Mary Wittenberg---Someone who understands the sport

because she doesnt want to be

Mary Wittenberg understands marketing, promotion and human nature.

NYC Runner-- wrote:

Thank You! Once again, I can't believe this field that she has assembled for another NYRR race. Glad to know someone high up in our sport has an understanding of what it takes to make people care about running and bring some excitement to races. Why isn't she the CEO of USATF?

Why take a demotion.

Demotion? USATF may be a clusterfuck of petty, infighting volunteers but being at the top of the organization responsible for choosing the entire Olympic team is a lot more important than the head of some road running club that puts on a big marathon annually. Sorry, but as nice of an idea as Marathon Majors is, it's still a sideshow, at best. If she has so much clout then why wasn't she able to make USATF an offer they couldn't refuse for just one OT marathon for 2012? And why isn't Nike a NYCM sponsor instead of Asics? She handles her once-a-year show just fine but don't make more of it and her than is truly warranted.

She understands charities. She's doesn't have experience as CEO of a sports league with professional athletes and TV Media properties. Her next gig would be as CEO of Red Cross, United Way, Susan G. Komen, etc.

The NYRR is rolling in money and has many generous supporters and a board of directors that is nothing at all like the bunch of clowns at USATF.

Anyone vaguley familiar with the two outfits knows that heading NYRR is much much better gig than heading USATF. Did you happen to notice the tough time they had finding anyone who even WANTED to head USATF?

She knows how to generate interest, there is value in that itself. that would translate to the track.

You can't make USATF into a charity with a single public spectacle since USATF has sports with many competition levels, coaches, certified officials, and events through out the year. Every federation in our sport uses USATF officials.

The problem is the USATF charter is outdated. It was written in the days when there were only four TV networks (CBS, NBC, ABC, PBS), and four major pro sports (NBA, NHL, NFL, MLB). Now there are thousands of TV networks, and hundreds of professional sports. The USATF CEO has little power and would really have the title of VP of Operations, Executive Director, or Executive Producer, in any other organization.

USOC and Congress need to reorganized USATF and split it into two units, 1) a professional sports league with Elite T&F, High Performance and Long Distance Running, headquartered in West L.A./Santa Monica, and 2) legacy amateur/masters/youth/Ultra units remaining in Indianapolis.

I believe that Mary has dropped the ball this year. She has allowed the ING NY Marathon to turn into a freak show rather than a sporting event.

Ask your non running neighbor who is running this weekend and not one non runner will say Meb or Geb or Ritz. They will all tell you Jared or the Chilean miner. That is the direction that Mary has chosen to send the race. Mary is front row and center during all of these press conferences.

Debate 101 wrote:

I believe that Mary has dropped the ball this year. She has allowed the ING NY Marathon to turn into a freak show rather than a sporting event.

Ask your non running neighbor who is running this weekend and not one non runner will say Meb or Geb or Ritz. They will all tell you Jared or the Chilean miner. That is the direction that Mary has chosen to send the race. Mary is front row and center during all of these press conferences.

It's not a zero sum game. If it weren't for Jared and the Chilean miner your non-running neighbor would know nothing at all about the NY Marathon. The problem with the USATF is not that they can't organize "sporting events". The problem is that virtually nobody cares. Now if your neighbor flips over to the NBC Sports channel because of the miner and has to suffer through watching Shalane Flanagan run, how is that bad for the sport.

Picayune wrote:

Demotion? USATF may be a clusterfuck of petty, infighting volunteers but being at the top of the organization responsible for choosing the entire Olympic team is a lot more important...

Demotion, yes. Do you think she wants a job where she's able to excercise a lot of control and expertise, and have great results. Or, does she wants her hands tied, criticism layed on, and just a sliver of potential success and freedom at the end of the tunnel, all for a nice title?

You really think she'd go into it thinking she'd allow her "hands tied"? Do you think she's afraid of criticism? Do you think she'd be as pessimistic as the typical Letsrun pussy to see potential only for "just a sliver" of "success and freedom" down the road? There's good reason why she runs NYRR and you do not. She has a vision and swings for the fences to make it happen. You never have.

It's stunning to me that anyone could imagine that leading the USATF is a job preferable to leading NYRR. No one who is actually the kind of person you'd want to see leading USATF is dumb enough to take the gig. Unless the power of the various volunteer committees is reduced to dust, that gig is far more trouble than it's worth.

Plus, for quite obvious reasons, sponsors and charities and whatall are far more anxious to be affiliated with NYRR than with USATF.

Clowns of the Purple Sage wrote:

It's stunning to me that anyone could imagine that leading the USATF is a job preferable to leading NYRR. No one who is actually the kind of person you'd want to see leading USATF is dumb enough to take the gig. Unless the power of the various volunteer committees is reduced to dust, that gig is far more trouble than it's worth.

Plus, for quite obvious reasons, sponsors and charities and whatall are far more anxious to be affiliated with NYRR than with USATF.

Let's say she goes to the USATF. She cleans up the board, does a good job. Then the USOC calls, asking her to take over and work her diplomatic magic on the IOC anti-American types.

Then the IOC sees Americans aren't all like arrogant GWB types, and as they look across the Atlantic at all the piles of money here just waiting to be spent on a blowout San Francisco or NYC olympics...well, they call Mary.

I don't know her or her priorities, but the NYRR is a pretty small organization compared to the USOC or IOC - I can imagine her getting a little bored with the NYRR.

The scenario you paint just quite simply is not going to happen. The USATF regulars just aren't going to relent that easily.

I saw her today and every day this week. She does not appear to be bored. And they've got new and expanding ventures, many of which have nothing to do with "elite" running.

So what about charities!! As for sponsors, you're all wet. Why do you think USATF has Nike yet NYCM can't get Nike? NYCM needs Nike more than Nike needs NYCM. USATF is maintaining its national and global profile as a professional organization year-round, NYRR basically has a week or two every year.

NYRRC is closer to an endowment, like the Bill Gates Foundation, or LA84 Foundation which was started with the huge profits made from the LA 84 Olympics, the 1st profitable Olympic games, and the games that saved the Olympics.

USATF is not an endowment.

New Yorkers actually get laid after meeting at an a NYCRR Club event.

Folks only get a royal screwing if the go to a USAT&F meeting.

NYC Runner-- wrote:

Thank You! Once again, I can't believe this field that she has assembled for another NYRR race. Glad to know someone high up in our sport has an understanding of what it takes to make people care about running and bring some excitement to races. Why isn't she the CEO of USATF?

_____________________________

Ok Mary, or whoever you say you are today!

But, those of us who REALLY know what she is like, know that she is all about perception. She wants to be perceived as a runners friend.

She has other people do the work, come up with ideas, and make all the marketing pitches to sponsors, on behalf of NYRR, and then...wait for it...takes all the credit.

Do you see her mention ANY other people when she stands up at a microphone? Ever?

I have a bridge I'd like to sell you if you think she is the one and only who is all about getting great runners together etc.

Think USATF picked Houston as a coincidence?