One of my friends ran a 4:26 marathon - was it wrong to tell him that was an awful time

I mean. The guy ran a marathon. If he was celebrating how fast he went, ya, that's annoying. But if he was celebrating running a marathon.....he ran a marathon.

Give him a break.

If he's bragging about his time, or if he's talking about what a huge accomplishment his time was, or if he chides you for not doing it or suggests he's better than you...go ahead and rib him.

It wasn't wrong to tell him it was a terrible time. You were just being honest. More people need to be honest.

It's slightly below average, not terrible.

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-running-blog/2015/apr/21/marathons-by-numbers-running-the-data

He doesn't look up the age group standings to see how he compared to other guys his age?

brofest2015 wrote:

26 male, healthy. I like ribbing him. I was a very mediocre college runner but i find it infuriating when people celebrate not even mediocrity but terrible times.

And the whole argument road racing raises awareness for our sport didn't really hold a lot of weight here bc he didn't even know the olympics were this year.

You were absolutely wrong, any body who has never been a competitive runner simply running 26 miles with out stopping is an accomplishment worth celebrating

keep ribbing. his time is crap, even for a non-runner. i genuinely rib on myself for a 2:35

brofest2015 wrote:

26 male, healthy. I like ribbing him. I was a very mediocre college runner but i find it infuriating when people celebrate not even mediocrity but terrible times.

And the whole argument road racing raises awareness for our sport didn't really hold a lot of weight here bc he didn't even know the olympics were this year.

If the guy was never an athlete in school, finishing a marathon is a huge accomplishment for him, even if it's a jog in the park for you. You don't have to be rude. You can say something more positive, such as, you know if you increase your mileage and add some tempos, you can really improve on that time.

Some general guidelines for being a good friend.

Don't tell them their marathon time sucks.

Don't tell him his girlfriend is ugly.

Don't tell him you are banging his Mom.

brofest2015 wrote:

26 male, healthy. I like ribbing him. I was a very mediocre college runner but i find it infuriating when people celebrate not even mediocrity but terrible times.

And the whole argument road racing raises awareness for our sport didn't really hold a lot of weight here bc he didn't even know the olympics were this year.

Have you ever gone for a run with the guy ?

It's fine to make fun of him. It's also okay that he point at you and laugh when you tell him how much money you make.

Your girlfriend is also quite unattractive. I thought you should know.

feed us wrote:

keep ribbing. his time is crap, even for a non-runner. i genuinely rib on myself for a 2:35

Ah, the ol' humblebrag.

0/10 You obviously don't have any friends.

"Yeah man it can be rough out there, marathons are NOT easy. Like I remember with I ran my 2:35.. I cramped up so badly later that night. good times.."

TrackCoach wrote:

brofest2015 wrote:

26 male, healthy. I like ribbing him. I was a very mediocre college runner but i find it infuriating when people celebrate not even mediocrity but terrible times.

And the whole argument road racing raises awareness for our sport didn't really hold a lot of weight here bc he didn't even know the olympics were this year.

You were absolutely wrong, any body who has never been a competitive runner simply running 26 miles with out stopping is an accomplishment worth celebrating

I'm thinking that a time like that involved a good deal of stopping if not actual naps.

How was the pacing?

Of course you weren't wrong to tell him it was an awful time.

On the same token, he is not wrong to tell you that you are an insecure loser, who will never be happy, and who will never be attractive to the opposite sex.

4:24 sucks wrote:

If he's bragging about his time, or if he's talking about what a huge accomplishment his time was, or if he chides you for not doing it or suggests he's better than you...go ahead and rib him.

This is right. Totally depends on what he is saying and how he is saying it. If he is talking about it like he is somehow now a super hero, sure, bring him back down to earth. But if he's just proud of himself for doing something he didn't think he'd ever be able to do - let it go.

Did you laugh at him? You should laugh at him.