Update on Ryan Hall and Abdi Abdirahman Dropping Out of Olympic Marathon

Floyd Pink wrote:

It's fascinating to see the Anti-Christian obsession play out on threads like this.

What you mean is, you're a Christian and you can't accept the fact that athletes who claim that God is on their side routinely screw up at a rate exactly the same as non-proselytizers. Christianity is stupid, outmoded, and demented, but that's not really the point, which is that delusional thinking never got anyone anywhere. If there was actually a god, it wouldn't give a shit who won marathons. So please can it.

Hall will run NYC Marathon which is just over two months away. He was announced by the race months ago. Why thrash his body now and pass up $$$. I'm sure Abdi will pop up in a marathon soon.

Hall mentions God or his Cristianity and brings what on himself? Comments from godless bigots like yourselves. Get off of it and get back to running your 40 minute 5K's.

Oldmabstillrunning wrote:

Hall mentions God or his Cristianity and brings what on himself? Comments from godless bigots like yourselves. Get off of it and get back to running your 40 minute 5K's.

Hall brings it on himself. He goes way beyond mentioning it.

just got off work. had no access to see marathon. is it stil on? don't see it on nbc. any results or link? thanks.

This thread (and others) proves you're the most idiotic nation on Earth.

Regards

British person.

In so glad this chump named hall dropped out he's so overrated!!!!

categorically wrote:

After listening to the odyssey and moby dick on his last long run Hall decided to listen to The Cat in the Hat today.

Well done, thanks for the giggle.

thanks alot you friggin morons.

he created a persona that makes many running fans enjoy his pain

he's shitty advertising for god

like sean penn for Haiti

I'm a little perplexed at this.

Who decided that, even, going "beyond" mentioning something you're passionate about, is objectively wrong?

Sorry! That's subjective.

And . . .

If God doesn't exist, then, neither do you (for all practical purposes).

EZ10Miler wrote:

You guys need to lay off the attacks on his faith.

Negatory, dude. If Hall was just a good honest devout Christian runner who went about his business and talked about running when he's asked about running, then all this would be uncalled for.

However, the guy is abusing his running career to proselytize a religion. He runs for God, full stop. He spews this bullish\it so often and consistently that it is obviously intentional and calculated. Therefore it's fair game.

Mo Farah dropped to the ground and prayed at the end of both finals, so his faith is no secret either. But in all the interviews I've seen and heard with this guy he has never brought it up. Maybe he does and I've missed it, but there's a reason people aren't picking on him like they do on Hall. And he's a Muslim, imagine what that would normally lead to in this forum.

Actually, quite the opposite. Ryan should know that his spiritual gift for prophecy is on display and it is God's will, not Ryan's, to determine what role a moment like this might have on future events. To build trust you must be vulnerable, right? I believe it's possible that God made Ryan weak on the biggest stage for a reason. How many of you have failed to achieve your life's biggest dream [sometimes in terrible ways like this] only to find meaning it all later on?

"To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some..Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." --1 Corinthians 9:22-27

All said, I too respect Meb, or anyone, continuing on if possible with injury to avoid a DNF. I would have much preferred to see Ryan grind it out and be truly humbled in an agony of defeat that most of us can better relate to.

If God doesn't exist, then, neither do you (for all practical purposes).[/quote]

This is a senseless bit of reasoning.

Hall is a big talent for the US, but I am as frustrated as anyone at his wacky approach to training, you can never count on him to deliver. He ran a big PR on a fast day in Boston which was cool, but on the same day when the studs ran the fastest marathon ever. He needs a coach for his last few years of top marathon potential.

I said that when he uses religion as a substitute for a coach or training then criticism is fair. But some people here have sunk to bashing religion and belief in God as a whole. Not needed.

If only Moses had dropped out after 10 miles we wouldn't be having this argument.

God does not exist.

Wols wrote:

God does not exist.

Good enough for me. So are we all done with this argument now?

Thanks.