I am sorry I can't open the Torrance e-mail but I do have a thought. I might well make a trip to boston, NYC or Chicago to have a look at some of the world's greatest athletes flying down the street, and I'd cheer my lungs out. I haven't raced in more than 15 years now, and I suppose if I were to run a marathon in my current level of fitness, I'd be on the wrong side of the four hour barrier.
Why anyone would expect, or ask, the likes of Meb K., Jenny Simpson, or Ryan Hall to stand roadside and watch me crawling down the road is beyond me. Maybe you can expect your family to watch you try to break five hours but I sure don't want to watch it. It's not nearly as dramatic as some might think. If major road races want to make the athletes earn their bones by requiring the athletes to appear at news conferences or charity events or clinics, or visit a VA hospital; that's all well and good.I hope that someday, our sport matures as a professional sport to the point where the best athletes are compensated for performance alone. They deserve it.