2011 New York City Marathon Results: Is Mutai Best Marathon Runner Ever?

It's very possible that long-distance runner Geoffrey Mutai is the best ever, and that sentiment has become even stronger with his record-breaking performance in the 2011 New York City Marathon.

I've said it once, and I'll say it again: Even the best athletes have trouble running a marathon, so that should put this in perspective.

Mutai didn't just win this race, he absolutely obliterated the record on his way to winning the race.

To give you just a little bit more perspective, the runners behind Mutai also broke the record, which points to just how fast he was.

Here is a report on the race by Nick Carbone of newsfeed.time.com:

"

Setting a course record in this year’s Boston Marathon, it was more of the same for marathon sprinter Geoffrey Mutai, who set a new course record in the 2011 ING New York City Marathon. Crossing the finish line in 2 hours, 5 minutes and 6 seconds, the 30-year-old Kenyan sprinter shattered the previous record by more than two minutes.

The decade-old record, a mark of 2:07:43 set by Tesfaye Jifar of Ethiopia in 2001, was shattered not just by Mutai but by the second and third place finishers. Mutai was trailed close behind by fellow Kenyan (but unrelated) Emmanuel Mutai, who crossed the line just over a minute later at 2:06.28. Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia, came in third place with a time of 2:07.12. Each of the three will receive an extra $70,000 on top of their winnings for breaking the course record.

"

Mutai didn't just win the race, he set a course record.

I couldn't drive a marathon in 2 hours, 5 minutes and 6 seconds let alone run one.

As impressive as it is, add to it the fact that he broke the record in Boston and we may be talking about a dynasty of a runner.

Mutai isn't just good, he's great.

He's on his way to being one of the best, ever.