Pacing (in response to Haile's World Record)

I agree. But it is an increasingly "old school" point of view. As a Brit trying to argue against pace makers it is always thrown back at me that Bannister had "help" in getting under 4 minutes for the first time.

I would like to see a rule in the marathon that pace-makers have to complete the distance, otherwise whatever record they assist in is declared null and void. That could make life interesting :)

I don't know if I agree. He ran the distance, in the time. I find it similar to pit crews while car racing, or all the people involved in breaking a land speed record (although in the end, it's the driver who did the speed). I know it's not the same as doing it solo, but he gets the appropriate recognition, or lack of recognition for it. What if he did it with a GPS watch? And then where does it end? Jon Olsen, winner of this year's Rio Del Lago 100 mile race has a superb crew working for him, but Mark Tanaka, who placed second, does it without a crew. And how does regulation work? What if his pacers enter the race, under the guise of just running it?

This year's Napa Valley Marathon was won by a pacer, so there's always that danger too :)

It's not a question of "pacing", in the sense that these guys don't know what pace they are doing and need someone who does -- that's not credible -- and, even if they are not wearing a GPS, they all have watches and all the big races have mile markers...

... no, it's that there are real physiological and psychological benefits from having someone run at your goal pace right in front of you. You can draft.

The equivalent comparison is not with pit crews or running support teams, but more like, say, seeing what a strong cycle racing team can do for its leader in a one-day classic.

Sorry to get in on this discussion so late after everyone had their say on it.
I agree with Baldwyn on many points. I agree that it is not something that can be regulated.
Consider this:
The previous world record was set by Paul Tergat running the entire race with Sammy Korir right next to him, competing with him and finishing just a few seconds back.
Which one of them got the most benefit from a pacer, Gebrselassie who had no close competition and actually ran the last 7 miles alone, or Tergat who had no pacers, but had to fight it out to the finish?

Welcome to the party Jerry, but you're kidding right?
Tergat had no pacers?!?!?!??
You'd better go and read the race reports, man.

Sammy Korir was one of Tergat's two pace-makers in his world record run at Berlin in 2003 (that is that the one we're talking about?). The other was another Kenyan, Titus Munji. The three of them were together until 23 miles! (Munji finished third in 2:06:15.)

The three of them are team-mates; they train together under Dr Gabriele Rosa. Tergat actually said after the race: “I have to thank them both – they have helped me to achieve this world record. In the morning when it was clear that we would have perfect weather conditions we decided to go for the world record. But although they were the pacemakers I expected that they would run the whole race”. (From the IAAF report online here.)

Oops... The article I read, not specifically about the race, didn't make it clear that Sammy Korir was a pacer who only finished the race with Tergat. It made it sound as if they were racing. I guess I should learn to verify with multiple sources. :-)
Is the question still valid about whether it is better to have competition or pacers? Or have the past two world records, run with pacers, established that pacers make record marathon times easier?
I still think it's an academic question, since it can't be regulated.