Are we witnessing the death of the marathon?

Which western athletes give great interviews? To avoid giving the same (and true) splurge on Bolt and other spinters doing great interviews I'll assume you mean distance runners.

Craig Mottram did that wonderful one at Pre a few years ago on the size of his testicles, and I'll happily admit to a bit of a man-crush on Nick Symmonds. I know he's not really Western, but anything involving Yuki is just plain hilarious.

The main difficulty we have is that the plain number of Western athletes who get interviews is small simply due to their inferior race results, so the opportunity for epic interviews is seriously diminished.

Cracker jacker wrote:

No one would know who Phelps is if he didn't have that amazing Olympics in 2008. I don't think anyone knew him before all his gold medals.

Four individual Olympic gold medals from 2004 isn't that bad too...

ataglance. wrote:

I follow the sport and I couldn't pick out the winner of NYC, Chicago, or Boston in a line up.

To deny that "The Kenyans" are terrible for the marketing of the sport is to deny reality.

If you can't recognize Kimetto, Lelisa Desisa, or Geoffrey Mutai, then no, you don't follow the sport.

Rupp is equal to Kimetto in cringe-worthy english speaking social interactions.

For intriguing public personality, the Kenyan equivalent to Symmonds = Kemboi. Let's get that guy on an american reality show. Dancing with the Stars?

Do you expect eloquence and brilliant prose from a kenyan farmer who probably recently learned what little english he knows and just ran a course shattering marathon?

Pacman wrote:

People are actually posting that black people all look the same and have no identity. I recon that is about as ridiculous as saying all white people look the same.

lets run news gives great race prieviews and they know who all the athletes are. I think the racists on here do not know much about running in the modern world.

you wacth Kiopsang in the Berlin Marathon running the last 10km its an amazing running motion to view perfect rythm and fitness.

How is he just another clone? just part of a very talented group of athletes from 1 country.

Yeah yeah yeah.. we're all "racists"..That is just such an old tired simple minded charge.

They're foreign, they dont speak the language well, and they all are very interchangeable. You can deny that but you're fooling yourself.

Nobody hates these guys or is saying they shouldnt run, far from it. It's just from a marketing stand point they're a nightmare.

With full confidence I think that if an American born black person were to become the next great marathoner, miler, etc.. they would get just as many chances to market themselves as Hall, Ritz, etc.

Damnit Jim wrote:

Do you expect eloquence and brilliant prose from a kenyan farmer who probably recently learned what little english he knows and just ran a course shattering marathon?

Nope, just affirming what others said, that many of the talented ones born and bred USA aren't any better.

So PR for this sport may have to share more light with the people who are actually interesting to the public (beyond just being good). The Kemboi Celebration Dance needs to be on primetime TV regularly.

Damnit Jim wrote:

Do you expect eloquence and brilliant prose from a kenyan farmer who probably recently learned what little english he knows and just ran a course shattering marathon?

Marathon is not dead.

The dismissal of fantastic running based on the fact that the runners are from Africa? I call that casual racism.

They are not cookie cutter runners. Each of them has a story, just like white people do.

Agreed that some of them can be boring, but you are an idiot if you can't tell them apart.

pr100 wrote:

On the other hand track and field and marathoning in particular have a real problem with marketing as a spectator sport.

Agree completely. The failure of the governing bodies and marketing teams are one of the reasons why no one cares about running. You have to adapt and change.

It doesn't help that most of the elite runners have zero personality and are completely forgettable.

I think the marathon is far from dead, however I would like to see an end to pace making. How's about a simple race where those that are finishing have to race one another from the beginning? I'd like an end to pacemakers on the track as well.

There's nothing cringeworthy about Kimetto's spoken English. English is not his native language.

With regard to the original thread topic, perhaps there is some sadness and or bitterness that USA runners no longer compete against the best.

I am not sure about marketing I can hardy even spell the word or most words infact! I recon most USA or Euro Athletes who won the Great Ethiopian run or Mobassa half marathon would give a crap interview in those languages. Then again doubt they would get in top 50 in those races.

Again pacemakers are not really pacing anyone they are there for the quality run a few weeks before the marathon they are going to win. I think even canova Stated running a 20 mile Mp workout is alot easyier in a race. Im sure that is part of specific training. But to be honest i dont know that much about running. just what ive read on here. You would have to follow very specific training to be a pacemaker for a sub word record run.

They have coca cola in Iten but no Mcdonalds or walmart possibly that is significant

yawn...here come the clones wrote:

Countless no-name cookie-cutter africans running sub-2:05. At every marathon a new nameless clone comes out of the woodwork and wins it. At some point nobody will give a shit anymore about the marathon at the elite level.

You Americans really are poor losers

frog woman wrote:

I think the marathon is far from dead, however I would like to see an end to pace making. How's about a simple race where those that are finishing have to race one another from the beginning? I'd like an end to pacemakers on the track as well.

^^^^^^^^^

THIS. I don't care who was racing in Chicago. It's just boring to watch guys go out at record pace and then die one by one. The Boston marathon ends in the same way, but at least there's some intrigue at the beginning-- weird no-name Americans taking the lead, surges, slowdowns, etc., etc. Did anybody watch the highlights from Twin Cities? It was seven minutes slower than Chicago, but much more exciting from a tactical perspective.

I don't think the average television viewer really cares about the difference between a 2:08 and a 2:04. Most of us would rather see some drama and tactics.

yawn...here come the clones wrote:

Countless no-name cookie-cutter africans running sub-2:05. At every marathon a new nameless clone comes out of the woodwork and wins it. At some point nobody will give a shit anymore about the marathon at the elite level.

No-name?

You don't really follow the sport...

ataglance. wrote:

I follow the sport and I couldn't pick out the winner of NYC, Chicago, or Boston in a line up.

To deny that "The Kenyans" are terrible for the marketing of the sport is to deny reality.

Neither do you.

I could tell the names of 11 of the 12 the runners in the lead pack at halfway just by looking at them - no idea who the guy in the sunglasses was.

newname wrote:

to say that the marathon has lost some of its excitement, it is just the truth.

You mean, it is just your opinion.

newname wrote:

Also, anyone who doesn't think that the current RAFT of 2:03-2:07 runners are not doping are morons.

And how do you know that?

Ah! It's the truth according to you again.

People are more interesting when you know their stories.

Would it be that hard for the broadcasters (or the agents?) to find someone who speaks fluent Swahili - or whatever other languages these poly-lingual speedsters speak? Those post-race interviews were painful, and it's not the athletes' fault.

Just guessing here, but there have to be thousands of people in the Chicago area who speak Swahili fluently - I bet some of them even have journalism degrees! and TV experience!