LRC Note: We like to have one thread per subject. We've merged two threads on this into 1 and kept the original thread title. The 2nd thread was titled, "Tracksmith Decides: When Digging a Hole Make It Bigger."
Terrible decision. You cannot appease the mob. They did nothing wrong by releasing a BQ singlet.
Why would ANYONE want a BQ singlet if they didn't qualify or make the cutoff? Just wait until you do. Or be like most BQers and simply ignore the tacky singlet and get on with your life.
I do like Tracksmith's shorts, but I am really starting to dislike the brand at this point. Stand for something or just go away.
Terrible decision. You cannot appease the mob. They did nothing wrong by releasing a BQ singlet.
Why would ANYONE want a BQ singlet if they didn't qualify or make the cutoff? Just wait until you do. Or be like most BQers and simply ignore the tacky singlet and get on with your life.
I do like Tracksmith's shorts, but I am really starting to dislike the brand at this point. Stand for something or just go away.
Tracksmith shorts don't give me chaffing issues and have lasted me years without issues. My crotch comfort is more important than my virtue signaling.
Their very first mistake was releasing the BQ singlet. When I look at Tracksmith's website and the message it presents, "peak performance" is not what grabs me. It's more like style and story than anything, and the "elitist" BQ singlet is not in that vein.
FWIW, I don't mind the idea of the BQ singlet, and wish I could get one (not currently fast enough), but Tracksmith probably wasn't the right company to offer it. Not super sure which one it is, but not Tracksmith.
Tracksmith is based in Boston, it kind of makes sense they would want to do something special for the Boston marathon. I tend to agree they should have just left it alone with the original offer of the BQ singlet, everything they've done since then has just made it worse.
Their very first mistake was releasing the BQ singlet. When I look at Tracksmith's website and the message it presents, "peak performance" is not what grabs me. It's more like style and story than anything, and the "elitist" BQ singlet is not in that vein.
FWIW, I don't mind the idea of the BQ singlet, and wish I could get one (not currently fast enough), but Tracksmith probably wasn't the right company to offer it. Not super sure which one it is, but not Tracksmith.
I kindly and respectfully disagree. I feel like a BQ is right in line with their brand. I am not attacking your race time, but a BQ isn't elite. It is not "peak performance." It is the kind of goal someone who trains daily - especially up in the northeast/New England area - would aspire to, and many attain.
I agree 100% that Tracksmith would be wrong to issue Olympic qualifier jerseys or something, but BQ singlets seem pretty on brand for them. FWIW, I would not buy one. I think it is stupid.
Most importantly, good luck with your training and keep reaching for that time. You'll get it.
Really revealed how insufferable the running community really is. The absolute worst.
Just filled with privileged entitled dorks who use inclusive social justice language to whine about how they aren't fast enough for a shirt. It was so pathetic to read these ridiculous comments and go to their little running influencer profiles showing how charmed their lives are just for broadly displaying their mediocrity.
Ableism. Elitism. Exclusivitity. Privilege. Bodies. Shut up all of you.
Running is ablest. You generally have to be able bodied or at least high functioning to run. Get over it.
Sure prices of shoes and race entries can go down to include more people, but for the most part running is cheap. iF you are trying to buy a go pro and a selfie stick and the most fashionable clothes to take a million pictures of yourself then maybe it's a little pricier but stick to the simplicity and you'll be fine.
What do these people mean by exclusive? Running is inclusive. You want to be a runner, go running. By inclusive do you mean including 3:30 marathoners in the "Elite Athlete" label? Do you mean wanting attention and clout for running average times?
And finally, here's a thing. for the most part if you have a "fat body" and you go from not running to running regularly, your body will slim down. It will happen. Therefore, the running clothes you purchase will be clothes that people with smaller bodies have. stop whining that "fat bodies" aren't included. It doesn't have to be a permanent state, and you can find clothes that will fit you.
Really revealed how insufferable the running community really is. The absolute worst.
Just filled with privileged entitled dorks who use inclusive social justice language to whine about how they aren't fast enough for a shirt. It was so pathetic to read these ridiculous comments and go to their little running influencer profiles showing how charmed their lives are just for broadly displaying their mediocrity.
Ableism. Elitism. Exclusivitity. Privilege. Bodies. Shut up all of you.
Running is ablest. You generally have to be able bodied or at least high functioning to run. Get over it.
Sure prices of shoes and race entries can go down to include more people, but for the most part running is cheap. iF you are trying to buy a go pro and a selfie stick and the most fashionable clothes to take a million pictures of yourself then maybe it's a little pricier but stick to the simplicity and you'll be fine.
What do these people mean by exclusive? Running is inclusive. You want to be a runner, go running. By inclusive do you mean including 3:30 marathoners in the "Elite Athlete" label? Do you mean wanting attention and clout for running average times?
And finally, here's a thing. for the most part if you have a "fat body" and you go from not running to running regularly, your body will slim down. It will happen. Therefore, the running clothes you purchase will be clothes that people with smaller bodies have. stop whining that "fat bodies" aren't included. It doesn't have to be a permanent state, and you can find clothes that will fit you.
I just want to add, if you follow "fat" running influencers who make a killing taking pictures of their "fat bodies" running, chances are you are following a fraud. If someone is training regularly, they are going to slim down.
Really revealed how insufferable the running community really is. The absolute worst.
Just filled with privileged entitled dorks who use inclusive social justice language to whine about how they aren't fast enough for a shirt. It was so pathetic to read these ridiculous comments and go to their little running influencer profiles showing how charmed their lives are just for broadly displaying their mediocrity.
Ableism. Elitism. Exclusivitity. Privilege. Bodies. Shut up all of you.
Running is ablest. You generally have to be able bodied or at least high functioning to run. Get over it.
Sure prices of shoes and race entries can go down to include more people, but for the most part running is cheap. iF you are trying to buy a go pro and a selfie stick and the most fashionable clothes to take a million pictures of yourself then maybe it's a little pricier but stick to the simplicity and you'll be fine.
What do these people mean by exclusive? Running is inclusive. You want to be a runner, go running. By inclusive do you mean including 3:30 marathoners in the "Elite Athlete" label? Do you mean wanting attention and clout for running average times?
And finally, here's a thing. for the most part if you have a "fat body" and you go from not running to running regularly, your body will slim down. It will happen. Therefore, the running clothes you purchase will be clothes that people with smaller bodies have. stop whining that "fat bodies" aren't included. It doesn't have to be a permanent state, and you can find clothes that will fit you.
It's not even really just "the running community" that's filled with this nonsense, it's everywhere. It's been discussed in another thread that the activist folx have put a social justice target on the Boston Marathon and anything associated with it. Every hobby has a miffed activist element, usually led by one or a few grifters who are making a living off that miffed-off-edness. In this case it's Alison Desir (who was spotted in the insta comments, of course!), just another unremarkable fat influencer of colour who happens to be in our hobby,
Why would ANYONE want a BQ singlet if they didn't qualify or make the cutoff?
I don't really understand this and what people are complaining about. Next people will be complaining that they can't have a team USA singlet and the USA team is ableist.
JFC why do people have to take offense at anything and everything.
Tracksmith can do whateverthey want with their clothes. They can put up whatever hurdles they want to being able to buy a tank top. Get over it.
And what is bizarre is that Tracksmith has always had an elitist Ivy League narrative to their brand. Their marketing is packed with images of actual fit runners, not your average 30-40 year old neighborhood hobby jogger with a mum/dad bod trying to get into shape. So their decision to gatekeep their Boston singlet isn’t exactly the most surprising thing.
And while you can debate the merits of their initial decision to put up a roadblock to getting the Boston singlet, I think it was definitely stupid to not stand behind their decision and bow to the mob.
I am just your local mid-30s hobbyjogger getting back into running after a five year hiatus, I own plenty of Tracksmith gear cause some of their stuff is legit good (e.g. long sleeve Harriers), and I am politically liberal AF … but, goddamn, why do people have to try and make every goddamn thing into a social justice issue that must be whined about.
FWIW, I don't mind the idea of the BQ singlet, and wish I could get one (not currently fast enough), but Tracksmith probably wasn't the right company to offer it. Not super sure which one it is, but not Tracksmith.
Several brands make Boston singlets. Technically the only "Boston Marathon" ones are made by Adidas because they sponsor the race. Everyone else just has "Boston" or "BQ."
Overall, Tracksmith as a brand always seemed like they were/are trying to sell to a select group. I never thought they were inclusive.
I consider myself a "serious" and "good" runner and..idk I never felt like their clothes were for me. Like they seemed like they were for runners who...were...trying to be "runners?" Like living the "once a runner" vibe which whatever, if that's you, great but seems ye Olde fashioned. Also everything was over priced for what it was lol.
The entire messaging behind the marketing of this silly shirt, and an overall mindset in running that like the reason why a person got a qualifying time is "hard work and dedication" and a reason why a person didn't is bc they didn't work hard. That's what makes people mad.
I work hard at running every day. I'm a cancer survivor and survived a pulmonary embolism and had to rebuild from nothing. I still could qualify for Boston bc of many reasons..work etjic is one. Talent and experienceis another, but I don't care about it lol. It seems boring. That doesn't mean I don't work hard. It's myopic to think and act like that's the thing that defines worth in the sport, but clearly that's a strong narrative.
I think a lot of people in the back of the pack are working just as hard as the mid and front pack. They also are getting up at 5 am or whatever...the post clearly diminished that...and it was weird.
Thought this was silly. Tracksmith launches a singlet only available to Boston Qualifiers, and people are losing their minds in the comments section on social media (Instagram) about how it's "elitist" (among other things):
Crazy how over the top PC people have become. 20 years ago this would never have even been an issue.
20 years ago, there wasn't this bull.... running influencer world. People would have seen that and actually trained harder to earn the chance to buy it.
You forgot Dinee Dorame. She's just as bad as Alison Desir. Both make gross generalizations about entire groups of people. Hopefully people in the running community will stumble onto threads like this before supporting people like that.
Really revealed how insufferable the running community really is. The absolute worst.
Just filled with privileged entitled dorks who use inclusive social justice language to whine about how they aren't fast enough for a shirt. It was so pathetic to read these ridiculous comments and go to their little running influencer profiles showing how charmed their lives are just for broadly displaying their mediocrity.
Ableism. Elitism. Exclusivitity. Privilege. Bodies. Shut up all of you.
Running is ablest. You generally have to be able bodied or at least high functioning to run. Get over it.
Sure prices of shoes and race entries can go down to include more people, but for the most part running is cheap. iF you are trying to buy a go pro and a selfie stick and the most fashionable clothes to take a million pictures of yourself then maybe it's a little pricier but stick to the simplicity and you'll be fine.
What do these people mean by exclusive? Running is inclusive. You want to be a runner, go running. By inclusive do you mean including 3:30 marathoners in the "Elite Athlete" label? Do you mean wanting attention and clout for running average times?
And finally, here's a thing. for the most part if you have a "fat body" and you go from not running to running regularly, your body will slim down. It will happen. Therefore, the running clothes you purchase will be clothes that people with smaller bodies have. stop whining that "fat bodies" aren't included. It doesn't have to be a permanent state, and you can find clothes that will fit you.
I suppose a lot of insecure people. Just go run for yourself. Stop all this made up narrative about community, camaraderie, etc. If you're not running at least old Olympic marathon Q time, you're not fast. That is just a fact. Run for yourself and your own goals.
Really revealed how insufferable the running community really is. The absolute worst.
Just filled with privileged entitled dorks who use inclusive social justice language to whine about how they aren't fast enough for a shirt. It was so pathetic to read these ridiculous comments and go to their little running influencer profiles showing how charmed their lives are just for broadly displaying their mediocrity.
Ableism. Elitism. Exclusivitity. Privilege. Bodies. Shut up all of you.
Running is ablest. You generally have to be able bodied or at least high functioning to run. Get over it.
Sure prices of shoes and race entries can go down to include more people, but for the most part running is cheap. iF you are trying to buy a go pro and a selfie stick and the most fashionable clothes to take a million pictures of yourself then maybe it's a little pricier but stick to the simplicity and you'll be fine.
What do these people mean by exclusive? Running is inclusive. You want to be a runner, go running. By inclusive do you mean including 3:30 marathoners in the "Elite Athlete" label? Do you mean wanting attention and clout for running average times?
And finally, here's a thing. for the most part if you have a "fat body" and you go from not running to running regularly, your body will slim down. It will happen. Therefore, the running clothes you purchase will be clothes that people with smaller bodies have. stop whining that "fat bodies" aren't included. It doesn't have to be a permanent state, and you can find clothes that will fit you.
You def have some passive aggressive issues with people who don’t look like you or think like you. Are you overweight? You sound very insecure. If only we could all listen to your wisdom none of this would occur LOL.