Here's a guy who gets running on CNN and the front page of the newspaper and everyone bashes him because he's the wrong kind of runner. Most would say any publicity is good publicity. Can you even name the Kenyan of the month that is getting Nike dollars? If more people want to make a living running then America needs to know their names. OK, he's not going to win any Olympic medals, but he has genetic gifts most of us can only dream of. Stop bashing his success and help promote the sport.
I'm not a big fan, but I'd have to agree with this assessment...
Considering that there are decent runner girls in junior high school who would lap DK in a 5,000 he has no business pimping himself to media outlets as a legit top runner. We don't have any more respect for Dean Karnazes than we do for poseurs like magpie who lie about their PRs. We don't want liars and cheats fronting our sport. It's bad for our image. Dean Karnazes is a fraud as a runner, and you are a fraud for posting this. Nice trolling pal.
Apples and oranges. I didn't say he was a top runner. He is a runner that knows how to promote himself and running. Why would an ultra runner care about 5k track speed. 15th place at Western States is legit. Don't diss the ultra runners until you've spent 24 hours in their shoes.
John Paul wrote:
OK, he's not going to win any Olympic medals, but he has genetic gifts most of us can only dream of.
Hahahhaahah... i wish you could understand how stupid you sound.
He may be getting running on cnn, but i would rather he didn't, because he's an embarrassment to the running community. Most of us don't want the typical image of an american runner to be Dean Karnazes. He simply doesn't deserve it. If DK is so "genetically talented," how come those guys who ran across the Sahara haven't gotten publicity? All those kenyans work a hell of a lot harder than DK, and of anyone, they deserve to be mentioned on cnn.
The thing with Karnazes is, he's not even the best "ultra runner." 15th is good, but who cares? I mean, come on, who has the 15th best 5k in the nation? Nobody cares about 15th place and nobody should care about Karnazes as much as they do.
The guy running the 15th best 5k cares and it's probably a name that you would recongnize and I bet he is struggling to make a living running.
The 15th best basketball, football or even golfer in the US is a multimillionaire. This guy has found a way to draw attention to, and make money by running.
Sprinter don't respect distance runners, distance runners don't respect ultra runners, ultra runners don't respect George Bush . . oh wait nobody respects George Bush.
He's an embarrassment because . . .? He may not deserve it but he's figured out how to do it. Our local running store closed and there is zero coverage of any running events in our newspaper. You are welcome to call me stupid when you finish your first Badwater.
John Paul wrote:You are welcome to call me stupid when you finish your first Badwater.
I've never finished Badwater and can still call you stupid. You are stupid. You just don't get it, and probably never will.
Dean K. gets a lot of media attention, and for feats that don't necessarily warrant them. He's an embarrassment because he lies about his accomplishments. He has finished races and then will claim he got first in a division that wasn't even competed. That's like you going to a 5K, getting 27th overall, but claiming you got first... in the "male, over-40, wearing purple shorts and rainbow suspenders outfit with a bald head and mustache" division.
Furthermore, the American public doesn't really give a crap about running, but when they see Dean K. on Leno, next thing the public thinks is that all runners are like Dean. It's difficult to put the time in it takes to succeed at running, only to have some twit inquire if you are also going to do 50 marathons in 50 days, like that is what all runners aspire to accomplish.
It's great that Dean has been able to market himself as an inspiration to others, and to make himself a lot of money. But think of him like Britney Spears or Justin Timberlake; while they might be topping the charts, very few musicians are carrying on about their musical talents. Same goes for Dean K.; everyone thinks of him as some "great" runner, but it's just plain insulting to those runners who are truly talented.
Use the search feature and quit dragging out tired old subjects -
http://www.letsrun.com/forum/process_search.php?search=Dean+Karnazes&search_time=180
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In a nutshell this dude is a PR whore and creates events to say he is the best at. His own categories, his own courses, his own distances (I'm the world record holder at the 29 mile run), etc.
I guess by your reasoning Pam Reed is a great runner despite her recent mid pack finishes at the Sedona marathon and Crown King Scramble 50K. Oh, I just brought out an old tired beaten up subject. And runner.
Not a great runner. Does William Hung deserve a record contract. No, welcome to America!
John Paul wrote:
Apples and oranges. I didn't say he was a top runner. He is a runner that knows how to promote himself and running. Why would an ultra runner care about 5k track speed. 15th place at Western States is legit. Don't diss the ultra runners until you've spent 24 hours in their shoes.
Who do you think you are lecturing to?
You are either a troll or someone associated with Dean's PR firm.
How is anyone here 'dissing' ultra runners?
Deano-bashing threads are getting old, but for the record, here's who we are 'dissing:'
1. A man who lied in his cliche-dripping book about his sub 2:40 marathon among other things.
2. A man who says he is 'testing the limits of human endurance' when, what he did was done by a man with cancer and one leg 25 years ago. (Not to mention a guy, Sam Thompson, who did it before Dean started it).
3. A vain, spotlight-hogging charlatan who stands for a picture in a magazine that calls him 'America's Greatest Runner.' Would you stand by that tagline? Would most ultra runners? I thought the 'trend' in the ultra community in the past was NOT to run for the spotlight or the bling-bling or the headline...you know, to win something as small and useless and ironically trivial as a belt buckle...
4. A man who sics his PR firm and his sponsor on the board as well as his other public detractors (threatening cease and desist letters to them)
So how is this a diss on ultra runners?
The man is doing absolutely nothing good for the sport. He is teaching the mindless American public that the best runners in the country are the ones who are best at promoting themselves with circus sideshows.
If I were to be the 15th fastest at a small local race, but demanded that I get 1st place in the married-with-4-kids division, AND I was great at getting attention (even getting in the local paper), should I be commended after I get in the paper?
John Paul wrote:
Apples and oranges. I didn't say he was a top runner.
You didn't say it but he does.
Can you run 100 miles? 200 miles? nonstop. even walking a bit. I can't.
Art, is being able to do something that you can't do all that special?
Not really.
The guy is embarrassing- and makes running embarrassing- bad for the sport!
I'd like to pump him full of thiopental sodium and ask him how much of the stuff in his book was made up. The story of him helping some (unnamed) SoCal high school cross country team to a section title as a freshman by courageously finishing hard despite a broken nose gushing blood: BS. The part about the two (nameless) Army rangers he supposedly saw training all the time, then passed at Western States: BS. I don't care what he does with himself or his image but to any experienced runner (not the market for his book) it was obvious how much, er, embellishing was done.
They don't walk a bit they walk a lot and stop a lot thats i think the main difference with ultra's
i'm gonna do a "line item" post for speed, please don't take it as condescending.
John Paul wrote:
Here's a guy who gets running on CNN and the front page of the newspaper and everyone bashes him because he's the wrong kind of runner.
he doesn't get running in the papers, he gets his accomplishments in the papers. there's big a difference and that's why people are annoyed.
Most would say any publicity is good publicity.
no, most have heard that cliche. it doesn't mean most agree that it's true.
Can you even name the Kenyan of the month that is getting Nike dollars? If more people want to make a living running then America needs to know their names.
when it comes to sports like running, americans want one name that they can point to as the best. that's all they care enough to know about it, and probably, a million deans won't ever change that. one name, that's all there's room for, and dean is trying to get that name. that's a big problem to a lot of fans.