The Death of the Marathon

Actually, I think being "in to finish" is a great goal for many. No reason to denigrate them.

So what if I finish behind you. What makes you think your accomplishment is any great than mine. A mile is a mile, no matter how fast you run it.

waddle on wrote:

So what if I finish behind you. What makes you think your accomplishment is any great than mine. A mile is a mile, no matter how fast you run it.

uh...because the whole point of a race is to race! If you don't care about competing, why enter a race at all?

The marathon is not a "sport" for 95% of the participants. It is an "event". Winning, performance, or doing your best is not part of running a marathon. Socializing with friends, enjoying the 'experience' and talking about it afterwards is the driving motivation.

I would rather have people running marathons than being totally sedate and out of shape. But, I do find it annoying that such a large part of the running world now caters to the participants and not the competitors.

another 2 cents wrote:

The marathon is not a "sport" for 95% of the participants. It is an "event". Winning, performance, or doing your best is not part of running a marathon. Socializing with friends, enjoying the 'experience' and talking about it afterwards is the driving motivation.

I would rather have people running marathons than being totally sedate and out of shape. But, I do find it annoying that such a large part of the running world now caters to the participants and not the competitors.

You do realize that there would not be any races if it wasn't for us "annoying" participants.

Brosephine wrote:

waddle on wrote:

So what if I finish behind you. What makes you think your accomplishment is any great than mine. A mile is a mile, no matter how fast you run it.

uh...because the whole point of a race is to race! If you don't care about competing, why enter a race at all?

I bet you don't even come close to winning any races. You shouldn't even run.

Competition has nothing to do with speed, it's the mindset. "The death of the marathon" isnt that people are getting slower, it's that the people running it aren't competing in the traditional sense.

I also do not like the mad rush to sign up for the damn thing.

Chicago closed up pretty fast this year and I had to make up my mind quickly whether I would be fit to race it or not.

Needless to say this will be my last RACE,

let the fatties have at it!

I've won races, but it's not about winning, it's about competing. If I didn't want to compete against others or against myself for PRs, I would just go out for an easy run with my friends and forgo the expense of entering a race.

Big city marathons have a lot of "participants" but really they offer something for every type of runner. If I'm a 2:05 guy, NYC is a great opportunity to make some money and run with other world class marathoners. If I'm a 2:15 guy, NYC offers a lot of national class talent for me to compete with. If I'm a 2:30 guy, NYC has a lot very fast, but not in it to win it people for me to compete with. If I'm a 3:00 guy, NYC has a ton of people who run my pace, plus a lot who run a little faster if I want to try to PR. If I'm a 4:00 guy, NYC has a lot of good pacing groups, not to mention a running atmosphere that can't be matched.

Bottom line, the people who have a problem with hobby joggers tend to be those who work really hard at running but are still passed by the guy in the Elvis costume. Don't take it so personally man.

half fast wrote:

I also do not like the mad rush to sign up for the damn thing.

Chicago closed up pretty fast this year and I had to make up my mind quickly whether I would be fit to race it or not.

Needless to say this will be my last RACE,

let the fatties have at it!

Good. More space for the rest of us. ;)

And exactly what is wrong with races filling up. It makes it better for everyone.

I think you need to appreciate both sides -- those you want to be competitive and those who just want to finish. There are plenty of other cross disciplines we as runners do just to complete them. The fact that many races give money to charity makes it honorable to enter the race no matter how you do. I think it's up to participants to decide how they want to enjoy the sport. While I personally wish I could talk to more runners about the sport in a competitive way, I appreciate the great availability and local media coverage of races thanks to more universal popularity.

I find more appreciation and understanding from a hobby jogger than I do from people who refuse to exercise, at least.

The greater availability and local coverage is a big thing we should appreciate. I think a lot of people who don't know the history of road racing take it for granted that you can find a race near you on almost any given weekend throughout the entire year. And the attention that some of these races gets is incredible. Last year I ran a little $5 5k one weekend and set a PR. There were like 20 people there total. The next weekend I ran a $20 one that went through downtown. They closed off the streets, there were thousands of people cheering, we had cop cars leading us. I ended up winning $50 plus they donated most of the proceeds to a charity. That wouldn't have been possible without all the people way in the back who were running slow or walking.

Years ago I found out a simple "truth". The front runners really don't care about the people in the back and vice versa. In the 70's the goal was to break three hours (or better). Now it's often just to participate. But slow runners care about their times too. They look to improve. But tell them to run 60 or more miles a week and watch their attention span immediately wander.

The last year I ran Bay to Breakers there were over 100,000 official and non official runners in the race. Luckily I was seeded and got a good start. When I finished the race I just kept on jogging to my car and drove with a friend to breakfast. I had no interest in the post race mob.

A year later my company formed a jogger level centipede and asked me to run in it. I made an excuse ( going to be out of town...sorry) and avoided 100,000 of my new best friends.

Fair question though.

Tot he OP - Put it this way. Would the NYC Marathon be like it is today without us slow guys or without you fast guys?

You're welcome. I'm glad I could help make your running experience better.

waddle on wrote:

another 2 cents wrote:

The marathon is not a "sport" for 95% of the participants. It is an "event". Winning, performance, or doing your best is not part of running a marathon. Socializing with friends, enjoying the 'experience' and talking about it afterwards is the driving motivation.

I would rather have people running marathons than being totally sedate and out of shape. But, I do find it annoying that such a large part of the running world now caters to the participants and not the competitors.

You do realize that there would not be any races if it wasn't for us "annoying" participants.

Nice of you to read my post and only focus on that one part of a sentence. And you didn't even get that right.

And Yes, there were races long before marathons became a circus act catering to soccer moms and men going through a mid life crisis.

jad83 wrote:

What's your opinion on this?

'Tis better to run a mile than to slog through a 2:30 marathon.

Many people dislike the waddlers because they feel an overweight person that takes 5+ hours overshadows their own effort. It makes their performance look less impressive, and they have a hard time accepting that.

You're missing the point. The are far too many people finishing near 5 hours. If you're anywhere near 5 hours, it's evident to me that you haven't put in the proper training or are not ready for the distance yet.