Damn, America's best runner is a 3:07 marathoner. If this is the case, how come I felt so damned pathetic when I ran 3:09 in Paris?
Jason
Damn, America's best runner is a 3:07 marathoner. If this is the case, how come I felt so damned pathetic when I ran 3:09 in Paris?
Jason
Who really cares if Dean is a sham with all his publicity stunts and ridiculously slow ultra runs. What matters is he is generating interest in our sport. Sooner or later the people who are drawn in by this guy will realize he is nothing more than a circus act, but hopefully by that time they will be hooked and continue to follow the real running community.
Taters Prescious wrote:
I went down to my high school track and ran around it at that pace. It was easy.
Yeah, well I just went down to the high school track and ran 100m at a 2:00 marathon pace. It was easy. Paul Tergat is a wimp.
It's fine to dislike the hype around Dean (although I think that USTAF could learn something about promoting its stars from him) but let's not be idiots in the process.
Note: Paul Tergat is not a wimp.
Ralph Wiggum wrote:
he's raising $ for prostate cancer research, which obviously doesn't effect anyone here because no one has balls....
Outside Mag gave him the title, America's Greatest Runner, if you think that an athlete sees or knows what goes on a cover before it goes to print, well you have lot to learn about the print side of things...
any of you would jump at the chance to make a true living from running, be on Starbucks Cups, Nature's Path boxes, stufff like this..but in the end its the same 20 people on a message board for road/track bashing Dean...so not even a ripple in a small pond...Mayeroff you are now fixated on this, going to expose DK as a cheater...oooh....i'm sure guiness either has someone there or will watch the tape..don't you think...
Bullshit. Any number of people who have the humility and understand their place in the sport would not allow themselves to marketed as something they are not. On the other hand this is something that DK willingly embraces. That is why he receives the scorn that he does on this messageboard.
There are any number of American runners better than this guy and you don't see them marketing themselves as "America's Greatest Runner." And don't give me this garbage about him having nothing to do with that Outside cover he could have set the record straight if he so chose.
DK is a snake oil salesman pure and simple, and deserves to be called out as such by people who know a little more about the sport than the average American.
Maybe running 150+ miles at 9:00 pace is not a phenomenal feat of human athleticism (although I still say it's impressive), but it's still very difficult and he's raising money for a good cause while he does it. I'm not saying that I think DK is America's Greatest Runner. I don't think that at all. But I really don't feel the need to bash and protest the guy.
How is he hurting you?? Oh I know. He's hurting the sport of running. Bullshit. The sport is hurting itself because it's "star" athletes have no personality (and the ones that do get bashed for being "cocky" or "flamboyant"), track meets are boring as hell, and USATF sucks at marketing.[/quote]
It is a stupid human trick, and while its great that he's raising money for charity, don't act like that's some novel idea. Most of us here do that every time we run a local road race.
Why not put the Team in Training people up there? They raise money for charity too. At least they don't make bullshit claims that they are "America's Greatest Runner" like DK. At least not the ones I know.
And yes, USATF sucks at marketing. Perhaps they should resort to misleading and distortion to improve their "image?"
MAYEROFF wrote:
Damn, America's best runner is a 3:07 marathoner. If this is the case, how come I felt so damned pathetic when I ran 3:09 in Paris?
Jason
Because you weren't feeling the 78+ mile/12 hour ultramarathon effort from the previous weekend? I'm only guessing of course.
I'm under no illusion that Dean is "America's best runner", but I wouldn't trivialize the events (stunts if you prefer) that he does.
Check out some video from from the event
Mayeroff, you couldn't stay healthy enough to run for 24 hours on a treadmill...or run ultras repeatedly...i don't know who's more fragile you or Ritz
He's won the Vermont 100 mile race and 10 sub 24hr finishes at Western States
He ran 3:00:30 at the NYC marathon last year, the 50th of his 50 marathons. That's a bit tough.
Runningart2004 wrote:
He's won the Vermont 100 mile race and 10 sub 24hr finishes at Western States
He ran 3:00:30 at the NYC marathon last year, the 50th of his 50 marathons. That's a bit tough.
Of course it is. He's a good, but not great ultra runner. That takes some talent and a heck of a lot of work. However, I think people get so impassioned about DK because the marketing hype spits out things like "america's greatest runner". When people point out that he's not, a solid but mundane ultra record is produced as a reply or sometimes it's one of his esoteric feats.
You can't have it both ways. If you want to be America's best runner, lace 'em up and beat the best consistently. Until then, it's like me hitting 500 free throws in a row and then claiming to be better than Michael Jordan. Then when asked to play him to prove it, I claim that I would but I'm busy setting the record for dribbling left handed in a sweater-vest. You think MJ fans would sit back and let someone like that get marketed all over the place? Think they'd accept that left-handed sweater vest dribbling is good PR for the sport?
Just something to think about. I don't hate the guy or begrudge him his attempts if that's what he really wants to do. I just refuse to give him his due as an elite distance runner. To do so cheapens the talent and accomplishments of Webb, Meb, Hall, Ritz, Gouch, etc.
Great post.
True, but until the sport finds a way to better produce and market itself to the public, until it starts to professionalize itself, the mass public is stuck with Lance Armstrong and Deano as "America's Best Runners"
Alan
And yes, USATF sucks at marketing. Perhaps they should resort to misleading and distortion to improve their "image?"[/quote]
Solid point. touche.
older than i once was wrote:
128.75 miles: very poor run over 11 minute miling and more than 19 miles short of his PB 3 years ago.
Pam Reed would ahve gotten at least 130 miles. Dean is no match for Pam.
i kinda like running wrote:
I can't believe we're still talking about this but.....
Here is the difference between your hypothetical "finger-poking" and my hypothetical "sell-out accusation". My behavior is not a physical violation of another person's personal space. It is not physically threatening in any way. It may be offensive and/or annoying, but not threatening.
I know and you (should) know that that's complete and utter bullcrap, that accusation came across as clearly very intentionally in-your-face. My response was nowhere near the level of yelling or screaming or cursing. Are you saying that a little poke in the chest is "physically threatening"? What, do you bruise really easily? So, just how often does your big mouth get your narrow ass kicked in reality? If I feel the need to make a point to put you in your place, then I will.
i kinda like running wrote:
Oh, and one more thing. The thing that makes my original accusation even less threatening, is that is wasn't personal. I said "every single one of you", referring to everyone on the board. Although I did imply that each and every last person on this board would sell-out, I didn't single out any individual and say "you, Mr. disprover of your claim, would sell out, you rat bastard bitch".
Fine, then the in-person equivalent would be addressing me and a bunch of my associates like that. You'd still deserve the same response for being so confrontational. If someone else didn't step up to do it then I would. Deal with it.
But who is "America's Best Distance Runner"? It's not a title one person can claim but especially not Dean. He isn't anywhere near the best at anything except the events he (or his promotion team) invents. Not sure how this thing (him) got spiraling out of control.
USATF athlete wrote:
What matters is he is generating interest in our sport.
No he isn't, where's all the cross-over to marathon winners and distance running televised broadcasts?
disprover of your claim,
Fine. You put me in my place. End of discussion. I feel like we know each other now. Would you like to get some ice cream together?
Nice heel-striker-in-shox pic.