are you a runner? what is these unable to work because it is too hot. Now you know why you guys dont have distance runners anymore. one posibilty might be that they are tired of getting beat by Paula and the blame it on the wearther.
do you even have a marathon team at the world champs?
Two points that need to be made:
1. It's a championship race and not a rabbited time trial or a made for world records drag race. Want a medal? Go to Paris or Athens. Want a WR or big payday? Go to Chicago or London.
2. 2:20 P.M., eh? It sounds to me that European TV networks heavily influenced that call. It's no different than a U.S. network asking the NFL or NBA to put marquee match-ups on at 1:00 on Sunday afternoon for maximum viewership. (Remember - It's a business. Without TV or sponsor dollars, the sport ceases to exist.)
Poor races equal poor TV ratings, equal no sponsors, equalno money.
European like records & speed not strategy.
F---in' meeting ran long this morning so "Portland Runner" beat me to board with the real reason. Television. Money talks.
"I want to run in the morning"
and
"I want runners to be well paid, and I want to see live running featured more on TV"
are incompatible statements. Make a choice.
i thought about television for a second but i guess i can't comprehend a world championship marathon being on tv, let alone live for the world to see. oh wait, most of the world will have the opportunity to see it. i'll get my updates on letsrun message boards.
nyariki-
Can you be more annoying on this board? Who are you and who do you belong to? It's not American to be concerned about ENDURANCE athletes competing at the World Championships - it's human.
"one posibilty might be that they are tired of getting beat by Paula and the blame it on the wearther" What does that even mean? Paula won't be in the marathon (and potentially not even Worlds at all). Maybe she's ducking the weather.
"do you even have a marathon team at the world champs?" Are you asking an individual if he has a team at the WC's or are you again referring to the US? If you're referring to the US, the last I heard (and I'm sure you did too as you're on this board) the US is sending 5 men and 5 women to the race. And as the US typically hosts it's qualifying competitions/championships in hot places, they might actually do OK (for other reasons too).
Oh, Nyariki, you might like this too: A lot of the elite athletes won't be excited to run in the heat/humidity, because those who are using EPO (or whatever the latest EPO-like drug of choice might be) risk death with too much fluid loss. But I'm sure you think every last one of them is clean.
BDG
Nyariki is correct, the entire USA distance team are a group of clowns. The US does'nt have any elite marathoner so they should not care what the weather is like. The US men finish 2:20-2:40 who cares, they will not win. All they can do is complain.
that's what happens when people like you just get on the board without a clue of what is going on and reply for the sake of replying. i think you should go back and read over and over. maybe you will get an idea of who i was refering for. you wish that people are on EPO because they are better than your fat ass
Look! Whether you agree or disagree with the time or start of the marathon is your buisness, but all this crap about Americans whining is a bunch of crap.
Americans work hard for what they have and it seems like jealousy american bashing here.
Whether we are on top of the world in distance running or not isn't the most important thing to me there is more to life than running so take your anti-american bashing back to your hateful country and get a life.
nyariki - in response to your earlier questions. Yes I am a runner. I work in an office that can get very hot and stuffy (we don't have air conditioning). Today has been the hottest day of the year in the UK and the second ever on record. So, my boss, being in a very generous mood said everyone could go home an hour early. No one was expecting this and so it was a pleasant surprise - not that many people had been doing much work after lunchtime anyway...
Britain is sending one male and female marathon runner to the World Champs. This makes me feel very sad, given our history in the event, so the timing of the race isn't going to affect any British runners because we don't have anyone world class at the moment. I shall still watch the race and am looking forward to it. I suspect the reason to hold the race in the afternoon was to do with TV, but the BBC always show everything live whatever time it's on - and I will always watch athletics whatever time its on. (Last night the BBC showed a 40min documentary "Track Wars" about the distance running rivalry between Ethiopa and Kenya - and very interesting it was too.)
I think we agree that if you have aspirations to be among the best in the world, then you just get on with it. Certainly if I was good enough to go the World Champs I wouldn't hesitate - whatever the weather. However, as an athletics fan I believe it is not in the best interests of ALL those competing to hold the race so late in the day. I think we would see a better race by allowing runners to compete at the optimum time, and that is NOT 2pm. Much earlier, or indeed much later, would surely be much better for all concerned.
Finally it is interesting to note that after he won the 3k at Gateshead last month in a 'modest' time of 7:45.93, Kenya?s Abraham Chebii remarked ?It was very hot out there, it would have been better if the race had been held later.?
Perhaps the time was selected because if anyone is using EPO will not be able to finish it the temp is 104. Their blood will dry up clog their over taxed hearts. Crafty.
The fact that you are crying and whining about anti-american, proves that Americans whine about everything. America is the most hateful country in the world, you hate Arabs,Jews,Blacks,
your own natives. No jealousy here, glad I'm not living in war monger America.
Amen brother! Preach on!
Why does what I have said and believe having anything to do with the size of my ass or how good of a runner I am?
("you wish that people are on EPO because they are better than your fat ass")
Basically, comments like these are the Letsrun equivalent of playground "your mama" comebacks.
BDG
Clown's wrote:
The fact that you are crying and whining about anti-american, proves that Americans whine about everything. America is the most hateful country in the world, you hate Arabs,Jews,Blacks,
your own natives. No jealousy here, glad I'm not living in war monger America.
As an American who is damn proud of the fact, I'm glad I'm not living in socialist Sweden, England where self-defense is banned and crime is skyrocketing, Red China (yep, they're still red), or wherever the hell else you're disgracing with your existence.
IAAF A Pack of Morons Marathon to start at 2:20 pm
-----------------------------
Absolutely agree. A brutal hot weather marathon doesn't result in the "best" runner winning...but the best HOT WEATHER runner. Yeah, they'll all face the same conditions, but I didn't know that fairness had to equate with life-threatening heat. For runners who've never represented their country in international competition, it'd be awfully hard to pass up the chance for the Worlds. But for runners who been there already--and have families to feed--I wouldn't blame them one bit for waiting 10 weeks for Chicago or NYC or any other race with cash on the line.
The idea of someone from France referring to the U.S. as being a bunch of whiners is pretty humorous. However, with regard to crime skyrocketing in England. The idea of someone from America, where we have over 10,000 handgun murders every year, being critical of crime in England is pretty humorous. Also, Sweden may be Socialist but so what? There are practically no homeless people, the country is beautiful, the people seem just as happy, and the women are beautiful. I can think of a lot worse places.
On the other hand, the idea that "Americans whine about everything. America is the most hateful country in the world, you hate Arabs,Jews,Blacks, your own natives." is pretty ridiculous. People who say shit like that have obviously never been here. And if you have, you must have gone back home feeling incredibly jealous for one reason or another. Instead of thinking "America is an interesting place" your inferiority complex takes over. Of course, it's nothing surprising. Jealousy and assholes are something you will find all over the world.
Incidentally, I think it is moronic that they are having the race in the middle of the afternoon. Yeah, everyone has to deal with it. So what? They could lay down a minefield in the middle of the course at mile 20 and everyone would have to deal with that too. Doesn't mean it isn't stupid.
Runners from all over don't like running in poor conditions. It's not whining, it's just reality. One of the Ethiopians at NYC marathon last year didn't like the cool weather, Chebii had the previously mentioned quote. Geb stated how the track was too hard at Atlanta even though everyone else had to run on the same thing.
Hopefully it will be hailing with 40 mile per hour winds during the 100 meter dash. Since everyone has to run in the same thing it shouldn't matter.
Clown's wrote:
glad I'm not living in war monger America.
The feeling is mutual.
Great couple of posts! The whole "everybody has to deal with it" is what you tell your athletes before a race in bad conditions. But that doesn't mean it is smart to hold the race where dangerous and/or performance detracting conditions will exist. If the 100m was run on the roads, I'm guessing the sprinters might not be particularly happy if it was uphill in the snow....
BDG