very quiet atmosphere until the next race. I know I can get back to where I was only a few weeks ago. But doing so I have to put this race behind me – rest, train and focus. And there is no better place to do so then far away from city life.

I will try and update from there – but if it gets a little quiet you know why.

Marius

then even the 5000 meter Finals at the World Championships in Edmonton/2001. It has all the best Kenyans (expect Cherono), the best Ethiopians (including Bekele and the other very strong upcoming youngsters) plus Salah Hissou. I would say that almost 15 of the total field will be able to challenge the sub 13.00 5000 meter barrier sooner or later…

The tactics for tomorrow ? To start out with the World Championship qualifier in mind (13.21.50) and take it from there. The rabbits will take it out very hard (sub 12.50 pace) so it is just to follow at the tail of the whole field. And hope that some of them will fall off the pace later.

Training has been going ok recently. I did an endurance run pretty hard yesterday and I am on my way. It is hard to say exactly how fast I can run right now but I am gradually getting better for each day.

Please keep all fingers crossed for tomorrow ! 🙂

Marius

Bislett Games 5000 meters :

ABATE Abiyote ETH 5000m men
BAKKEN Marius NOR 5000m men
BEKELE Kenenisa ETH 5000m men
BITOK Paul KEN 5000m men
CHEBII Abraham KEN 5000m men
CHEPKURUI Eldet KEN 5000m men
ESPANA Jesus ESP 5000m men
GEBREMARIAM Gebre-egziabher ETH 5000m men
GENETI Markos ETH 5000m men
HISSOU Salah MAR 5000m men
KEINO Martin KEN 5000m men
KIBOWEN John KEN 5000m men
KIPCHOGE Eliud KEN 5000m men
KIPKETER Sammy KEN 5000m men
KIPROP Francis KEN 5000m men
KOMEN Ken KEN 5000m men
KORIR Shadrack KEN 5000m men
KWALIA James KEN 5000m men
MARTINEZ Jose Manuel ESP 5000m men
SIHEN Sileshi ETH 5000m men
SJØQVIST Erik SWE 5000m men
TAKAOKA Toshinari JPN 5000m men
WOLDE Million ETH 5000m men

I ran the 1500 meter and got third barely beat. Being a long distance runner you have to run on strength in those tactical (and often slow) races and sometimes the more middle-distance based runners will be able to close in on you with their pure speed at the end. But the race was feeling much better than the Tønsberg 1500 meter two weeks ago so it is going the right direction.

Very easy training today and the most rest possible before Bislett.

Marius

pre-race times it will be a quite close race.

I do not know what to expect from the 1500 m. race. I just have to get through it in an ok way and run smart. With a less than ideal period behind me it is important to get back gradually again and not rush into things.

I will be back again on Sunday with time to rest and make my body ready for Bislett.

Marius

recently. After a nice and steep buildup for Florø I had to take a period of rest due to the infection I got right thereafter. So I am a bit unsure of where I am at the moment – but will start the pre-meet testing again later this week. I have been careful to push my body too much after Florø except the one 1500 meter race. Which has been very smart ; you have to work with your body not against it.

Tomorrow is a track session up here by the Sogsvann lake. The aim is a set lacate point (that I run up to – time it and compare with previously) and it will be comfortably hard. Just enough so that I will be ready for the next training.

All well,
Marius

his 7.58 race in the steeplechase live already in 2001 as a 18 year old – out of practically nowhere. This guy has some talent. As a 16 year old he ran 3.41 in the 1500 meter (in Malmø) 7.48 in the 3000 meters/London (world age best) and 8.19 in the steeplechase also world age best.

I first heard about this guy back in 2000 when I was in Eldoret and spoke with his brother Christopher Kosgei who won the World Championships steeple in 1999. He said that of his brothers “wait until you see Stephen”. By that time, his younger brother Abraham had already run 8.13 steeple as a 20 year old… probably some good genes in there 🙂

I got my thoughts about El Guerroujs long distance career confirmed in the Ostrava race. He will for sure be able to challenge Gebrselassies world record of 12.39.36 from Helsinki 1998. With a few more races under his belt and some more spesific training he will be right there. But I also got the “Said Sief syndrome” confirmed…. very good 1500 meter specialists get their kick totally run out of them in the longer distances if the overall pace is high enough. Said Sief, with far superior speed was twice in major championships outkicked by long distance specialists with 10 seconds slower 1500 meter personal bests. In yesterdays race El Guerrouj could only close in 60.5 seconds. Same happened in his 7.23 race a few years ago and in his indoors 2 mile race. Not even a slight shift of pace at the end – compared to eg. Gebreselassie who could kick even at world record pace.

And we have not yet seen Bekele the Ethiopian in a real 5000 meter this year.. until Bislett ! What a 5000 meter year it could be… And my prediction for the World Championships this August ? Not Cherono (who will have trouble in the Kenyan trials because of a lack of pure kick in slow races) not El Guerrouj (the Kenyans will run him out with their “rabbit” tactics) maybe Bekele (if he stays injury free) but my real bet goes on Abraham Chebii – the fastest sub 13 minute kicker out there..We will see but I am very excited about the event this year.

All is well. A bit tired on yesterdays track session but I have had a very good week of training so that is ok.

Marius

was ok but with normal preparations I will probably run much faster. Either way, it fitted nicely into the schedule leading up to the Bislett Games the 27th of June.

I will soon see the field in the 5000 meter there as of this date. About the only thing I know right now is that is will have the best Kenyans plus Bekele, the very promising (and already extremely fast) Ethiopian.

I now have two weeks of training before the European Cup, six days before Bislett. It will contain plenty of endurance and plenty of race specific training. That is ; 5000 meter speed. I have been building and building up to this point but now I need to do the specific sharpening and get enough rest in between those sessions.

Marius

body has been able to work at full speed during a race so the whole system was probably in major stress after that race. But after the two days of rest I went on an easy jog today and was not having much problems.

I read in some newspapers that the Meet Organizer is preparing the 1500 meter race to be an attempt for me on the Norwegian Record (!) Strangly, this is not to my knowledge :)) I will only go out there to run a nice, comfortable race with the pack and take it from there. But definately no attempt whatsoever for the 1500 meter record… it is not the time or place to do such a fast 1500 meter race.

After the race I hope to do a bit of aerobic distance work after losing some important hard trainings this week. I never like to try and catch up with lost work but I do like to adjust the schedule a bit so that you are certain that you bring with you the work needed to run fast when it really matters.

Marius

perfect with a nice 1500 meter now :))

Threshold session yesterday. Important to keep the endurance going even in the tapering part of the season…

All well,

Marius

200 meters (!) so one of the Kenyans took over. He is the younger brother of Daniel Komen and looked quite fresh for most of the race. So I stayed behind him until the 1200 meters. I then passed him and turned on the pace. It was nice and even – and the 1500 meter was passed in +/- 3.45 – not sure of the exact splits. It was the kind of race I wanted so that I could stretch my body nice and hard. It was three seconds better than the old record from 1974.

I will now do a low key 1500 meter next weekend in Tønsberg near my birthplace. That will be fun. It is a national race (with some of the Florø Kenyans in it) in the middle of a teenage track meeting so a good thing to participate in. Everything of course to buildup until the Bislett Games and the Golden League meetings that will start at the end of the month.

It feels nothing but great to be back racing well again. After a very difficult year – just to feel the stride being back again. The power, the drive. That is what I like and what I run for..

Marius

Link to photo/article from the race :
http://www.vg.no/pub/vgart.hbs?artid=61877

http://www.ftif.no/fff2003/bilder.html

2000m
1 31 Marius Bakken, 78 NOR 5.01,48
2 36 Ali Maataoui, 80 MAR 5.03,13
3 32 Ken Koima Komen, 84 KEN KEN 5.05,26
4 25 Peter Biwott, 76 KEN 5.05,65
5 37 David Flückiger SUI 5.11,15
6 34 Per Erik Wullum, 74 NOR 5.13,51
7 38 Daniel Kemboi, KEN 5.19,39
8 39 Bjørnar Kristensen,82 NOR 5.23,75
9 40 Joachim Brøndbo,85 NOR 5.24,39