The beginnig of the end for Nike: Nike celebrating slow, hobby joggers finishing a marathon

By the way, here's an ad that used to get me out the door at 5:00 a.m. In the rain - wearing my Elites, of course.

https://runwestchester.wordpress.com/2009/10/01/the-lost-benoit-commercial/

I hate how TnT, the Penguin and others have tried to gut the competitive aspect of the marathon and turn it into a strange half day (or more) street jogging festival. But, I actually like this commercial because at the very end the actress gets that mean face and digs in just when she gets to the part of the marathon where most of the typical hobby joggers shut it down and walk it in. The hypothetical runner in the ad is running a marathon the same way people at the front of the pack run it. She is giving everything and then some. That is what the marathon is about. What I hate about the whole "participatory" movement is that they want to take that out of the sport. They want people to just have a good time and never go through the challenge of racing the distance. They want people running marathons every other month at an easy pace, taking lots of selfies for their facebook page. They want to keep runners injury free by never taking risks. But the hypothetical runner in the commercial is not following that kind of mentality. So, I kind of like it.

The reason why some runners get mad at these hobby jogger types is because of their behavior. Just imagine you run your whole life training everyday to get a few seconds better each year and the only people that know you're a runner are you friends, family and team mates, then some dude you know buys a pair of running shoes and a camelback and now broadcasts to the whole world via every social media site and every social gathering about his running exploits and you're there thinking I've been doing this my whole life humbly and this guys has run one 25 min 5k and has the gall to call himself a runner and to give advice to other non runners and brag about it every chance he can.

intellectual dude wrote:

Learn to spell. Also, it's moronic to hate people who do not run fast.

Pig city wrote:

The reason why some runners get mad at these hobby jogger types is because of their behavior. Just imagine you run your whole life training everyday to get a few seconds better each year and the only people that know you're a runner are you friends, family and team mates, then some dude you know buys a pair of running shoes and a camelback and now broadcasts to the whole world via every social media site and every social gathering about his running exploits and you're there thinking I've been doing this my whole life humbly and this guys has run one 25 min 5k and has the gall to call himself a runner and to give advice to other non runners and brag about it every chance he can.

intellectual dude wrote:

Learn to spell. Also, it's moronic to hate people who do not run fast.

So if you've been so internally motivated for so long, why does it get your nose so far out of joint that someone who is slower than you gets more adulation?

You know, there's nothing stopping you from bragging about your 12:50 or 15:20 or whatever 5k on every social media site and at every social gathering. And complimenting yourself for being humble kind of negates the whole virtue.

Oh... Lets look back for a moment at what symbol was on over 60% of the atheletes at London 2012? Was it a white check mark? Yeah, I think it was... Marketing happens on all levels, this is a video that appeals to all runners regardless of level.

Zev wrote:

themanontherun wrote:

...both sides of this spectrum are driven by ego. The hobby joggers are driven by ego in that they want to feel like the faster runners; they think that if they buy the gear and post enough selfies demonstrating their presence on the course, they will be perceived in a hardcore way. The faster runners are driven by ego insofar as they want to feel like they're in a class above the hobby joggers, even though this really is a hobby for all of us.

The hobby joggers want to be something they're not, and the faster runners want to feel superior.

Post of the year.

Seriously, this describes everyone (save for the professionals).

Thank you for having the gumption to say this. It's about time someone was brutally honest on these boards. I raise my beer to you, sir!

...a second vote for post of the year. Wilson Kispang is laughing all of us...but the "elite" on this site - still chasing their PRs and managing new injuries every 4 months - are too dumb to realize lol

Man Overboard wrote:

There is no finish line.

^^^ all you need to know.

... or enough timing mats at Via Lehigh Valley until this year.