While I like what he said, apparently he doesn't follow baseball much. Batting .500 would make you a god.
Can someone cut and paste the article here?
I cannot access blogspot.
Thanks!
It's good we get attention for the sport, but sometimes I wonder what kind of attention is good for the sport. At times I think that some of the Dean attention can hurt athletes like myself and other individuals performing well. There are athletes like us doing all kinds of amazing things and somebody else is walking around and actually accepting these titles and awards. You wouldn't see that in any other sport. I can't think of a sport where this happens - maybe once in a while somebody a bit lower on the elite status might pop up there for doing something extraordinary.
It's good to bring [ultrarunning] to the general audience, but from the standpoint of elite athletes who are working their butts off, training and racing, not making any money...it's not like I'm jealous or envious since I have gotten my share of publicity...but it's getting a little old. It's time the media began focus on the true champions of the sport and those that are doing amazing things because we kind of get lost in the shuffle.
I'm not saying it should be about me, there are runners like Nikki Kimball and Karl Meltzer, there are different distances, and those people deserve their shots too. This is a prime example of how a lot of media is working in this country these days, grabbing onto somebody who has a great publicity machine, great sponsors and media outlets. I would rather earn my titles and the recognition I deserve out on the race course. If you look at other sports, the guys that are finishing mid-pack on the PGA Tour or batting .500, they aren't getting any publicity. Maybe once in a while they get a shot here and there. Generally, it's the winners that are getting the attention. It's just kind of odd that that's happening in our sport often nowadays, where we're just seeing one person stealing the show and winning awards. In other sports, that wouldn't happen.
Again, I would rather earn my titles and if I'm not winning races and performing, I shouldn't be gracing the cover of magazines, getting a title, or even being okay with accepting a title such as Outside Magazine's "America's Best Distance Runner". I would feel ashamed to have that title.
Take these jogger topics to another site.
I'm sure that there are a lot of true track "athletes" that could call out Jurek on the same thing. I'm sure there are a lot of 2:15 marathoners or sub-4 milers that get less publicity than him and are better true athletes.
Pot meet Kettle wrote:
I'm sure that there are a lot of true track "athletes" that could call out Jurek on the same thing. I'm sure there are a lot of 2:15 marathoners or sub-4 milers that get less publicity than him and are better true athletes.
Shit, I haven't run 2:25, but I have run 2:20, and I have a ton of respect for Jurek.
Jurek is a running god.
He takes a sport like ultrarunning and makes it real running.
I think he makes good comments.
I am a little worried about most of the reader comments below the article though.
Jurek is a phenomenal athlete.
Dunlap's site got this anonymous spot-on response to Jurek's comments:
"You've got Scott winning Western States, Hardrock, Badwater, and the Spartathlon in a spell of several years. You've got Karl winning six 100-mile races in a year. You've got Nikki Kimball winning practically everything she enters. You've got Hal Koerner winning AC and WS back to back. You've got Yiannis Kouros continuing to set world records almost every time he sets foot on the track.
"And meanwhile, Dean is running on a treadmill, suspended in midair in Times Square. If you were Scott, wouldn't you be frustrated?
"Dean's 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days was a great accomplishment, if somewhat contrived. However, Sam Thompson finished before he did, why doesn't he get the PR? And the whole thing pales in comparison to David Horton's speed record on the PCT, where he averaged 40 miles a day for 67 days.
"Scott probably shouldn't have said what he did, but I can't help sympathize with his frustration."
Without question, Dean should NOT be known as America's Best Distance Runner or the "Fittest Man Alive" or any of that other crap that is bestowed on him by know-nothing writers who have bought his media machine hook, line, and sinker. Dean gets these titles because he promotes himself as those things, and those who don't know (and that's a lot -- I mean, who the hell follows ultramarathoning? -- VERY few people; I don't and I've even run a couple ultras.)
HOWEVER, Jurek is WAY out of line comparing Dean to a mid-pack PGA player (won't mention the .500 hitter thing because he obviously knows NOTHING about baseball). Dean has WON some decent ultra marathons in the past including Badwater. He's not the best ultramarthoner in the world or even in the US, but he's no mid-pack runner either.
I have nothing else against what Jurek said. Fine to be frustrated by all the attention given to Dean when Jurek is WAY better. Had he just stuck with that then I'd back him 100%. Saying though that Dean is like a mid-pack PGA player is just flat out wrong. Anyone who has won Badwater is no mid-pack ultra runner.
Flagpole Willy wrote:
HOWEVER, Jurek is WAY out of line comparing Dean to a mid-pack PGA player (won't mention the .500 hitter thing because he obviously knows NOTHING about baseball). Dean has WON some decent ultra marathons in the past including Badwater. He's not the best ultramarthoner in the world or even in the US, but he's no mid-pack runner either.
I thought the mid-pack PGA player was a great analogy. What if some mid-pack PGA player only won 2 tournaments in his career, despite having entered dozens and dozens and dozens. And he hyped himself ad nauseum. And he pulled all kinds of bizarre golf stunts to draw attention to himself and sell his book. Sure a mid-packer golfer is much, much better than the thousands of duffers out there in the country clubs across the US, but what if said golfer was touted as "America's best golfer" and golfers like Tiger and Phil were unknown and struggling to make a living. FWIW, I think the golf analogy a great analogy.
Scott, Karl, and Nikki are doing some amazing things as ultrarunners. But Dean wins an ESPY when he can't begin to hang with any of the top ultrarunners. What if some mid-pack PGA player won an ESPY for best golfer? Anyone remotely familiar with golf would find it pathetic.
observer of things wrote:
Flagpole Willy wrote:HOWEVER, Jurek is WAY out of line comparing Dean to a mid-pack PGA player (won't mention the .500 hitter thing because he obviously knows NOTHING about baseball). Dean has WON some decent ultra marathons in the past including Badwater. He's not the best ultramarthoner in the world or even in the US, but he's no mid-pack runner either.
I thought the mid-pack PGA player was a great analogy. What if some mid-pack PGA player only won 2 tournaments in his career, despite having entered dozens and dozens and dozens. And he hyped himself ad nauseum. And he pulled all kinds of bizarre golf stunts to draw attention to himself and sell his book. Sure a mid-packer golfer is much, much better than the thousands of duffers out there in the country clubs across the US, but what if said golfer was touted as "America's best golfer" and golfers like Tiger and Phil were unknown and struggling to make a living. FWIW, I think the golf analogy a great analogy.
Scott, Karl, and Nikki are doing some amazing things as ultrarunners. But Dean wins an ESPY when he can't begin to hang with any of the top ultrarunners. What if some mid-pack PGA player won an ESPY for best golfer? Anyone remotely familiar with golf would find it pathetic.
I agree that Dean is not one of the top handful of ultra runners, but dude, he has won some decent ultras. It's not like he finishes in the middle of the pack most of the time and then gets lucky and wins one (like a golfer would). While he's not deserving of the greatness titles that he has, he's not as bad as Jurek says either. Not even close. I don't think you know what a mid-pack runner is. Dean is not that. Unfair comparison. Dean is Jason Mayeroff. Jason has a 2:18 marathon PR, and that's about how good Dean is at ultramarathoning. Not spectacular, but DEFINITELY not mid-pack either. A mid pack marathon runner finishes in about 4 hours or slower. Dean's better than that.
Again, I agree with Jurek in every way EXCEPT for comparing Dean to a mid-pack golfer. Unfair and unjust comparison. Just makes Jurek look petty, and he wouldn't have if he just stuck to the facts. Just name all the runners that are better, and make sure to back that up with head-to-head competition wins, faster times, etc. That's easily done. He was wrong on this one point.
What's new?
It's all about PR, marketing is often more important than substance. That's our society today (sad, I know). Remember Apple computers?
I wish that Jurek himself hadn't made those comments. I think it would have been better to simply allow others to say those things.
What if said golfer won a pretty well known tournament, but the year before he finished 2nd in the same tournament to Annika Sorenstam or Michelle Wie?
Flagpole,
He compared Dean to a mid-pack PGA golfer. There's a huge difference between that and a mid-pack golfer. Do you know the sport at all, or have you ever spent time around any professional golfer - even at the club-pro level? A 'mid-pack' PGA golfer, someone who makes the cut about half the time and finishes like 75th on the money list is so infinitely better than your average golfer that they're basically not playing the same game. Anyone with a tour card can do things with a club that mere mortals can't even imagine, and is at least as good as a 2:18 marathoner (maybe even 2:16), but that obviously doesn't make them worthy of being called 'golfer of the year' when guys like Tiger are so utterly dominant. Jurek's analogy is perfectly apt - maybe even a bit generous.
"America's best distance runner" is Ryan Hall.
I kept thinking Anna Kournikova while reading the thread, but Dean is the Michelle Wie of ultra-running. And what other races besides Badwater has Deano won? I've never really heard of any others being mentioned. Anyone have that knowledge at hand?
jealousy jealousy jealousy
Karnazes is making money off running slow and is a genius for it. Tough luck.
runfofun1359 wrote:
jealousy jealousy jealousy
Karnazes is making money off running slow and is a genius for it. Tough luck.
And Blackwater makes money off of killing Iraqi civilians.
Tough Luck
LetsRun, not LetsHike wrote:
Take these jogger topics to another site.
POST OF THE DAY. Good on you, sir.
observer of things wrote:
What if said golfer won a pretty well known tournament, but the year before he finished 2nd in the same tournament to Annika Sorenstam or Michelle Wie?
Why would a "HE" be in a tournament with Annika Sorenstan or Michelle Wie?