Competitor group's masters runner comped entry standards

Living in Philadelphia, I have a little different opinion to Brian's post.

Many of Philadelphia's runners ( well not the hobby joggers) are truly angry at what this race has become. It used to be an awesome competitive race that everyone looked forward to every year. The Philadelphia Distance Run. It has now become just another rock and roll half, a circus with bands, and all this corporate bullshit with a ridiculously high entry fee. He is basically noting that the standards are just way off when it comes to masters. I can more understand his frustration in his emails with the background knowledge of what happened to this race. Just think of your favorite race, being bought out and changed completely! And the whole Philadelphia aspect has been removed!

I vowed years ago never to run the race again, seeing what it has become. But the problem is, Comp. Group could care less that a mildly fast local runner wont run the race because 10,000 3hour halfers have replaced me. This sport is getting really frustrating at times.

only a tool would want to run a Competitor group race anyway.

I'm not sure I get this. Isn't the essence of a race the race itself? You get a good, safe, well marked closed course with good competition, a well organized start and an efficient timing system and that's pretty much all you need. Porta potty and then bag check access are probably the next tiers down, but why should a circus atmosphere or a bunch of bands bother you? Maybe they are driving costs up, but that's a different issue than ruining a race.

talkup radio wrote:

Does he have a good case for an entry? Sure.

Is he a terrible person who acted like a spoiled d!ck? Most definitely.

I appreciate that you agree with my key points. The OP was justified asking for an entry and inquiring what their Masters standard is. The fact that he may have come off sounding as a dick? Well, he is from Philadelphia. That's par for course there.

Smoove wrote:

I'm not sure I get this. Isn't the essence of a race the race itself? You get a good, safe, well marked closed course with good competition, a well organized start and an efficient timing system and that's pretty much all you need. Porta potty and then bag check access are probably the next tiers down, but why should a circus atmosphere or a bunch of bands bother you? Maybe they are driving costs up, but that's a different issue than ruining a race.

Have you run both? If not I wouldn't expect you to get it. It was nice that the race was focused on competition, not all the side show nonsense! Completely different feel now! The whole rock and roll aspect is just overkill. overpriced.

Couple years ago they added a 5k, expensive as well and did not even give however gave finisher medals to everyone?

**Couple years ago they added a 5k, expensive as well and did not even give ***awards*** however gave finisher medals to everyone?[/quote]

Competitor destroys the soul of great road races, but that's not why Brian started the thread.

knox harrington wrote:

[quote]Comp. Group ruined it wrote:

Competitor destroys the soul of great road races, but that's not why Brian started the thread.

One of the reasons why Competitor no longer supplies comped entries to all runners meeting their standards is because they are now selling the elite amenities as a VIP purchase for $90. So instead of giving an entry to a hard working runner they now sell that spot to anyone with money to burn in their pockets. This is exactly why many Rock & Roll "elites" are now told they are no longer allowed to use the elite restrooms or post race brunch, like they had been given in the past.

That is why Brians post matters. It's all part of the same destructive greed cycle. I wouldn't care except Rock & Roll continues to suck up the good local races instead of staying in their own lane.

The op is off here, but I have to admit that the socal guys make me feel bad for breathing air, and jogging races at the mid to high 80s level.

High 80s in your early 40s would make you a heavy masters favorite in just about any race in the country as long as the former Olympians and Castille don't show.

Why do you think all these good local race chose to sell out? And it's not just the Competitor group that is changing road racing. I think the so called elite like OP should share in the blame. They want everything and don't want to participate to make a better race.

There is a 49 year old in our running community who does nothing but run. Well, he works, but he had no other interests, no children and is a total jerk.

At a race last summer, he didn't too well and was passed the last 200 meters by a female Kenyan. At the awards banquet, he was pounding the table in frustration, saying how he was going to "train his brains out and pound her in the ground next year."

If he only saw the people laughing at him. What a joke.

Smoove wrote:

High 80s in your early 40s would make you a heavy masters favorite in just about any race in the country as long as the former Olympians and Castille don't show.

I agree.

And think of how us low-to-mid 70s master's guys feel. Yeah, we are beyond the local group statistically, but are often beaten by guys within the local pool of runners--and then when compared to the national level guys, we look like nothing. It sometimes makes me question why I even run.

mildlyfastmaster wrote:

...they are not willing to comp any master's entries unless your Meb or Kevin Castille...As a race organizer, why put up any prize money if you're not going to attempt at making it a competitive race?

This race used to be about the competition...Competitor group is changing the way these events are held for the worse and if no one speaks up its gonna get worse. Competition still drives this race at the front end and I believe that masters athletes specifically should be catered to a little more.

they are not obligated to comp anyone, but at least with meb they're getting publicity out of it, so it absolutely follows that they should comp him. what are they getting by comping you? i don't mean this as a rhetorical exercise--if you think you are doing them a service by creating a draw to the race by running fast, then that's a fair argument, but it still doesn't mean they have to comp you.

i think the race is still about competition. yes, entertainment has entered the equation, but in most local road races there has always been an element of this.

finally, there are many causes in life that merit "speaking out," protesting and/or taking a stand. this is clearly not one of them...

Get faster. Problem solved.

I won a masters championship at a world major marathon in the recent past. Even then, I thought to myself "well, it was a slow year and some guys didn't show because they are focused on other matathons." And I regularly fee like a fraud when people think I'm good since a decent Kenyan middle school boy would beat me.

But that's the thing about running - we are all slow compared to someone else unless we are the one person in the world who holds the world record (or arguably are among the small handful who are currently in contention to assume that position). You can't let your relative success go to your head and you can let others' success bring you down. The value of running goes well beyond the comparisons to others.

We all know this, but sometimes we need to remind ourselves.

Pete is KILLING it in this thread.

8/10

If your not trolling.... That is a pathetic way to react to the situation. You clearly have run some quality times. You could definitely make the case that such an event should adjust their entry standards to reflect the placing. However, what you have done is made yourself look a like a tool who adds no value to the event and complains when denied a free entry. It is ultimately their decision. If you don't like get faster or take your running elsewhere.

Smoove wrote:

I won a masters championship at a world major marathon in the recent past. Even then, I thought to myself "well, it was a slow year and some guys didn't show because they are focused on other matathons." And I regularly fee like a fraud when people think I'm good since a decent Kenyan middle school boy would beat me.

But that's the thing about running - we are all slow compared to someone else unless we are the one person in the world who holds the world record (or arguably are among the small handful who are currently in contention to assume that position). You can't let your relative success go to your head and you can let others' success bring you down. The value of running goes well beyond the comparisons to others.

We all know this, but sometimes we need to remind ourselves.

Thanks, Smoove. You are an excellent runner. Period. What I have read in your posts clearly indicates this. I doubt a Keyan middle schooler could beat you. I appreciate your remarks, and wish you well in your running, but these numbers

5k, 75.55

10k, 73.8

marathon, 72.67

sometimes make me question things. Actually, the lowest number is least bothersome to me, as the PLP calculators seem to have an odd statistical calibration in regard to the marathon. Many guys can beat my 5k or 10k time, but yet I am more competitive with them in the longer distances (yet score lower at those distances).