Nike says a sub3hr marathon is a “sign of an elite runner..” in their Nike 4% article. Do you agree?

This thread and thousands like it prove that LRC is 85% self-congratulatory in-cels that couldn't laid in a women's prison with a fistful of pardons.

Groups A, B, C, and D are elite in the true sense of the word meaning better than other talented and hard working individuals and the fact that they get paid. Groups E-F are sub elite in the way minor leauge baseball players were the best players on their high school team, solid scholarship college players but just never make the big show. Groups G-H are not elite but are like the guys who can hold court at a downtown pickup basketball game as long as no ringers show up.

I don't mean to sound like a show of but I done 3:20(7 years ago) when I started running from almost no training. A few months before started running a few days a week and was injured for over a month of that time. Did lots of biking and walking during period.

The next year I was evan more injured and didn't run for just over 2 months before the marathon. I did lots of training on the elliptical and did lots of walking and some biking. I entered marathon for a whim and dropped out at 14 miles. I was on sub 3 pace when I dropped so sub 3 would of been easy if I wasn't hurt. I did feel bad pain from the 3 mile mark but was just stubborn and kept going. My breathing and body in general felt very relaxed at point I dropped but my legs were fukked. This is the craziest thing I've ever done. It took me months to recover and even the following year I was on and off for most of the year before I started been consistent like I am now.I remember for a few days after my DNF it took me nearly an hour to walk a mile. I can't wait to do a full mary again some day(when I'm a master) and destroy 3 hours. Nike better sponsor the fukk out of me.

Troof teller wrote:

This thread and thousands like it prove that LRC is 85% self-congratulatory in-cels that couldn't laid in a women's prison with a fistful of pardons.

+1

Not an expert on woman's running but I'll give it a go.

Group A: Paula Radcliffe's Ghost

Group B: 2:18-2:24 Pro Tier I

Group C: 2:24-2:30 Pro Tier II

Group D 2:30-2:35 Off-brand Pro. With less depth in the female ranks, a woman who can and actually does average under 6 minutes a mile for 26.2 will finish top 10 at all but the very most competitive marathons. Can likely get decent sponsorship with right personality.

Group E: 2:35-2:45 Sub elite with marginal sponsorship opportunities but can run at Oly Trials and chick tons of serious male runners.

Group F: 2:45-3:00- Female Twilight Zone -Mostly Dissapointed Oly Trial Chasers. Smaller subset than male twilight zone counterparts. (Woman's oly trial standard is objectively easier on a physiological basis.)

Group G/H: 3:00-3:30 Boston qualifiers. Probably the most satisfied and truly healthy female marathoners. High percentage were NOT serious distance runners in high school or college.

Group I/J: 3:30- 4:00- Ran an honest race but probably didn't get into Boston.

Group K: 4:00 and up- Finishers.

Yes they can be right but there are many things to consider.

1) Age. If I do sub 3 hours and I well pass 50 years old is one thing , if I m 30 years old and go sub 3 hours is another story.

2) BMI and body weight. To be an elite there 's one condition ( togheter with many others) that you need. That's a good BMI

for long distance runners. That's 18 or 19.

We all know some guys with a BMI of 23 and in their 50's that can run 2:48. Well this is some kind of special talent

very rare , no matter how hard you train but with the above body and age condition if you dont have a special talent you cant

do a Marathon at 4'/km. If they had a BMI of 18 or 19 and a younger age they sure would a make an Elite or Sub Elite chrono.

Anyway I think is wrong to put everything in rigid categories only based on time.

I will try to explain better. If we only look at time or World Record, well now the Eliud Kipchoge 2:01:39" makes all

2:10, 2:11 marathoners looks like Sub elite. But we know this is not true.

Somebody that doesnt have an athletic history and maybe begin to run in his 40's after years of sedentary life going sub 3 hours is a great goal and not an easy one to reach. To me is an Elite but to an amateur level not to a professional level

Junksies wrote:

Nike says a sub3hr marathon is a “sign of an elite runner..” in their Nike 4% article. Do you agree? I think it’s a sign of a serious runner or a runner with a good training history who knows the sport but not an elite. I’ve run in the 240s myself but I get my butt kicked by subelite girls all the time as well as tons of people just more talented than me so I can’t be elite

Elite? No. Damn good, competitive runner throughout the States, very much so. You won't be in contention for the win, but running 26.2 on the road at sub 6:55 pace is very impressive. Take into account those that didn't run in HS and College. Ask the 23 year old who has been running 80-100 mpw the last few years, sub 3 is laughable. Talk to the 53 year old Masters Runner with a family and didn't run his first marathon until 38, a 2:58 is incredible. Perspective ya'll.

All these list are a total nonsense. The fact that all these different group are all togheter at the starting list of a Marathon

doesn't mean that you can put them togheter in the same list.

Elite are professional, because they have a special talent, and so they can make of running their profession cos they can win

money from sponsor and race.

Amateurs, are people that not having the talent of professional runners, they must do with what mother nature gives them,

and do the best way they can, probably they have an 8 hours job, and thanks to great motivation and passion find the time to train for an hard race like a marathon is. And when some of them is able finally to go sub 3 hours. Well is like an Elite that

win a big marathon. So they are still elite but an amateur level. When you do the best you can with what mother nature gives to you , you are always a winner

Runners world used to list just about every marathon time- this is before people started "just finishing".

I ran 2:49 and I was in the top 2% in the world- and I'm a man!

I never considered myself elite.

So will Nike sign me now that they consider me elite?

This is a false premise.

In what "Nike article" did they say

I mean... I think it depends on what Nike considers an elite runner.

I don't think they're 'elite' in the way letsrun thinks of it, but sub 3hr marathon is 6:50 pace.

99% of the general population will never run ONE MILE at that pace.

99.99% of the general population will never hold that pace for 5k.

26.2 miles x 6:50!!

Being able to do that makes you an elite runner compared to the general population.

runn wrote:

Runners world used to list just about every marathon time- this is before people started "just finishing".

I ran 2:49 and I was in the top 2% in the world- and I'm a man!

I never considered myself elite.

I ran 2:44 when I was 18. I would never in a million years think I was elite, but...I knew I was better than average at running marathons.

True athlete me wrote:

The marathon for non professionals is a human journey to hide from all your personal life problems. The problem is , when you finish your run , all your problem are there waiting for you.

WFT???? Bro, you have issues, or maybe too many problems in your life... smh

KawauchiFTW wrote:

True athlete me wrote:

The marathon for non professionals is a human journey to hide from all your personal life problems. The problem is , when you finish your run , all your problem are there waiting for you.

WFT???? Bro, you have issues, or maybe too many problems in your life... smh

I agree with this comment 100%, he beat me to it! What a sad existence to have such a dim outlook on life.

Elite - up to 2:15

Sub Elite - up to 2:23

Sub Sub Elite - up to 2:30

I know it's arbitrary, but that's how I see it.

A five minute difference once you get below 2:30 is massive. Nothing against a 3 against marathoner. It's just a hobby for everyone above 2:15, and even above 2:12 it's not putting much food on the table.

I ran 14:50 in college and 20 years later ran a 2:58 after sporadic training. I ran 6:30 pace for the first 20 and 8:00 for the last 6. Although 2:58 is fast compared to people who didn't run in HS or college, I would hardly call it "elite". My friends said I looked one of those 300-pound lineman that pick up a fumble and run out of gas at the 10-yard line.

Chicago PD. wrote:

45,000 people ran the 2017 Chicago Marathon.

3,000+ people ran 3:15 or faster. If you ran faster than 3:15, that puts you approximated the 93rd percentile for runners that day.

That means only basically 1 runner out of every 15 "runners" could run 3:15.

I'm not saying sub-3 is elite, but do the math and it's pretty respectable.

2:00-2:29 Elite

2:20-2:39 Sub-Elite

2:40-2:59 Competitive

3:00-3:19 Very Good

Any times north of 3:20 are rather pedestrian.

Thank God I’m a 3:19 marathoner ;-)