Jun 8, 2015 -- 4:49AM, Angel Gabrial wrote:

Salazar ran in the ING New York Marathon in 2006, at age 48, serving as a pacesetter for cyclist Lance Armstrong, who was attempting his first marathon. Salazar was primarily responsible for guiding Armstrong for the first 10 miles (16 km) of the race, while Joan Benoit Samuelson oversaw the next 10 miles (16 km), and Hicham El Guerrouj the final 6.2 miles (10.0 km). With their help, Armstrong met his goal of completing the race under three hours, finishing in 2:59:36.How well did he get to know Lance Armstrong then?

I ran in that NY marathon in 2006.  Overtook Armstrong in the first mile (he started at the front), and managed to finish just over a minute in front of him.  Remember him saying afterwards on TV that it was harder than the hardest day he'd ever had in the Tour.  Was probably off the Contador cocktails that day

Farah's problem is that he has eroded a lot of good faith in him amongst athletes and fans.  People in the sport don't think he's a cheat, but that he is very badly advised and managed. Particularly in the vice-like grip that Nike have him, where like every other athlete they sponsor, they just make him toe the corporate line and sound detached from the sport (cf Tiger Wood's horribly stage-managed "apology" that made him sound like a corporate robot).  His tendency to drop out of events, only enter hand-picked canon-fodder races, plus his public row with Andy Vernon, didn't win him any friends.

I know the wife of someone senior at UK Athletics, who told me he never had any intention of attending the Commonwealth Games, but was happy to play along that he would whilst they marketed and sold the tickets on the back of his name (presumably for some reward), then he dropped out the day before the games started saying he wasn't fit enough to win.