Carl Lewis paid $2 to compete at a Rice All Comers meet once. He did not complain.
Carl Lewis paid $2 to compete at a Rice All Comers meet once. He did not complain.
Jefe in the CO wrote:
You're completely missing the point. Let me spell it out for you. Afterwards you can still tell me I'm full of it but maybe you'll have a better grasp of my point.
Deena Kastor is not a regular runner. She has developed a Brand that is worth $$$$'s to any race she enters. Maybe you've heard of some of the races where that Brand is recognized, like, oh, I don't know, how about London, Chicago, Boston...
She offered her Brand to a community oriented charity race. The community, sponsors and charity would have benefited greatly from her Brand presence.
Now what Deena would have been entitled to was to request an appearance fee commensurate with the value of that Brand. She did not. She was giving her brand away for $25 bucks. This is not the definition of wanting something for nothing, quite the opposite in fact.
Now assuming that you are not a world beater, had you requested a comp the RD could reasonably argue that you were getting something for nothing because you do not offer any upside to the community, sponsors or charity.
The RD has the fiduciary duty to ensure that the sponsors, community and charities maximize their return. He is in the business of making sure that happens. Very clearly in this case he failed in his duty because no one here could reasonably argue that the race would be better off without her. He should either be reprimanded or replaced. But Deena should be commended for offering her services to this event for the price of admission.
Get real wrote:Your opinion is obsolete Jefe. Deena wanted something for nothing. When she didn't get her way, like Mary Slaney before her, she chose to create a public spectacle. All over a measly twenty-five dollars.
Nobody but us fans on letsrun knows who the hell Deena is, so she doesn't add much to the race in terms of brand value. If she was as well known as you make her out to be, this "diss" by the RD would be in all the newspapers. It isn't.
The race is not a professional event so why should they have bent over backwards to take care of a professional runner? That's like saying your local bowling tournament should fly in a pro bowler in order to draw attention to the event. The same bowling addicts will be there with or without the pro.
The RD definitely should have comped her the entry but he made a mistake. He regrets it but probably isn't sweating it too much with the sponsors because if the sponsors wanted elite runners there they would have set the race up like a professional event with a prize structure and invited runners.
Deena shouldn't have done what she did on her website but it wasn't really a big deal. All she did was show her 500 fans that she is a human being. She just found out that as a minor celebrity she has to be careful about her presentation to the public. It is a credit to all she has accomplished in the sport that a minor thing like this generated some hoopla.
Case closed. Time to move on to another topic.
Deena made a fair request, the RD made a fair rejection. It should have ended right there, but Deena pulled a Slaney by taking this public on her blog, bringing her smack into the middle of a storm. The request and the rejection were both appropriate. Deena's response was not.
Most of the posts on both sides of this issue have gone way over the line. The name calling (she's a witch) doesn't promote your case at all. It's over. Deena has moved on, the RD has moved on and so should you (including me).
I hardly think writing it on your personal blog is making a big deal out of it. How mans people write stuff like this that happens to them daily on their personal blogs? Thousands...the only reason it's an issue is that she is a somewhat public figure.
I predict tomorrow youtube will broadcast a big grouphug by Mithc, Deena, Deeknas husband, Ray flinn and a buhch ofother peopel
shit I shtou'[d pots while Im drunk
mobile9 wrote:
Kinda says something that the RD of a fairly well known races has never heard of Deena Kastor.
Yes, give me a break. He talks as if Deena's just one of many good runners and he can't be bothered to know them all. If he doesn't know Deena then what the hell is he doing being a race director.
Our elites deserve to be pampered by us. Let's face it, no one else will. No one else gives a crap about our elites, so we need to show a little solidarity and treat them special when we can.
Why hasn't Deena posted yet?
What a pathetic bunch of insecure, loser, pussies.
Amazing how a bunch of turds who could barely compete in HS athletics can criticize someone who is arguably the greatest female runner this country has produced.
"hard-working"?
Have you ever trained like a world class runner? She has more than paid her dues.
When she lived in Alamosa, she worked for a non-profit. Many mutual friends have praised her for her “realness” and generosity.
I have been very unimpressed some of the post about this subject… some anti-Semitic… most just naïve.
She did wake up one day and automatically start running sub 2:20 marathons…. She has worked very hard to get to where she is.
I hope that she is a millionaire because she has earned it… but in the world of Professional American Distance running… it is not safe to assume that she it.
It was ridiculous that he didn't comp her entry and bend over backwards to have her in the race. It was also ridiculous for her to see fit to post it on her blog. Why even bring it up? It makes her look petty and arrogant and it makes the RD look like a fool. It seems like only negatives could come from blabbing the incident to the internet.
Informed wrote: Phil please know I understand your comments all too well...before being responsible to 400 employees running this community bank I was a TV sportscaster for 22 years...I understand professional athletes well.
Andrew told me he was sorry for not making more of a point about Deena. I wish to God I knew every runner but I do not. They are good [people who do not like to bring attention to themselves.
Mitch Massey
Senior Vice President
I recall when Mitch was doing the sports for KSBY. (The local NBC Station.) The Lakers were going to play the last place team in the conference. Mitch said, "If they lose I'll quit!" They lost and he had a very red face the next day when Rick Martel introduced his sports segment. He didn't leave for some time. They don't get the "HUGE" name runners here too often. At least they had Conover interviewed after he won the Olympic Trial Marathon. This is a small market. Most of the locals can't pronounce the name of the city where this is going to be run properly.
Doesn't Deena have her comp entry trust fund avaliable for use? And how much is she really worth today? Just envious cause I like money and will never have as much as the Big DK.
agree 100%, makes him come across as more petty than anyone in this fiasco...her career went far beyond yours, no need to make yourself look wonderful by saying you would have paid the $25...give me a break
Camoo wrote:
I had generally gotten the idea that Malmo was a person who commanded respect on these boards, but after his performance in the other Deena thread, I have to wonder why. Yeah, I know he was fast once.
i think all of this reveals once again, that 99% of the runners(and maybe half of the race directors)don't know or care about top american runners.
frustrating but true.
lay people and citizen racers are more interested if "there are going to be kenyans running?"
not any kenyan in particular, just kenyans.
if deena hadn't proposed doing anything to help raise the profile of the race/cause, she shouldn't expect it to be free.
Deena didn't much care about not getting comped. It wasn't a big deal to her.
The race didn't much care about comping or attracting elites. They want a small time event. Not getting Deena is not a big deal to them.
The race director feels bad that he didn't recognize her but doesn't much care because it's not a big deal to him.
The other runners (most of whom have probably never even heard of Deena) are unlikely to care.
So the only people getting upset over this complete non-issue are the Ding-Dong denizens of LetsRun.com.
Nothing changes.
This will have absolutely no impact on the race next year because I would say alot of the people in the race dont even know who she is!
Deena should have contacted the race director and notify him that she was running. This is her fault because she should not assume everyone in their mother is going to recognize her name. It's sad but as great as she is, runners are just not that famous. Even to other runners.
This is one of those threads that just keeps going on long after any light is going to be shed on the matter.
The thing I found disturbing is 72 comp requestd. Who are all these people requesting to be comped for a local road race?!
Hate to break it to you "ethnocentric" runners, but the vast majority of race directors are not there to provide the runners of the world, elite or non-elite, with a service. They are there to make money for their event.
Carry on.