Race Director responds to DEENA incident

8) It's all your fault

You're completely missing the point. Let me spell it out for you. Afterwards you can still tell me I'm full of it but maybe you'll have a better grasp of my point.Deena Kastor is not a regular runner. She has developed a Brand that is worth $$$$'s to any race she enters. Maybe you've heard of some of the races where that Brand is recognized, like, oh, I don't know, how about London, Chicago, Boston... She offered her Brand to a community oriented charity race. The community, sponsors and charity would have benefited greatly from her Brand presence. Now what Deena would have been entitled to was to request an appearance fee commensurate with the value of that Brand. She did not. She was giving her brand away for $25 bucks. This is not the definition of wanting something for nothing, quite the opposite in fact. Now assuming that you are not a world beater, had you requested a comp the RD could reasonably argue that you were getting something for nothing because you do not offer any upside to the community, sponsors or charity.The RD has the fiduciary duty to ensure that the sponsors, community and charities maximize their return. He is in the business of making sure that happens. Very clearly in this case he failed in his duty because no one here could reasonably argue that the race would be better off without her. He should either be reprimanded or replaced. But Deena should be commended for offering her services to this event for the price of admission.

Get real wrote:

Jefe in the CO wrote:

I've disagreed in the past with the aforementioned letsrunners but was always entertained or learned something in the process. But this time their responses make me wonder if they're still living in 1980 and have become totally obsolete.

Your opinion is obsolete Jefe. Deena wanted something for nothing. When she didn't get her way, like Mary Slaney before her, she chose to create a public spectacle. All over a measly twenty-five dollars.

It was obvious that it was a mistake. Every race director in the country would want Deena to run their race - free.

Poor guy is a banker doing a comunnity service job for his place of work. He was a broadcaster or had some sports broadcast credentials thewy gave him the job to do a race to get some positive community PR. His head was into Porta-potties, race bibs, saftey pins and making sure the charity gets a fair shake. He missed a comp request from somebody mixed with 90 other names of, let's call them lesser lights. He is not a pro RD he's been co-opted by his job to "make the event work".

BTW how many of those comp requests were from 4:30 miler using Webbs name?

Posting while drunk again??

Fan of Mitch wrote:

1) Deena is a millionaire runner

2) She wanted a 25 dollar entry to a race comped

3) The race director denied her request

4) Deena felt the need to diss him on her blog

5) The RD apologized for the oversight in a very classy manner

6) Deena crossed him off her list in an undignified manner

7) Deena lost a lot of respect

Today Deena Kastor is still a millionaire runner who will never have to work a day in her life. All of the hard-working participants in that race in Paso Robles that paid $25 to benefit a charity don't give a hoot.

I say burn her at the stake!!! She's a witch!!! She's a witch!!!! Get her!!!! Get her, that evil witch!!!!!

You letsrunners are unreal. I mean, after all this ridiculous hyperbole, no one has proposed some sort of Deena boycott yet. No one has registered Deenasucks.com, where they can deconstruct her "dissing" of the race director. Where is the creativity? The dedication to the cause? The follow through? The upholding of one's principles?

Ban her from every USTAF event every again. Ban her from the Olympic trials marathon. Ban her from the country!!!

Go get her!!!! She's a witch!!! A mean old witch!!! Burn her at the stake!!!!!!!!!!

Carry on, noble letsrunners, with thy noble cause. Without you the sport would have no integrity at all!

Jefe, she was shopping a Sharper Image-level brand to a WalMart purchaser. Not all brands work in all markets/settings.

Jefe in the CO wrote:

The RD has the fiduciary duty to ensure that the sponsors, community and charities maximize their return. He is in the business of making sure that happens. Very clearly in this case he failed in his duty because no one here could reasonably argue that the race would be better off without her. He should either be reprimanded or replaced. But Deena should be commended for offering her services to this event for the price of admission.

Now it's the fiduciary responsibility of the RD to comp Queen Deena? Now I heard everything. Why don't you sue him on Deena's behalf?

Deena is spoiled by fame. That's what it all comes down to.

It all comes across to me as, "I'll grace you with my presence, but you better pay me!"

No one was telling her she couldn't run the race if she wanted to. She just thought she was too spayshul to pay the entry fee. Give me a break.

1) Deena net worth has nothing to do with the situation. You are simply a bitter, insecure, class warrior

2) She wanted a 25 dollar entry to a race comped as well she should being that she is an Olympic Bronze Medalist

3) The race director denied her request

4) Deena states matter-of-factly that she was not longer planing on running the race director's race on her own personal website

5) Letsrun class warrior douche bags like Fan of Mitch somehow construe this as a "diss", clearly demonstrating there own profound insecurity and disappointment over how their lives have turned out

6) The race director apologizes for not knowing the name of perhaps the most important and recognizable competitor in American road racing today to avoid looking like an idiot

7) Fan of Mitch continues crusade against Deena's "diss" which exists only in his mind

8) Neither Deena nor the race director care about this "diss" which exists only in the mind of Fan of Mitch

9) Fan of Mitch looks like a fool.

Get real wrote:

Now it's the fiduciary responsibility of the RD to comp Queen Deena? Now I heard everything. Why don't you sue him on Deena's behalf?

Deena is spoiled by fame. That's what it all comes down to.

Get real:

You show promise, young lad. Spoiled by fame. That's good. I especially like how you boil it down to that pithy statement.

But why stop there?

Let's face it, she's not only been spoiled by fame, she's a penny-pinching witch. What's more, she has disgraced a sport we know and love with her absolute disregard for commmon decency, her egocentric groveling, her disrespecting ways.

You get the picture.

DOn't hold back. Just let it out.

Haji wrote:

I think it says more about Deena that she didn't go out of her way to flaunt her credentials.

Bull. There are times to be modest, and there are times to promote yourself. When you're trying to get someone to do something for you on account of your credentials, give them your credentials. Would you encourage someone to turn in a resume that just said who they were with no explaination of why they're the best for the job? If you recieved such a resume would you applaud the modesty of the applicant?

The guy should have known who Deena is, but there is no reason to avoid "flaunting your credentials" when you are trying to get something special specifically as a result of your credentials.

either

a. he did know who she was and is just trying to cover up his jackass move.

b. he didn't know who she was and probably should not be involved with a running event.

She jumped to a conclusion and she posted something negative. I'm sure she wished she hadn't done it.

give her a break - she's human for god's sake

move on

chauvinist wrote:

Most men don't really pay attention to women's running unless they're looking for eye candy.

Which is why Carrie Tollefson got a free entry and she's got a major injury and ain't even running right now. He, the RD even gave her a t-shirt (to get wet in!)

Harry Kooter wrote:

Haji wrote:

I think it says more about Deena that she didn't go out of her way to flaunt her credentials.

Bull. There are times to be modest, and there are times to promote yourself. When you're trying to get someone to do something for you on account of your credentials, give them your credentials. Would you encourage someone to turn in a resume that just said who they were with no explaination of why they're the best for the job? If you recieved such a resume would you applaud the modesty of the applicant?

The guy should have known who Deena is, but there is no reason to avoid "flaunting your credentials" when you are trying to get something special specifically as a result of your credentials.

She obviously expected the RD to know who she was. Even if he did know her and still turned down her request, which he would have every right to do, it wouldn't change the situation.

People are bashing her over some little incident that would be better off forgotten. Deena is not some evil witch that people are making her out to be (unless she weighs less than a duck).

Before today I never saw any serious negative posts about Deena on the way she conducts her personal or professional life. She has been the role model for countless American women runners and has always been a first class person and athlete.

The posters bashing her need to weigh the good against the bad before throwing insults her way. That goes for all the slow asses like me and those that think they set the standard for professional runner conduct.

Forgot to remove the link from an earlier post. Enjoy the freebie....unless you are in the video.

Not saying it was the RD\'s fault for being ignorant about elite running, as he\'s probably very busy with other important things in his life, but Deena\'s reaction is understandable.

If I was an Olympic medalist turned down for a comped entry, I would definitely be like \"how the hell don\'t you know me? I\'m ..., fool.\" I don\'t think it was the money, but the fact that she felt spited. She probably requested the comped entry not to save $25, but to draw attention to the fact she wanted to do this race. Or maybe she wanted a free vacation, I don\'t know.

Fan of Mitch wrote:

Today Deena Kastor is still a millionaire runner who will never have to work a day in her life.

I guess busting your ass by running 100+ miles a week for several years as a professional athlete doesn't qualify as work in your book.