thoughts on kara goucher's "podium retreats" ?

is this one of those herbalife things? it better not have anything to do with herbalife. i got burned before and do not want to repeat that experience.

Wondering in the West wrote:

If she wants to do this and can sell it, more power to her. While I think it should be more than a weekend, if she can get that, fine.

Friend of mine runs a tennis/wine tasting deal for $750 for five days and he sells out every year. Yeah, cheaper than Goucher, but people are going to spend their money what they want to spend their money on.

A lot of people's bad music collection is just that -- bad -- and they spent a lot of money on it. Personally I think it ought to be more reasonable in price and add a few days with a local fun run (paid for) thrown in, but that's just me.

I agree with you. Nothing wrong with what Kara and Adam are doing. They've both been fine runners, and maybe they can also be inspirational speakers. Women with the means to do so spend this much or more on a weekend at a high-class spa getting their avocado facials, mud baths, massages, mani's and pedi's, etc. These "podium retreats" sound much more "empowering" and worthwhile. When I think about spending that much money for a running retreat, I want Gebrselassie and the Dibaba sisters. But Kara and Adam don't have to have been world champions and record holders to be worthy examples of how years of hard work can lead to success. I hope this doesn't mean that Kara is throwing in the towel on her running career yet, though.

not so wrote:

Empowerment isn't cheap. Seriously, Kara Goucher is vapid even when compared to Hollywood standards. There is nothing extraordinary about her. Her brain is mush.

not cute, not hot, stupid as stone and way old

Buffaloes wrote:

not so wrote:

Empowerment isn't cheap. Seriously, Kara Goucher is vapid even when compared to Hollywood standards. There is nothing extraordinary about her. Her brain is mush.

not cute, not hot, stupid as stone and way old

Apparently she's smart enough to figure out how to get paid.

rutting with the buffaloes wrote:

Apparently she's smart enough to figure out how to get paid.

so is Bernie Madoff, Charlie Manson, Tonya Harding, Lindsay Lohan

I think it's a pile of crap, but if she can get gullible women to part with their money, more power to her.

not so wrote:

Empowerment isn't cheap. Seriously, Kara Goucher is vapid even when compared to Hollywood standards. There is nothing extraordinary about her. Her brain is mush.

Christ almighty. Calm down, psycho.

Lots of folks on here seem to want to live in some kind of communist dictatorship. That's cute, guys.

It's pricey, but if people will pay it and feel they got their money's worth, then good for them, and good for her.

agreed. it's not that bad a price either. people forget that it includes the hotel too in a very pricey area. the vitriol here is over the top.

To everyone hating on this...

1. You are not the target audience for this (I'm not either)

2. You probably don't have $1,000+ dollars to spend on this (I don't either)

3. Rooms at this hotel cost around $300 / night anyway. This is not a bad deal if you are into this kind of deal.

I agree with some previous posters... make that money, Kara!

I doubt that the podium retreats will be as popular as their Bear Butte XC Camp they promoted a few years ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbEVoFLHgSQ&list=RDjbEVoFLHgSQ&oref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DjbEVoFLHgSQ%26list%3DRDjbEVoFLHgSQ&has_verified=1

looks like the single rooms have already sold out and they have only a few double rooms left. seems like a successful enterprise. good on them.

seminar watcher wrote:

agreed. it's not that bad a price either. people forget that it includes the hotel too in a very pricey area. the vitriol here is over the top.

Not so much vitriol as just disbelief at the BS she is peddling. On her blog post about coming back from injury she talks about the retreat and says that "with a lot of work, and a few frustrated tears, Podium Retreats with Kara Goucher was born."

Really? "Frustrated tears"? This is just manipulative and insulting. A successful woman can't plan a goddamn conference without crying? At this point she's just preying on stupid people.

Geez, Buffaloes, did she turn you down or something? Talk about bitter.

If she can make this a successful venture, more power to her.

I just read an article about someone who spends $400 per month on cable/internet/Netflix/Pandora/Amazon Prime, etc., that's nearly $5K a year for mostly crap and I know a lot of people who are in $200-$300 a month on these subscriptions that get them mostly bad music, worse movies, and not very good reading.

If someone wants to spend $1K plus on a running weekend, so what? Most people just watched another sucky HBO series and paid for it.

It really isn't that bad a deal if you have cash to burn. That hotel books rooms for 600+ a night. Meals in Napa Valley can run you $150-200 a day. I know women who put up twice as much for "spa weekend" at fancy resorts. Why not hang out with a world class runner and learn something about training and fitness instead of just sitting around with cucumbers on your eyelids?

Kara knows that she only has a few years left to make money as a pro and needs to transition into something else. The smart thing to do is to start making that transition while she is still a competitive athlete and has the name recognition. KB and Haile G are both well established businessmen in Ethiopia. They know that running will not be there forever.

$1000 for a judgment-free weekend, with Pilates and core thrown in? How about Oiselle t-shirts? Do they make them? Will Adam sign his book for me? I wish I was a woman.

Solomon Grundy wrote:

[quote]seminar watcher wrote:

Really? "Frustrated tears"? This is just manipulative and insulting. A successful woman can't plan a goddamn conference without crying? At this point she's just preying on stupid people.

Taking advantage of stupid people/desperate people looking for a better life, is the definition of making money..... sub prime mortgages anyone?

Wondering in the West wrote:

Geez, Buffaloes, did she turn you down or something?

Why would I ever think about dealing with an old, stupid, not hot chick?

She's leveraging her name and running experience to offer a product (weekend retreats) to target customers (affluent women who run) who desire that product, at a price they're willing to pay. There appears to be nothing illegal or unethical about the product.

Good for her.

I don't understand how *anyone* can take issue with this.