Everything wrong swimming wrote:
If you don't finish a swimming race, you drown and die.
Not necessarily, you could just swim half a lap and then climb out without swimming back.
In an open water race you could just swim in the wrong direction and end up in Bermuda or somewhere.
There's also all those people who can just float on their back without swimming. You could just stop and float there until the race officials go home.
I disagree wrote:
Yes, I assumed that was the point. Except the revenue source for sponsored athletes, is actually the sponsors paying their athletes what the sponors coldheartedly assess those athletes are worth to the bottom line. Which has a lot to do with how much the public cares about those athletes. Which is not much.
I think you will find that most of the money spent on running shoes, tends to be kept by the people who make running shoes.
That's why, in case you were unaware, distance running existed before the current hobby jogger boom, and it will exist after the current hobby jogger boom.
And I'm speaking as a hobby jogger.
Thanks for spelling it out though.
Let's spell it out. wrote:It's not a matter of hobby joggers having heard of athletes.
I think the point is that shoe sales to hobby joggers are the revenue source paying for sponsored athletes and entry fees for hobby joggers pay for the prize money and appearance fees at big races.
Good luck getting any decent prize money at so many races without us hobby joggers, tool.
Blah Blah Blah Blah wrote:
There is also satisfaction after taking a shit, but I don't tell everyone about it.
POD
Blah Blah Blah Blah wrote:
There is also satisfaction after taking a shit, but I don't tell everyone about it.
"I don't always talk about shitting but when I do I tell everyone at letsrun"
Blah Blah Blah Blah
these guys ... wrote:
http://www.runnersworld.com/motivational-quotes/you-have-finishedThe friend (a collegiate swimmer but a non-runner) sent this to me w a message of "Picture everything that is wrong with running".
Nothing groundbreaking but a nice neat example of why RW is terrible.
I am faster than you and think this is a great quote.
It must be hard to take yourself so seriously that this "infuriates" you, and so emotionally messed up that you are simultaneously "amused" by something that causes you fury.
Good luck in life, man.
FIFY wrote:
There should be only one race in the world each year with a maximum of four runners. Anything else is a waste of time. If you're not one of the top four in the world, you're a hobby jogger.
This is true.
For example, the US Olympic Trials marathon is a true hobbyist's race with qualifying times so slow that 95% in the race are 15 minutes off of world-class. Hobby joggers, in other words.
Even the prelims at the Olympic Games have a lot of no-hope hobby-joggers.
FIFY wrote:
There should be only one race in the world each year with a maximum of four runners. Anything else is a waste of time. If you're not one of the top four in the world, you're a hobby jogger.
This is true.
For example, the US Olympic Trials marathon is a true hobbyist's race with qualifying times so slow that 95% in the race are 15 minutes off of world-class. Hobby joggers, in other words.
Even the prelims at the Olympic Games have a lot of no-hope hobby-joggers.
Proud hobby jogger wrote:
I disagree wrote:Yes, I assumed that was the point. Except the revenue source for sponsored athletes, is actually the sponsors paying their athletes what the sponors coldheartedly assess those athletes are worth to the bottom line. Which has a lot to do with how much the public cares about those athletes. Which is not much.
I think you will find that most of the money spent on running shoes, tends to be kept by the people who make running shoes.
That's why, in case you were unaware, distance running existed before the current hobby jogger boom, and it will exist after the current hobby jogger boom.
And I'm speaking as a hobby jogger.
Thanks for spelling it out though.
Good luck getting any decent prize money at so many races without us hobby joggers, tool.
Once again, you miss the entire point. The birth of distance was not bowerman saying, "let there be shoes!" And a million marathoners appearing; running has been around forever. Billy Mills, Ron Clarke, Bob Schul, Jim Beatty, fvcking Zatopek, chadaway, Buddy Edelen, Bannister, landy, Snell, should I go on? All before your precious "hobby joggers support running" era.
The point being, to spell it out, is that track and field and road racing DID exist before the shoe era and was probably a better sport then, compared to how. Probably cleaner too.
Who deserves more credit: The elite runner who jogs a local 5K in 16 flat 'for the win' or a 60 year old woman, busting her ass, finishing last in 55 minutes?
I disagree wrote:
I disagree. I can\'t recall the last hobbyjogger I\'ve talked to who had heard of Galen Rupp, or Jordan Hasay, or the Diamond league ... let alone flotrack, Jack Daniels (not the whiskey) or El G. And they don\'t have any interest when I try and talk about them (though to be fair I am not very interesting).
They *have* heard of Meb, Kara, DK, Newtons, and Lolo Jones who as far as they know is a marathoner. Otherwise they just get their medal and go home. It\'s not growing the sport at all. Unless you can show me an explosion of middle school xc & track participation (not to mention coaches\' salaries) which correlates with the explosion of bad runners shuffling for a long time.
self-aware wrote:Next time you see one. Thank a hobby jogger.
If it weren\'t for the masses. Road Racing and T&F would die.
POD and also post of the month
these guys ... wrote:
http://www.runnersworld.com/motivational-quotes/you-have-finishedThe friend (a collegiate swimmer but a non-runner) sent this to me w a message of "Picture everything that is wrong with running".
Nothing groundbreaking but a nice neat example of why RW is terrible.
I disagree. The quote is a good one. Everyone, from the world's best to the elite guy who had an off day to a first timer who is trying to improve his health and wants to test himself can get value from that message, with the caveat that they were giving an honest effort, which I'm sure is how the quote was intended to be interpreted, knowing Mr. Lebow. .
old guy 70 wrote:
Who deserves more credit: The elite runner who jogs a local 5K in 16 flat 'for the win' or a 60 year old woman, busting her ass, finishing last in 55 minutes?
Why do we need to give either ANY credit?
Just to spell it out a little more, I believe he means that if you "raced" and finished, regardless of whether your performance met your expectations or not, you can learn something worthwhile from the experience.
Hobby Joggers pay for everything.
Without them there would be no 5K's, 10K's, 1/2's, Marathons.
There would be 18 really skinny guys running down the road dodging traffic.
Coebra wrote:Once again, you miss the entire point. The birth of distance was not bowerman saying, "let there be shoes!" And a million marathoners appearing; running has been around forever. Billy Mills, Ron Clarke, Bob Schul, Jim Beatty, fvcking Zatopek, chadaway, Buddy Edelen, Bannister, landy, Snell, should I go on? All before your precious "hobby joggers support running" era.
The point being, to spell it out, is that track and field and road racing DID exist before the shoe era and was probably a better sport then, compared to how. Probably cleaner too.
Yes track and field and road racing existed before the professional era. But all of the people you list were "amateurs" who weren't paid to run. If you took all the money out of track and field and road racing, there would still be amateurs who would do it for love of the sport. That might make the sport "purer," but I expect most modern professional runners would rather not have a "purer" sport that they didn't get paid for.
old guy 70 wrote:
Who deserves more credit: The elite runner who jogs a local 5K in 16 flat 'for the win' or a 60 year old woman, busting her ass, finishing last in 55 minutes?
Clearly her ass deserves the majority of the credit for the 55 minute time.
self-aware wrote:
Next time you see one. Thank a hobby jogger.
If it weren't for the masses. Road Racing and T&F would die.
Anyone who thinks this is not a real runner. For true enthusiasts, the sport was better in almost every way before the 70's running boom.
- much more camaraderie. Only kindred spirits (mostly)
- much less (or no) doping in distance running
- the fitness/health thing was 'our little secret'. Let most peeps smoke and eat themselves away.
- Next to no logistical issues at races. And cheaper!
True, elites had it worse because they could not (directly) make a living from the sport, but we are only talking a tiny number. Running shoes have improved also. Overall though, the boom spoilt the sport for me and I'm glad I got a few fun years in before all the herd. Still love to run, just not race.
Any Which Way But Loose wrote:
Hobby Joggers pay for everything.
Without them there would be no 5K's, 10K's, 1/2's, Marathons.
There would be 18 really skinny guys running down the road dodging traffic.
So I guess I should thank the masses for the reduction in race entry fees I've enjoyed over the last several years.
MrGrumpy wrote:
self-aware wrote:Next time you see one. Thank a hobby jogger.
If it weren't for the masses. Road Racing and T&F would die.
Anyone who thinks this is not a real runner. For true enthusiasts, the sport was better in almost every way before the 70's running boom.
- much more camaraderie. Only kindred spirits (mostly)
- much less (or no) doping in distance running
- the fitness/health thing was 'our little secret'. Let most peeps smoke and eat themselves away.
- Next to no logistical issues at races. And cheaper!
True, elites had it worse because they could not (directly) make a living from the sport, but we are only talking a tiny number. Running shoes have improved also. Overall though, the boom spoilt the sport for me and I'm glad I got a few fun years in before all the herd. Still love to run, just not race.
Maybe you should consider a more obscure sport where you can still be a special snowflake. Curling maybe?
old guy 70 wrote:
Who deserves more credit: The elite runner who jogs a local 5K in 16 flat 'for the win' or a 60 year old woman, busting her ass, finishing last in 55 minutes?
The old lady might be working harder during the race. But a healthy 60 yr old woman should be under 30min with proper training.