this article is really shocking to me! have you read it?
check out this quote: “If you’re wearing a marathon T-shirt, that doesn’t mean much anymore,” Given said on the eve of this month’s Baltimore Marathon...
Really?! i think anyone that crosses that finish line deserves to wear their medal and their shirt proudly!
i totally agree with this commenter's response to the article -
"I can see why faster, more "elite" athletes may be frustrated with the slower athletes at some of these events, but given the current state of health of so many people in this country I think it is ridiculous to criticize people for participating in these athletic events. We should be encouraging more people to train and participate in races and make fitness a part of their routine. The professionals and very elite runners can often start ahead of everyone else- and we all know they will likely stay ahead of everyone else- so it shouldn't be an issue. If staying in the "running elite" is such an issue, then go run the Badwater Ultramarathon, you won't find too many stragglers there."
this was written in response to the article.
7 comments:
Sounds like a bunch of people that aren't feeling good enough about themselves! Good grief! That's why most races DO have cutoff times, and many races have "elite" starts for those who can't "be bothered by the slow ones!"
I could go on and on. I am SLOW! I know I'm slow. Yes, I have to walk during my longer races. But guess what, with every race I walk less and less and run faster.
I'd LOVE to meet one of these people and have them say it to my face that because I ran my race at an 11 or 12 minute mile compared to their 8 or 9 minute that makes me less of a runner. GRRRRR
With the obesity rates in this country we need to encourage more to run, not discourage them...
Thanks for sharing tho, it gets me fired up! :)
Snobby marathoners are lame!;)
Rude!
I totally agree with you! doing 26.2 is a HUGE achievement to be proud of whether you do it in 3 hours or 8. The article totally takes away from the "spirit of the marathon".
I agree with you! Sometimes I wonder if running it slower is actually harder.
I agree with you all! As a novice -and very slow - runner, it would totally discourage me to be excluded from events b/c of my speed, or lack of experience, or lack of skill as a runner, LOL.
One year ago I was a chubby mom of 5 who had never managed to find a way to shed the baby weight. Then my friend Kate invited me to run a 5k with her and I thought it would be a good opportunity to jump start getting fit and get me exercising regularly. Who'd have thought that the gal who hated running all her life would become a runner at 37 years old?
Now I'm training for a haf marathon. I'm really really slow, and I expect to walk - a LOT- to get to the finish. But c'mon! It's better than carrying around 30 extra pounds and being depressed about it! geesh!
Yeah, pretty much that NYT article reinforces the presumed stereotypes that many of us novices feel like we are being leered at and talked about as we get into line in our pace groups - myself in the 11-12 minute mile pace group.
LOVE the NYRR response - it actually made me tear up a little! Way to stand up for the underdogs!! Somehow being one in 400 000 finishers of a marathon (versus the 1 in 140 000 of several years ago) doesn't diminish it for me. Aren't there billions of people on the planet? And only 400 000 ran a marathon last year? How is that not elite - no matter how long it took you to do it???
Like Jen said, I am all fired up now! Gonna go run. Slowly. :)
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