Yeah really low blow… runnersworld should know better than to post this the day before nats. Don’t take anything away from the people who have worked hard all year to prep for the big race. Disgusted by runnerworld
It's been a pretty long spell since Runner's World gave a opossum's ass about the competitive side of running.
Nothing new...read "Running with the Buffalos," Marks quoted saying “they should look like skeletons with a condom pulled over them."
I guess it makes me soft but I was always really grossed out by stuff like this. And he pinched an 18 year olds waist, scolded him on being too fat and said that gouchers waist was like paper when you pinched it. Gross middle aged dude. sorry is it being “soft” or having self respect?
Nothing new...read "Running with the Buffalos," Marks quoted saying “they should look like skeletons with a condom pulled over them."
You can separate how you want someone to try to look to how someone looks when they are in peak form.
In the Tour de France one year, they talked about how the cyclists would look at each other’s butts at the start of the tour and could tell who had put in the work and was fast based on a particular shape of the butt.
You shouldn’t tell runners to try and look like Wetmore described, but at the same time you can usefully recognize that that is what fast distance runners in peak form usually look like.
Yes, runners need a certain body composition to be elite. Yes, that message can be conveyed without being abusive or triggering eating disorders and mental health breakdowns.
It’s 2022. We should be able to do both. It does not need to be this hard.
From the article, it looks like Wetmore at least shielded himself from firing by inserting the layer of the nutritionist to handle these matters. Burroughs probably overstepped that boundary, according to the reports. There's no doubt that you need to be in top shape to be among the best in the NCAA but the focus on weight rather than fitness as measured by running times is destructive. Hence, body composition tests, like weigh-ins, have to go. They appear to have been widespread and it won't just be Oregon and Colorado struck by these allegations. My prediction is that NCAA xc and track programs will drop the body composition tests in response. You can't compare college girls to their high school selves. They're adults. Their bodies are going to change. What you need to do is just to provide healthy food with no emphasis on portions and get them to get plenty of sleep and a general fitness program beyond running and lifting alone.
I didn't fully feel like I trusted the person making allegations. Kate Intile was a 5:20 ish miler who was cut from the CU team.
On the other hand, multiple women were alleging some pretty bad behavior, including violation of HIPAA and just setting up unmanageable weight goals...it's really ridiculous to expect an 18 year old to lose fat in targeted areas.
I think they can stand to change some of this behavior. I don't think that calling this type of thing out makes someone weak.
Remember golden rules of power dynamics and what is seen as tough. For people in power, "toughness" is defined by the ability to bully and boss around others. Ex. Trump bullying people on twitter was seen as tough even though it would be pretty pathetic and fragile of anyone else, and Alberto yelling at Cain accusing her of "gaining five pounds" in front of a whole track meet of people was seen as "tough coaching" when in reality, it's completely irrational behavior. For the powerless, it's the ability to shut up and take it on the nose. Not everyone speaking out over mistreatment is soft or weak. Sometimes they are just people who want to be treated better.
Weight matters but only to the point it becomes unhealthy. Having calorie deficits while endurance training is not healthy long term and health is more important than speed.
If the program is still run like RWTB days they deserve to be in trouble.
Regardless of whether the allegations are true, releasing a story like this the day before the biggest race of the team's season is unethical journalism. This is now a major distraction for athletes about to race in a national meet. A hit piece about an NCAA running program should not be treated the same as a political hit piece released before a big event.
Interesting world we live in when a 23 year old woman's feelings, need for attention, and decision to be an "activist" matter more than data (ie. suicide rate amongst college athletes lower than general population in similar age group, per Wash Post article).
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