There are two kinds of people: doers and critics.
For every one person like Karnazes, there will always be 100 critics. You've never heard their names and never will.
Karnazes inspires. He has done a great deal of good for the sport of running in general and ultra-running in particular.
And yes - he is also a skilled marketer, who has managed to take a passion and turn into a lucrative career ... that furthers his ability to engage in that passion. He also has the good fortune - or the curse, depending on your perspective - of being good-looking.
Thus, the little people and small souls will always try and tear him down, to assuage their own wounded egos.
It has always been that way. In every human endeavor in history, there have been people like Karnazes; people who were not necessarily the best in their field, but who inspired the masses.
If that universal truth bothers you, you have a few choices:
1) You could train hard enough to actually go enter the WS 100 or Badwater or another long ultra and soundly defeat Karnazes ... and then go brag about it. It would be petty, and frankly a waste of your time unless his passion is really the same as yours, but it would at least give you some legitimacy. I've read 100 posts from people saying "I could do that if I wanted to." Okay. Go do it. You might even learn something along the way.
2) You could simply ignore Karnazes, ignore anyone who's approach you disagree with, and do your own thing. This is called maturity. It's not a bad option. Some of the critics should think about it.
3) You could be really radical and allow Karnazes and people like him to inspire you. You could take that inspiration and use it to pursue your own passions. Perhaps you want to the best 10-k runner in your city; maybe working towards that goal is a better use of your time than talking about what some wealthier, better-looking, and more well-known runner is doing. Maybe if you take the inspiration and forget the rest, someday you could carve out your own niche ... so that one day, you could chuckle as you read the dozens of sad folks trying to tear YOU down. Of course, by then you'll understand the thinking a little better, won't you?
4) Or - you could whine and criticize. This last option has some benefits. It's the easiest one. It'll always be the most popular. There's no risk; any coward can join the pack. You don't have to do anything all. And if your esteem is really that lacking, tearing down some schmuck can make you feel better. Plus, you'll serve a useful purpose: for every person that history remembers, there have to be hundreds that nobody cares about. It's just the way it works. So your contribution will matter!
Critics and doers - which one are you?
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Mr. Karnazes:
On the very off chance you return and read this, I left the above on another message board discussing this rather embarrassing thread, and thought I'd repost it here.
Your book got me running again. For that, I thank you. Since reading your book, I've run six marathons and I'm approaching speeds in my 40s that I couldn't meet in my teens. I'll qualify for Boston shortly, a feat I wouldn't have thought possible two years ago. Now I think a sub-3:00 is well within reach.
All because of your book. Thank you.
Your description of the Western States 100 was so vivid that running it immediately became a goal. I'm not there yet, but every step is a step towards that silver belt buckle. Maybe I'll meet you there.
(You can keep that Badwater stuff ... that leaves crazy and veers into stupid!)
Ignore the little people and small minds, please. They don't matter.
In fact, I do have one complaint - the only time I've ever seen you do something that truly disappointed me was when you bothered to respond to this thread.
That's beneath you. I hope you'll ignore it in the future.
Ignore the critics. They never matter. In anything. But especially in a sport like running. They just don't matter.
Peace. Quit reading, go run.
Zed