Time to Boycott Marathons

Yeah, a bit of sarcasm I guess. You can't have every race cater to every single person. You look at what's out there and pick the one that you think is the best one for you. I wouldn't personally enter a megathon with a walking division, but I doubt I'd consider this any kind of a politically motivated boycott or anything.

Sorry Coach but I just don't get the analogy with the Super Bowl. The Chicago or NYC Marathon is NOT the Super Bowl. Perhaps the Trials and certainly the Olympics could be viewed as such but to use one of the mega races as a comparison to the Super Bowl is flawed.

And just for the record, none of you "sub 2:30" guys out there are winning any more or less money than the 5 hour people in these big city marathons. There's only one Peyton Manning and only one Tom Brady...and most days, they are Kenyans in our world.

Here is a clue wrote:

because it take away from the respect people get for finishing a marathon.

Just because you can walk 26.2 miles on no preparation, means nothing. But months of training to run 26.2 miles in 4hrs. I can admire that. Or even the fat guy that trains to walk a marathon or racewalkers. But not the soccermom with her sport water in one hand and an Ipod in the other.

I can't ever admire any accomplishment that requires no preparation other than going to the store and buying jogging shorts.

So, you lose your woody because someone that doesn't "look" like a marathoner gets a finishers medal. I can tell you from my experiences in the pace team booth at Chicago that it's not the "soccer mom's with ipods" that don't prepare. If you've studied race splits at the detained level I have you'd know that those soccer moms are better prepared than your average guy in their 20's. Look it up yourself, you'll find those gals in their 30's and 40's run pretty even splits, guys will run like a studmuffin the first 6-10 miles and do the march of death the last 10K.

Many of the above arguments are well reasoned.

Personally, I think a race (marathon or otherwise) is too big if I can't find a nice, quiet, clean place to poop before the gun goes off.

I'm not "elite" but I win a fair share of the races I enter. (Smaller, thought they usually be.)

I am personally sick of people who consistantly run 2:30-3:00. You already BQ'd.. but your not good enough to qualify for the Trials.. so give it up.. You'll train your ass off and shave 1 min off your PR and run 2:29.. Who gives a $hit? NO ONE! Try running some ultras...

Other way around, competitive runners feed (subsidize) the joggers and walkers who enter and need 6+ hours to complete the course and demand that the course stay open long enough so that they get in the results and receive a medal for their self-proclaimed heroism.

mobile9 wrote:

Be carefule about biting the hand that feeds you.

The Masses wrote:

You have it backwards. Setting aside the argument that marathons should bar participants who choose to walk, the more competitors (walkers, jumpers, skippers, etc.) the more money that gets thrown into the pile FOR the elite athletes. It doesn't take an economist to see that the cost race directors NEED for each participant is far less than what is actually charged. Where does all this money go? It goes to insurance and permits, etc. but it also goes into inviting top athletes to perform and then handing out giant paychecks (bigger than ever paychecks) to athletes who do well. Of course this all occurs even before the race attracts a marquee sponsor like ING or LaSalle to throw even more money onto the pile.

Except that it's the title sponsor (like Hancock or LaSalle Bank or ING) that provides the money for elites, both prize purse and appearance fees. So you'd be the one who has it backwards in this case.

Cross wrote:

On a practical level, it takes away resources and supplies from the athletes actually competing in the event. The marathon is first and foremost a competition for highly-trained athletes testing their body's limits. Not a circus for walkers, jog-walkers, and other "weekend warriors."

Wrong. That "circus" is exactly why the resources are so good at Chicago and New York. Do you think anyone gives a sh!t about some 2:30 guy (hopeful for most letsrunners, including me), other than the 2:30 guys? No, they don't. But that 2:30 guy can run a clear marked time trial with fluids every mile precisely because it's funded by all of the "joggers" people like you complain about.

I enter roads for time and because they bring together others at the same level as me (sub-sub-elite?) to compete, and I'm happy if others are doing the same. Frankly, I don't give a shit if they are doing so 5 minutes or 50 or 150 minutes behind me.

ticktock wrote:

What I don't get is, when do you even see these 4 hr+joggers?

I see them (or at least the effect of allowances made for them) when I see marathons costing $100 or more. Let me pay $20-40 less and make them pay $20-40 more since I don't need the course to remain open that long and they do!

Do you honestly think that Hancock, LaSalle Bank and/or ING would put forth the money sponsorship they do for a piddly little race of 100 or so sub 2:30 guys? Now where's the benefit to them? I'm pretty sure I know the answer to that.

They have previously.

First - Have any of the "elites" on this board bothered to talk to some of the "penguins" out there in marathonland. If you want to feel better about your accomplishments, go tell them your PR. I'm a master's runner with at 3:26 PR, and my friends and family who run their marathons in 5:00 hours look at me like I'm a freak (and compared to the PR's of everyone else on this board, mine is not that good - think of the looks the rest of you would get!!!). You wouldn't believe the admiration they have for runners who can clock a good/great time in a marathon. Most likely, the average Joe who only watches football on Sunday doesn't give a hoot about the results of NY, Chicago, Boston, etc.. It's the average runner who cares and knows what a good time is. So, instead of resenting the penguins presence, remember how many fans you have lining up behind you at every race you run.

Second -As far as putting in the work, I personally know four 5-hour marathon runners, and they get to the line, PREPARED. Each of them has always run at least one 20 miler prior to race day.

Third - Why does anybody care how long someone is out on the course, so long as the race directors have prepared for it. It's not like they are making the winners go back to the 20 mile marker and pass out water for the next two hours. You're probably at home and showered by the time the penguins finish. Why do you care?

Really? I'd really like to know just how many 'penguins' could, without looking it up, name anyone from the top 10 world or US marathon lists besides Geb, Tergat, Meb, Radcliffe, and Deena. Anyone willing to run a poll of RWOL forum users? I'd be incredibly surprised if more than 10% could and would be not surprised at all if that were under 5%.

From your pedestrian perspective they're "PREPARED", but "at least one 20 miler" is indicative of little at all. I've seen twits who run 20 milers as a part of 20-40 mile max weeks.

Well, let's see, because the ever-rising entry fees are what are used to pay for the course closure. That means permits, EMT pay, cop pay, and so on. Why should someone who doesn't need the course open longer than three hours pay the same amount as all those who need it open for hours and hours longer? It's an unfair burden placed on faster runners to subsidize much slower joggers and walkers. That's why we care.

Oh yeah, and letting all those slow runners, joggers, and walkers into a RACE is like letting rec league softballers man the outfield for the Red Sox. THEY DON'T BELONG, they cheapen the competition.

you're an angry little guy, aren't ya?

I am with you. At Columbus this year and last year they closed the field for the marathon because there were so many walkers and half marathoners.

First I think it is great there are a lot of people who want to do the marathon but a guy from the Chicago Tribune wrote something like this last week. The problem with the marathon is that too many people who treat it like a company picnic when it is an athletic event.

In Columbus they start the walk an hour early, but I saw ten of the first 20 walkers running at the half way point...If it is a walk – walk it. There is a walk in Columbus which says “No Runners Allowed” Now why is this ok.

Start the walk if there is going to be one after the runners start. I ran the marathon last year and I had to dodge walkers walking 3 or 4 a breast across the street. They looked like they were out for an afternoon walk and not interested in the competitive aspect of the “race” which hurts the performance of the runners when they have to fight going around the walkers.

Why do everyone now want to say they did a marathon....There are a lot of levels of competitive running...perhaps the Boston Marathon qualifying times mean you are marathoner...and times 30 minutes slower than the qualifying time would not justify saying “you Ran the marathon” Yes you survived being out there for 26.2 miles, but maybe using the word “ran a Marathon is a little too much...

This argument that letting slow people run marathons is like letting rec league softball players in the outfield of an MLB game is ridiculous. Having random people in the outfield during a baseball game interferes with the game. Having random people behind you in a race doesn't effect you. Also, you should realize that in your MLB vs rec league baseball example, you would probably be more analogous to the rec league player.

You like to project, don't ya? I've seen your posts before. Why don't you take issue with the actual content if you feel like I've expressed anything that's unfair, rather than sit back and take petty, ad hominem pot-shots? You aren't lazy, are you?

The content of your posts shows you to be an angry little guy. Better?

It's pr**k's like you that don't belong. Runner Mom is right on; the only people who even appreciate fast times are the people lining up for the race, and the other "twits" out on the roads. And all you can do is dis them. The rest of the world could give a rats a$$.