Mid-distance guy writes marathon-length post to disparage marathons and marathoners.
I shouldn't be disparaging, you're probably right. Evidently it's an event that a lot of people find meaning in and get motivated for. I just feel strongly that the whole focus and culture around the marathon isn't what running should be about and I wouldn't be able to feel genuine doing something that's so packaged. Like it really baffles me how so many people hold the marathon up as this big achievement when it's so widely participated in.
I've run a lot of races on the track, roads, and cross country and the ones that stick with me the most have never given me a finishers medal or a jacket or any of that crap. What running gives you is an experience, digging into your guts and handing the clock a big lumpy mass of effort and the clock looks it over, chews it up, and spits out a time that says how good you did. That's running to me. Maybe if you're lucky there's a $50 gift card to the local running shop too.
I guess you can do that in a marathon too but it's just so over produced I just couldn't deal. For something that I've enjoyed and participated in in such a personal way, it just feels weird to have so much ancillary BS going on. I'll be shot out the back of the last heat of the all-comers meet, beer gut and all, any day over being draped in space blanket while my family/friends try to pretend I didn't crap my pants a few times.
What are these impressive times you have run against the clock and got your $50 run store gift card?
If anything the 5K is the most overproduced race around but they're not covering a 5K on TV...no sponsor is paying for that. Your ran is misguided and I think you are the one who should look inward on why others running a certain distance has got you in such a tizzy.
Cross country is perhaps the greatest form of racing but gets little coverage. Nobody is up in arms over that and I can tell you running cross country you don't hope to get a gift card. You may get a pat on the back for not screwing up your team's overall score and a free lunch if you're lucky.
Why is it a surprise that the mass didn't find your narrowly defined meaning of running being suffering for the duration of 5 to 30 minutes to run a distance that most people could run with a slower time anyway attractive?
You see, the vast majority of the population probably don't have nearly your level of running talent (assuming you are a decent track runner). Putting them in the pursuit of the same kind of narrowly defined meaning of what's considered an worthy achievement will make them feel they are worthless. So they chose to pursue a differently defined meaning of running. That quite natural right? It's like you won't compete with a hen on laying eggs. Would you feel like the hens should be complaining about that?
Look at it from the standpoint of a mid pack runner who does it for fun, exercise and social activity. They can just as easily ask why sub elites waste so much time and effort for no money and to get outclassed by skinny Africans whose country has an income per capita of 2k a year.
This post was edited 4 minutes after it was posted.
Mid-distance guy writes marathon-length post to disparage marathons and marathoners.
I shouldn't be disparaging, you're probably right. Evidently it's an event that a lot of people find meaning in and get motivated for. I just feel strongly that the whole focus and culture around the marathon isn't what running should be about and I wouldn't be able to feel genuine doing something that's so packaged. Like it really baffles me how so many people hold the marathon up as this big achievement when it's so widely participated in.
I've run a lot of races on the track, roads, and cross country and the ones that stick with me the most have never given me a finishers medal or a jacket or any of that crap. What running gives you is an experience, digging into your guts and handing the clock a big lumpy mass of effort and the clock looks it over, chews it up, and spits out a time that says how good you did. That's running to me. Maybe if you're lucky there's a $50 gift card to the local running shop too.
I guess you can do that in a marathon too but it's just so over produced I just couldn't deal. For something that I've enjoyed and participated in in such a personal way, it just feels weird to have so much ancillary BS going on. I'll be shot out the back of the last heat of the all-comers meet, beer gut and all, any day over being draped in space blanket while my family/friends try to pretend I didn't crap my pants a few times.
Just sign up for a marathon and run it. It’s obvious you want to.