Berlin Marathon

Story here. In short, the race was won by two Ethiopian track stars in the twilights of their careers, Haile G. and Gete Wami. 2:05:56 and 2:21:34, both national records, hardly seem like "twilight" performances! Glenn Latimer has Geb's official splits.

In a story that I missed earlier in the week, IAAF head Lamine Diack got some heat.

A key organizer of the Turin Olympics urged IAAF president Lamine Diack to resign, saying track and field is "gravely ill, maybe dying'' and in need of new leadership.

Luciano Barra, who served as late IAAF president Primo Nebiolo's chief of staff, sent a seven-page letter to Diack. Diack, of Senegal, has been president of the International Association of Athletics Federations since 1999 and is up for re-election next year.

The Track & Field News discussion board has a thread on this, and it is quite revealing. Managing Editor (e.g., head honcho) Garry Hill expressed an unwillingness to delve into the affair with any depth in the print mag, which initially met with an accusation that Hill is wary of upsetting important people. Member "AS" takes it further:

gh, can you explain to me/us, the 'charter' of TFN?

Is it simply to report on athletic endeavours, compile results, provide some assessment of said results, notify us of any injuries, and occasionally profile athletes?

Or does the magazine see itself as having some role as an investigator of the 'state of play' in the adminstration and culture of the sport?

It appears to me that TFN has repeatedly chosen to keep its nose out of the murkier side of things, such as the PED issues and the machinations of the IAAF/IOC etc. Sure we see scrutiny of USATF/NCAA, and editorials about the scheduling/timetabling of events/meets, but it does appear that this no desire to engage in serious exploration of the "bigger picture" issues.

Am I reading the situation accurately? Is this a deliberate state of affairs? Is it a reflection of any specific preferences? Or of a lack of the requisite skills and/or resource to undertake such work?

I'm waiting for (but not expecting) a response. As are many US-based fans.