Yuki Kawauchi is a bada$$

No argument there. It's occurred to me that the sport might benefit if we had stories like the one you just told about Africans but in more detail.

I would also agree, but details about stories on stars before they were runners are few and far between.

The Uncle99b wrote:

Once again letsrun love for anyone who is not african and no love for the africans who whip his butt

I remember some enthusiasm for Wesley Korir, who at least used to work on the facilities maintenance crew at the University of Kentucky while training (I'm not sure if he still does).

Kawauchi has the same kind of appeal that Brian Sell had, which is seeming more like an ordinary guy than a lot of top runners. You might know that you never had the talent to be like Ritz or Ryan Hall, but you can fantasize that if you just had more self-discipline to train harder and push through the pain in a race just a bit better you could be like Brian Sell - or like Kawauchi.

With the Africans, so many of them seem to start out with such a gift for running, that it's harder for an average runner to identify with them, just like it's harder to identify with Ritz than Sell.

Very nice analysis, Clown.

Peter Renner from New Zealand was a 2:12 marathoner and a world class steeplechaser, I think an Olympian and a full time lumberjack. And he was ok.

runxcidod wrote:

I would also agree, but details about stories on stars before they were runners are few and far between.

That sounds like a typical PR department story - nobody who reads this will know anything about Kenya, he cut down some trees for his job, so we'll say he was a lumberjack.

Eldama Ravine is where a lot of cut roses come from, it is very highly cultivated area, and there isn't much in the way of forest nearby (any more). Mutai may well have cut down trees, but that doesn't make him a lumberjack.

HRE, they're called "loggers" not lumberjacks.

HRE wrote:

Peter Renner from New Zealand was a 2:12 marathoner and a world class steeplechaser, I think an Olympian and a full time lumberjack. And he was ok.

Nice. He was also badass then.

I do also agree about the underdog mystique of guys like Sell and the way that can make them easier to identify with. That's a good point.

Re: loggers vs. lumberjacks...I guess I started use of the word lumberjacks on this thread. It does sound outdated. But I took it straight from the NYRR press on Mutai so I blame them.

What job was Peter Snell holding down full-time while he was winning 3 Olympic Gold Medals?

Total Knob wrote:

runxcidod wrote:

I would also agree, but details about stories on stars before they were runners are few and far between.

That sounds like a typical PR department story - nobody who reads this will know anything about Kenya, he cut down some trees for his job, so we'll say he was a lumberjack.

Eldama Ravine is where a lot of cut roses come from, it is very highly cultivated area, and there isn't much in the way of forest nearby (any more). Mutai may well have cut down trees, but that doesn't make him a lumberjack.

Fair enough, though I think the initial comparison to Kawauchi stands. That's still hard labor and Mutai took a pretty long time to get to the top. Agreed the story has a fluff PR feel, though it's a fun story.

Anyone know if there was video coverage for this? I'd love to see the classic Kawauchi finish again.

Fair enough, though I think the initial comparison to Kawauchi stands. That's still hard labor and Mutai took a pretty long time to get to the top. Agreed the story has a fluff PR feel, though it's a fun story.

Since when has "true" been less important than "fun"? Personally, I'd rather read a dull, but true story about Mutai than the imaginings of an NYRR publicist - but maybe that's just me?

malmo wrote:

HRE, they're called "loggers" not lumberjacks.

Not in the Monty Python song.

HRE wrote:

malmo wrote:

HRE, they're called "loggers" not lumberjacks.

Not

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CBwQtwIwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D5zey8567bcg&ei=mC7eTuWNJ8u_tgfqiqWeDw&usg=AFQjCNH4r8PR6G5a6jpdAt-MkBOBT2Z4Ww&sig2=O_CYj38UhOpDdRgz966Ngwin

the Monty Python song.

Actually, the Kiwi term is "bushman."

The Mutai story and all of the "Beyond the Stats" stories were researched and written by David Powell, a British athletics journalist who formerly wrote for the London Times. There were no "NYRR publicists" involved; the only people at NYRR who could be called publicists are Richard Finn and his media team (of two), who all work on press releases but don't write stories for NYRR.

In the 80s, 1500 meter runner Peter Elliot worked full time (I think) as a mechanic or something for the RAF or whatever they call the air force in Britain.

Mid distance track training might be less time consuming than marathon training but still impressive to be world class working a job.

Macmillan's defines a publicist as: " someone whose job is to use newspapers, television, etc. in order to make people notice a person, organization, or product".

Whether or not David Powell's job title was "publicist" he was supplying this information in the spirit of garnering publicity for an NYRR race, therefore he was a "NYRR publicist" for the purposes of the story about Mutai.