Final Boston Marathon finisher crosses the line after 20 hours. Not a hobby jogger!

ambivalent thoughts wrote:

Hmmm...not sure how I feel about this. Great accomplishment for him and for charity but at the same time, I feel bad for the volunteers that had to stay out there so long.

Why would volunteers stay out that long?

It says course closes in 6 hours.

The volunteers at Boston are the best that would not be fair to them.

I note that amputee Rebekah Gregory is considered an official finisher of the 2015 Boston Marathon although she covered only about the last three miles of the course. I suppose the BAA makes exceptions here and there.

Seems reasonable.

Gsben, wrote:

Seems reasonable.

I respect what she has been through, but there were other amputees from that terror attack who did cover the entire distance (saw them in the early miles of the course with a guide) of the race.

I presume they were also official finishers.

I'd like to address my remarks to this poster directly.

What is the nature of your obsession with liberalism? Where does that enter into this discussion at all? I am a Liberal. I'd be willing to bet I give a far bigger percentage of my income to charities than you do. How in the world do you take the subject at hand and twist it to give your judgement about who among us is destined for some hell you apparently believe in? It might be asking too much, but try to be a bigger man.

To the matter presented by the OP, I think the underlying question is what the nature of our sport is. When I was getting started nearly 40 years ago, all marathon entries had a statement above the athlete's signature line, in which the athlete certified that he had been examined by a doctor and had trained sufficiently to complete the course in under five hours. After five hours, they closed down the course and everyone went home. It's different now: different constituencies and interests. It's now a competitive athletic event, and it's something else too. I don't particularly like it, but I realize I'm in the minority, except, perhaps, among the small number of people on a web site like this one.

I'll add something that might have a bearing on this subject. I have a degenerative visual impairment, and about a year ago, I started using a white cane. From time to time, people -- sometimes complete strangers-- tell me I'm "inspiring." I'm sure this is well intended but it makes me feel very uncomfortable. No one thought me "inspiring" a year ago before I started using a white cane, and I'm the same person now I was then. I'm just another person trying to have the life I am capable of having. After 21 years as a marathon runner, in my early 40s, I got out for reasons unrelated to my eyesight. I had had enough and didn't feel like I could compete at a respectable level.

The real question here is what kind of event the BAA wants to put on, and I don't think they know. On one hand, they still have qualifying standards, on the other hand, they waive them for fund raisers and people who are severely disabled. I'm not sure what kind of point the gentleman with muscular distrophy was trying to prove, but I gather the BAA issued him a number, and they knew what to expect. Thank you.

I commend him for wanting to do it and actually doing it but I have to wonder if this negatively affects his health in the long run.

John ODonnell wrote:

The real question here is what kind of event the BAA wants to put on, and I don't think they know. On one hand, they still have qualifying standards, on the other hand, they waive them for fund raisers and people who are severely disabled. I'm not sure what kind of point the gentleman with muscular distrophy was trying to prove, but I gather the BAA issued him a number, and they knew what to expect. Thank you.

"He ran the Marathon as an international participant who received his bib through a tour group."

Obviously, he let them know that he has MD and he would be out there for a while, but he got his bib in a legit manner.

Life is short, this guy is helping others and doing what he can to improve the world. If it's not the route you would take, does it make it improper or just different?

Get used to it.. wrote:

I commend him for wanting to do it and actually doing it but I have to wonder if this negatively affects his health in the long run.

Apparently they gave him seven days to live when he was born, so I'm sure he's making the most out of every day.

more research wrote:

helping others and doing what he can to improve the world.

How does completing a marathon course help others and improve the world?

The importance placed on completing an arbitrary distance amazes me.

If the attention whores and money grubbers could find a way to exploit another event with more people you'd see the "achievement" of a marathon drop way down bucket lists, except for runners that is.

Except for this thread and a few of the people that know this guy, his "feat" is already forgotten. The real people who are trying to improve the world are grinding it out in anonymity, too busy focusing on their goal than spending time whoring themselves out for a segment on the local news.

I guess you missed the part about him raising money and awareness.

If you're getting mad about this, I can only imagine what a joy you are to live with.

Gsben, wrote:

I presume they were also official finishers.

I am presuming they finished the full distance. I didn't look at their bibs to see numbers.

I just find the Rebekah Gregory participation off putting. I fully sympathize with her situation of having become an amputee through a most heinous attack. I respect her efforts to try to save her leg and then adapt to having a racing blade. What troubles me is that she is considered a Boston marathon finisher now after only doing 3 miles of the course.

How does that affect your life in a negative way?

Really?Sure? wrote:

more research wrote:

helping others and doing what he can to improve the world.

How does completing a marathon course help others and improve the world?

Except for this thread and a few of the people that know this guy, his "feat" is already forgotten. The real people who are trying to improve the world are grinding it out in anonymity, too busy focusing on their goal than spending time whoring themselves out for a segment on the local news.

You have no idea and clearly don't understand how helping improve the world works. It requires a lot more money for research and reconstruction and charity than you seem to understand. The people out there grinding it out in anonymity would be overwhelmingly grateful for the kind of awareness and charity funds this guy raised, because without it, nothing can get done. If you never talk about it, and never raise money for it, it doesn't improve. It's not a "Look at me and what I can do!!!" It's a "Look at the things people like me suffer through, and you can help them! AND, if you suffer through this as well, don't lose hope, look at what you're still capable of doing!"

How did he even qualify?

If killing yourself for 20 hours to say you did a marathon or to prove you could do one is making the most of every day, I would rather be dead already.

Get used to it.. wrote:

I commend him for wanting to do it and actually doing it but I have to wonder if this negatively affects his health in the long run.

[quote]get used to it.. wrote:

If killing yourself for 20 hours to say you did a marathon or to prove you could do one is making the most of every day, I would rather be dead already.

[quote]

Neither side in this argument will ever get the others point. Same with any marathon.

On one side you have people that only see this as a race. On the other you have the up with the people types who view it as an event to raise money, build self esteem and hawk whatever their favorite cause is.

The argument will go on forever and never be resolved.

How Is that possible wrote:

How did he even qualify?

He didn't. He was a charity entrant.