runners don't care who KK is

In regard to the McM, wp author said, "The marathon's focus clearly is on the average runner, one who is more concerned with personal records than world records, and who usually is still finishing by the time the leaders are hitting the showers."

On the "average runner"? I would say its focus is on the jogger not on the runner. If on the runner, certainly not on the "Average" runner.

Truth sticks regardless of desire's absence.

Here we go again, trying to make a distinction between those "joggers" and "runners."

I look at it this way:

Anyone who takes the time to come to our events as a spectator or participant, even those who pay the entry fee to walk the course, are doing us a BIG FAVOR.

The more people we have involved in this sport, the more $$$ that is involved, the higher the prizes are going to be, and the better our sport is going to be overall.

Ours is truly a democratic sport. It is the only sport I can think of where the "average Joe or Jane" can line up against the best athletes in the world in some of the most prestigious competitions in the world.

Jason

That is the most absurd statement any media venue can make.

Yes, there are many runners who don't know or care about

Khalid Khannouchi; however, there are many who do-it is safe

to say that there are also non-runners who know of and care about Khalid. What is the point of the statement? There are millions of football (not NFL type) players/fans across the world and it is safe to say not all or most of them care about the SUPERSTARS of their sport. The amount of individuals who know or care about any one athlete does not

diminish his or her accomplishments.

The problem with our sport is that too many fans, athletes,

and media look at the glass as half empty-when it relates to

running/athletics, instead of half full!

i think the more marathons and the more competitors is the worst thing that can be done for pro runners. i personally could care less if everyone completes a marathon, but to have a race that includes everyone clearly shows that the accomplishment is not that of a gifted athlete.

"runner" please explain further why you think that the more participants we have in a given competition, how does that take anything away from professional athletes?

Look at it this way:

"Big City Marathon" accepts anyone who can run, jog, walk or crawl a marathon in 8 hours or less, charging the participants US$50 for this displeasure.

They get 10,000 entries, therefore you have US$500,000 in entry fee revenues alone.

If this marathon only accepts folks who can do the run in 5 hours or less, there might be 5,000 participants, therefore the revenues are cut by 50%. That is US$250,000 less for COOL SHIT LIKE PRIZE MONEY, APPEARANCE FEES, PLANE TICKETS, HOTEL ROOMS AND FOOD FOR ELITE ATHLETES, etc. etc. etc. etc.

Problem: Everyone in the race is always referred to as an "athlete" -- I imagine this started as a n inoffensicve way to avoid distinctions between runners and wheelers. But while admire ther tenacity of anyone who finishes a marathon, calling all of them "athletes" diminishes the ones who really are athletes.

And STOP before you dubs me an elitist RoJo-wannabe thinking I'm better or more important than my 5-hour-marathon-running buddy "Skates" (she doesn't take walk breaks, BTW) -- I'm not. Consider my position in the context of other sports -- if Jason Kidd is an athlete, does that make me an athlete if I shoot (and mostly miss) hoops once a week?

I agree. Jason Kidd is an athlete. Playground basketball players are not athletes. Our problem as runners is that since the only televised basketball we see is of people with some degree of athleticism we subconsciously think of all basketball players as athletes when in fact only the truly elite professional and college players are.

When there is a televised marathon, the vast majority of the people shown finishing the race, way after the winners have finised, are not athletes, and the non-running viewer sees the winners then as just the fastest among a bunch of overweight non athletic people, and this makes them think that all marathon runners are not athletic.

It is the price we pay for having amateurs and professional runners in the same race.

Joe, they ARE athletes.

As you know I am the most politically incorrect mofo on these message boards, but look Joe, if they are either on the side of the road cheering us or wearing a race bib, THEY ARE DEFINITELY PART OF THE STEAMROLLER, NOT THE ASPHALT.

Jason

JasonInBangkok wrote:

... US$250,000 less for COOL SHIT LIKE PRIZE MONEY, APPEARANCE FEES, PLANE TICKETS, HOTEL ROOMS AND FOOD FOR ELITE ATHLETES, etc. etc. etc. etc.

so how does that benefit ME, Jason ?? i'm just a marathoner around 3 hours, and this sounds like it will only benefit YOU.

I have a friend who is a reporter for the sports section of the local paper. He runs local races as well. I asked him the other day what he thought of Paula Radcliffe's record and his response was, "Who?" He wasn't joking. He didn't know who she is but he "heard" that the record was set.

Dave Sines wrote:

the non-running viewer sees the winners then as just the fastest among a bunch of overweight non athletic people, and this makes them think that all marathon runners are not athletic.

Nonsense.

Any casual observer would tell you that the elites running 26.2 are doing something difficult requiring incredible talent. That has nothing to do with them having any interest in the sport. The best in any sport are doing something others can't, and everyone knows it. Just don't expect Joe Sixpack to give up ball sports because of it.

this money is not directed towards the elites. nyc says they cant afford to bring in guys like KK, thats b.s. and we all know it. They are putting the money where the return is, and that is from the avg jogger. These major city marathons will reach a point when the promoters will start taking away from the elites(who are just eating up profits and not bringing in any revenue at all) and giving more to the joggers.

Do those avg joggers who pay to run care who KK is? If not than why on earth would a race pay KK anything at all?

Kent, then how does it detract from you to NOT have more people in our races?

Jason

Jason, in general I think you're a very fast pig, but you're right on on this one. I've even run some local races with the plebian sorts, pushing a stroller, or just getting a tour of some city I'm in while injured, and had a pretty good time. And if these folks don't run, the races probably won't happen, since they pay all the fees. Self-important jackasses in any circle bug the shit out of me.

Where did Chicago get the $600,000 to pay Paula? From the 37,500 entrance fees.

Back to the topic of the thread-I don't think it affects Khalid's running if others know or care about/for him!

The fact of the matter is athletics is predominately a individual sport and recogination can be sparse and/or non

existent for some elite athletes.

LaSalle Bank and other sponsors funded the prize $$, more likely. Entry fees typically go toward covering logistics and in part insurance -- tho the entry fees people constantly claim are too high typically fall laughably short, sponsors are KEY here -- so

hmmm ... let me start a list:

1) traffic in and around the race getting to the start/finish with all the extra cars

2) parking, with all the extra cars

3) extra long bathroom lines

4) fat jackasses lining up at the front and i have to weave thru thousands of them after 200 yards because i actually start in the place where the officials tell me i should for my pace.

and, i'm sure there are a hundred other bothersome little things that "non-athletic" runners cause that iritate me ...

actually Jason, i was just yanking your chain. you seem to think only the "elite" deserve any extra funds generated by the masses. truthfully, out of your theoretical extra $250k that was generated, probably $100k went to race services (t-shirts, food, water/gatorade, extra medical personnel, porto-johns, insurance, etc.), and close to another $100k would go to keeping the course open an extra 2-3 hours to let all those slow people finish (police tend to get OVERTIME pay working on their day off, and they ain't cheap).

do i think anyone who has properly trained themselves to complete a marathon should be allowed to participate ?? yeah, actually i do. but you should have to put in some time and effort to get yourself ready for such a task. ie, you should EARN it ...

do i think any fatass that wants to call themselves a "marathoner" by going out there and walking the course in 9 hours should be allowed to do so ? not a chance. go play horseshoes or something ...