RE: 'The Road to Beijing': 3 hour marathoner wants to make British Olympic Marathon team in 2008

Arturo Landino wrote:

I can't believe how negative people like you are about people like Alex. He's got off his arse and he's trying to do something useful. HAve you any idea how hard this guy is training, especialy whilst suffering heavily from Asthma. He's also constantly raising money for various charities.

.....

Try being a little more positive and supportive towards people like this Alex.

no, people like you are idiots. when some moron just decides he's magically going to become a world-class athlete in a year, it is an insult to all of those who have been devoted for their whole lives. this guy is a moron, and all of the message board critics have every right to call him out.

I hope all these guys coming on here defending their man are going to be appear here again after he runs Reading HM on 25/3 (1:10 target - current PB 1:15 1 month ago) and Paris on 15/4 (2:30 target).

Damn right I'll be on here after Reading. You seem to have missed the point. I am no confessing that Alex is going to necessarily complete his dream however he is doing it for the love of running and in an attempt to shed more light on the trials and tribulations that long distance runners have to endure. He is not looking to degrade running or those who run but is simply pointing out through a median (his documentary) that it is bloody hard work!

Reading and waiting wrote:

I hope all these guys coming on here defending their man are going to be appear here again after he runs Reading HM on 25/3 (1:10 target - current PB 1:15 1 month ago) and Paris on 15/4 (2:30 target).

Absoultely agree. He has got no chance of becoming world class marathon runner not now not ever.

The guy is a blatant fool, he is kidding himself thinking he has a mere chance of running sub 2:15.

For this guy to stand any chance of running sub 2:15 and stand any chance of doing so he needs to gain speed over shorter distances and run around these times. I have coached a sub 2:20 marathoner in the past who had good road and track bests 14:10 5km and 29:55 10km.

1500m 3:56

mile 4:14

(3k) 8:11

(about 2 miles) 8:46

(5k) 14:04

(8k) 23:09

5 miles 23:18

(10k) 29:20

ten miles 48:34

half marathon 1:04:40

Of which he has absolute no chance of doing in 1 year. He could achieve his goal if the time-span was say over 4-5 years and if he has very good genetic potential.

Anyone criticising Alex for this needs their head seeing to.

He's giving it a go... putting himself out there. Lay off

He has his time scale way off. What I dont understand is why his coaching team have not recognised this?

Maybe he has the potential to run a 2:15 but based on his current level to make the kind of improvements he needs to make in the time he has available is highly unlikely based on his progression so far. I reckon at the very least he will need an additional year at the volume he is now only starting to put in.

His last 20 miler is equivelant to a 2:45 marathon, so he needs to improve by 15 minutes (21 seconds per km) to make his goal in Paris - I dont think so somehow.

Best of luck to the guy though - he can still look back and see big progress in his quest.

jimmygray wrote:

Damn right I'll be on here after Reading. You seem to have missed the point. I am no confessing that Alex is going to necessarily complete his dream however he is doing it for the love of running and in an attempt to shed more light on the trials and tribulations that long distance runners have to endure. He is not looking to degrade running or those who run but is simply pointing out through a median (his documentary) that it is bloody hard work!

Reading and waiting wrote:

I hope all these guys coming on here defending their man are going to be appear here again after he runs Reading HM on 25/3 (1:10 target - current PB 1:15 1 month ago) and Paris on 15/4 (2:30 target).

I gotta call B.S. there. If he was really trying to shed light on the trials and tribulations that distance runners endure then he would pick someone who is already at that level to feature in his documentary. Instead he features himself.

While he may be a better than average runner, he certainly isn't an elite. This is yet another publicity starved individual who has decided to produce a self absorbed film about himself. It could be attempting to break Kobyashi's hot dog eating contest mark, or anything else for that matter. It certianly ain't about elite level distance running, and that is why he's meeting such scorn on this board.

The whole point of his documentary is to gather interest from the public. If he featured the documentary about someone who wasnt far off the level of a 2.15 marathon, the public are not going to be able to relate to this. Sure it would be interesting for runners but noone else(the majority of the population), as what have they got in common with someone who has been running everyday since they were a kid. Its his idea, so either go and make a documentary about an almost elite level runner yourself, or back off. I think he will break 2.40 in Paris but not 2.30, progress is progress. If he was totally realistic in his aims its not going to be interesting to watch, the fact it has caused such debate shows the documentary is already a success even amongst the doubters!!! can he?? cants he??? probably not but good luck to him

This entire thing really cracks me up. I applaud him for pure marketing vision and actually looking for a way to fund a dream - I'm sure there are many who would like the opportunity to train full time and see what their potential is. Alex has found a way (or at least is trying to). Maybe he'll fall short.. more probable than not.

Simple reality is that 11 pages into this thread his actions have sparked interest and debate. If his story is followed more deeply by the media closer to his pre-finite goal of London 08 he will have raised awareness for the sport, his project and himself. Brilliant.

Sometimes I think that speed is only one measure of talent. He may discover that his talent is an ability to absorb a lot of training and improve as a consequence. He will be able to talk of an 'ordinary guy' running with the dedication of an 'extraordinary guy'. He is creating his opportunity to do so. I would have a far greater problem if he was claiming to do this and in fact was off smoking hoagies in a Mayfair tavern instead of purported 30 mile runs.

At the very least, his regime may actually kick a few talented souls into action and say - f***-it, if this bloke can do it and I'm not.. I am not doing my talent justice. He might just have more influence at the top-end than Radcliffe has...

BTW, I have an idea of creating a team that could actually enable talented people an opportunity for funding expenses, etc. in the UK. This guy's actions could actually help fulfill this idea.

letssee wrote:

It would take him about 10 years of training to peak in the Marathon,...

Now that's a very Galloway-esque comment

There seems to be a lot of people complaining that the documentary should be about someone on the verge of qualifying instead of the average Joe.

Let's say he documents a 2:20 marathoner and shows his training and sacrifices and how he improves to a 2:16 marathoner and fails. That's not much of a documentary. You'll see tempo runs increase slightly, intervals getting a couple seconds faster, but not much real change in the athletes life or fitness.

Now the documentary of Alex will also probably end with him not reaching his goal and probably fall in the 2:30 to 2:40 range. That's not the point. The documentary will show someone who has to completely restructure his life. Train twice a day, eat properly and you will actual see real improvement and real sacrifice over the year. It will also show how hard someone will have to train and still not come close to the elite level, which hopefully sheds light on the fact that a goal like 2:15 takes years of dedication and quite a bit talent.

I hope in the end Alex explains that as hard as he tried, his goal could not be reached in one year and for him it may be unattainable, but the journey was worth it.

He has to honestly try to train like an elite and not train like the average club runner to make this documentary successful.

I think you have hit the nail on the head here. This is exactly what he seems to be doing, and he isn't hurting anyone in the process - in fact I'm hoping that the end result will be inspirational and informative. I for one would like to watch it.

Why stop there? Why not take the 6 hour marathoner that wants to break 5 instead and document his/her progress as the same "restructuring" of life and dedication would be necessary for them as well. Based on physiological characteristics a 5 hour marathon for some may be considered an "Olympian" effort.

The answer is the same: No one would care. I highly doubt anyone who is not a runner will care about this guy either, contrary to his supporters on this board.

My opinion remains unchanged, namely that this guy is doing this more out of self promotion (ala Dean Karnazes) than an actual attempt to show what it takes to be an elite level marathoner.

FFS! the guy runs a film production company - that is what he does! He makes films. For a living.

His company has made lots fo films - some sporty, some not. So, now that he has taken up running it is perfectly logical that he wants to make a film about it.

Get over it.

A 6 hour marathon runner is slower than average - so that wouldn't work either. Why document a person with below average talent? His whole premise is based on the fact that he is a (relatively) normal/average person.

I think the whole thing is great. It's like getting up in the morning drinking four or five egg yolks, sticking a QS grey jogging suit on and chasing a chicken around a compound. Let's all hit the road for Beijing! Thinking big is what makes us all move on in everything we do, whether we run or work.Good Luck. Live the dream is what I say. We should all look beyond the barriers. People in the 70s and 80s weren't saying let's run a 100 miles. Many surpassed it and ran in shoes that were no better than you would pick up from a sunday market.Get rid of the heart rate monitors and all the things that tell us to be controlled and in our comfort zone. Who's ever felt comfortable running along the mall or the final lap of the southern or national? It's not such a mad idea! Is it?

Im not responding to that fool any more.