One of my friends ran a 4:26 marathon - was it wrong to tell him that was an awful time

dmvsloth wrote:

How dumb do you think he is? Unless he's bragging about the time being fast. Most people who are that slow are perfectly aware that they are slow. Being slow doesn't make you stupid, just less talented. Odds are pretty good he already has it figured out and doesn't need your ever so helpful advice.

+1

runrincerepeat wrote:

A friend posted on FB saying she and her hubby RAN a half... it was 3:15 .

Pretty sad

Is that their combined time?

blerp wrote:

runrincerepeat wrote:

A friend posted on FB saying she and her hubby RAN a half... it was 3:15 .

Pretty sad

Is that their combined time?

Some would consider that a bigger accomplishment because the slow pokes are working equally hard but need to be racing for longer.

4:26 is terrible. That is over 10 minutes per mile. I have a friend about to turn 60 that had both his knees replaced that walks faster than that. If he had to , he could go out any day of the week and beat 4:26 for a marathon. That time requires no training for a healthy person under 30 and should not be celebrated.

What is your time? If you have not actually run faster (not just think you could), then you can not rag. Even then, you really shouldn't...

Not too bad, she was clearly adding both times.

coach deez nuts wrote:

It's slightly below average, not terrible.

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-running-blog/2015/apr/21/marathons-by-numbers-running-the-data

Slightly below average in this case is terrible.

He was 3 minutes faster than "The Oprah line"

Barely beating Oprah is terrible.

Why not? You're buddies. Buddies rip on each other, unless they're completely boring. And sometimes we even hold each other to high standards.Ignore these other pompous sourpuss windbags. Sounds like they are not familiar with having friends.

brofest2015 wrote:

26 male, healthy. I like ribbing him. I was a very mediocre college runner but i find it infuriating when people celebrate not even mediocrity but terrible times.

And the whole argument road racing raises awareness for our sport didn't really hold a lot of weight here bc he didn't even know the olympics were this year.

cheezypoofs wrote:

He doesn't look up the age group standings to see how he compared to other guys his age?

Or does he notice that many women and older men are running way ahead of him?

What was reaction when you told him?

If you're good friends I'm sure he would just recognise it as a ribbing. Just like he likes to rib you for having one testicle that hangs lower than the other.

brofest2015 wrote:

26 male, healthy. I like ribbing him. I was a very mediocre college runner but i find it infuriating when people celebrate not even mediocrity but terrible times.

And the whole argument road racing raises awareness for our sport didn't really hold a lot of weight here bc he didn't even know the olympics were this year.

I thought this was an obvious troll but so many people took it serious. It was a bit disconcerting to me.

Were all the responses troll responses too. Please tell me they were.

robert678 wrote:

It wasn't wrong to tell him it was a terrible time. You were just being honest. More people need to be honest.

I bet you are a trump supporter?

brofest2015 wrote:

26 male, healthy. I like ribbing him. I was a very mediocre college runner but i find it infuriating when people celebrate not even mediocrity but terrible times.

And the whole argument road racing raises awareness for our sport didn't really hold a lot of weight here bc he didn't even know the olympics were this year.

I am going to give you a very honest answer. If you say this in front of other people it will make you look petty, small, and insecure.

If you tell him, nice job for making it that long distance. People will think, wow, there's runner and giving support and props to someone who (some might know) doesn't run as well. If you want to be a leader and a good friend, which do you think you should say?

At what marathon time is someone considered a runner? Discuss

Senor Webb wrote:

Did he look relaxed?

~~~~~~ABSOLUTE THREAD WINNER~~~~~~~

Letty Runcom wrote:

4:26 is terrible. That is over 10 minutes per mile. I have a friend about to turn 60 that had both his knees replaced that walks faster than that. If he had to , he could go out any day of the week and beat 4:26 for a marathon. That time requires no training for a healthy person under 30 and should not be celebrated.

You are lying about the friend and your claim that it can be done without any training is nonsense.

Runrincerepeat wrote:

At what marathon time is someone considered a runner? Discuss

Anything under BQ.

Brian X wrote:

There's no such thing as a bad marathon time. Finishing the race is an accomplishment regardless of time. A bunch of us from my running club just ran the Boston Marathon. Our times ranged from 3:27 (me) to over 5 hours. We all ran the same distance and we all worked hard to get the finishers medal.

Next time. Be a more supportive frirnd.

I think we know this club. Did one guy qualify for all three of you? You may have worked hard to get the medal, but not so much for the actual qualifier.

OK, so I'm old and I grew up in an era where people were taught to treat each other with some respect. But seriously, I don't see why you LRers feel the need to tear down all the "hobby joggers". Most of the good runners I know (by "good" I mean folks who are competitive to win at least local races) would like more opportunities to race, and that's what the hobby joggers provide. It's their entry fees that support the races the fast people win. (Again, I'm talking about local road races, not national-class events.) If you're a good runner, you never see the hobby joggers after the first hundred yards. Why disparage them?