Races should enforce strict cut off times

95% or more will not finish a half under 1:30. You will need more than one clown.

This will also help create jobs.

Selfish looser !!!

Quit crying wrote:

Selfish looser !!!

No, don't make the cut off limits looser.

Bob Sacamano wrote:

At which time a barricade is placed in front of the finish line, the clock turned off, and the finish chute deconstructed. Have a huge laughing clown there to heckle anyone who didn't make it.

The times:

20:00 5k

40:00 10k

1:30 half marathon

2:55 marathon

No other race distances should be conducted. Bananas at the finish line.

I reiterate: STRICT enforcement is a must.

None of those performances are equivalent.

Enforce a cut off time of 10.02 for the 100, 20.05 for the 200, 44.5 for the 400, 1:45.00 for the 800, and 3:35 for the 1500. Put barricades up after that time has passed. All those who don't make it can crash into them and we can all have a good laugh. Oh and I second the motion of the laughing clown. Brilliant idea.

I have thought of putting on a similar event, but with a more lenient time standard. There is a market for such things. I wouldn't use a clown though.

Isn't there a race in Japan that has a 2:40 pace sweeper? My friend told me the last checkpoint is at mile 22 so you can walk it in after that if you want.

Bob Sacamano wrote:

At which time a barricade is placed in front of the finish line, the clock turned off, and the finish chute deconstructed. Have a huge laughing clown there to heckle anyone who didn't make it.

The times:

20:00 5k

40:00 10k

1:30 half marathon

2:55 marathon

No other race distances should be conducted. Bananas at the finish line.

I reiterate: STRICT enforcement is a must.

I concur. Of course, we would have to roll it out with the STRICT salary requirements to post on LR. Less than $250k/yr, no posts for you.

I know you are joking, but if they actually did have those standards, local races for the most part would disappear.

I live in the Metro Detroit area. Two local 5K's in January:

Chill At The Mills 5K- 825 participants, 8 under 20 minutes, no females

Auto Show Shuffle 5K- 566 participants, 5 under 20 minutes, no females

No one would put on a race for under 10 people..

bigot alert wrote:

Metoo wrote:

You're assuming that the only people who run in races are 20-40 year old guys. What about female runners, children, and masters runners?

Sexist!

Sexist? I read the title of this thread and thought "racist"

school is out wrote:

Bob Sacamano wrote:

That's right, buddy. To call yourself a marathoner requires a higher standard. Don't like it? Go talk to the clown.

He is talking to the clown.

damn, son.

Bob Sacamano wrote:

At which time a barricade is placed in front of the finish line, the clock turned off, and the finish chute deconstructed. Have a huge laughing clown there to heckle anyone who didn't make it.

The times:

20:00 5k

40:00 10k

1:30 half marathon

2:55 marathon

No other race distances should be conducted. Bananas at the finish line.

I reiterate: STRICT enforcement is a must.

You'd never make through any of your races though.

Standards should be 1 second faster than OP's PRs.

Well, geez, Bob, you might be onto something, but you need to tweak the time cutoffs so there is some logic or equivalency behind them.

I like the idea of the giant laughing clown as extra incentive for training and racing, and it's insulting (in a good way) to put a barrier up across the finish, but keep the clock running. Anyone who finishes, say, up to 15/30 seconds after the cutoff for the 5K/10K, up to 1 minute after for the half, and up to 2 minutes after for the marathon gets to fight the clown. No weapons, just fists and feet.

I know that if I trained hard for a 40-minute 10K and ran 40:15 with race volunteers blocking the finish chute and Bozo laughing at me, I would be ready to beat the hell out of that clown.

Czech locomotive wrote:

Well, geez, Bob, you might be onto something, but you need to tweak the time cutoffs so there is some logic or equivalency behind them.

I like the idea of the giant laughing clown as extra incentive for training and racing, and it's insulting (in a good way) to put a barrier up across the finish, but keep the clock running. Anyone who finishes, say, up to 15/30 seconds after the cutoff for the 5K/10K, up to 1 minute after for the half, and up to 2 minutes after for the marathon gets to fight the clown. No weapons, just fists and feet.

I know that if I trained hard for a 40-minute 10K and ran 40:15 with race volunteers blocking the finish chute and Bozo laughing at me, I would be ready to beat the hell out of that clown.

This guy comes closer to getting it, but we MUST maintain a hard stance on the stated times. There can be no exceptions, or the terrorists and commies win.

I am a running purist. This is about restoring standards and respect to our sport. And clowns. It's all about the clowns.

Go run at the World championships, they have nice criteria for you.

You should post this in reddit running. You'd make lots of people cry. I think your times are a bit too unrealistic for the average person. But I agree that just about anyone can lace up their shoes for a race and cross that line thinking they've actually accomplished something "I'm run my own race, against myself". We need a little more toughness. We need a clown mocking people for being too slow.

I'd say

5k= 30:00

10K = 1:10

1/2 = 2:20

Full = 4:30

I think that's generous. Plenty of people could run these times. The full in particular is getting absolutely ridiculous. Some are open 7 hours. Absurd. 4:30 and you get no medal, no finishing photo and your activity is deleted from your watch before you can post to social media.

Bob Sacamano wrote:

At which time a barricade is placed in front of the finish line, the clock turned off, and the finish chute deconstructed. Have a huge laughing clown there to heckle anyone who didn't make it.

The times:

20:00 5k

40:00 10k

1:30 half marathon

2:55 marathon

No other race distances should be conducted. Bananas at the finish line.

I reiterate: STRICT enforcement is a must.

That's a great idea. I would put a dancing clown at every mile and have barriers at the finish so nobody could finish FASTER than those times. I would have volunteers handing out colored balloons along the course. I could easily get 3,000 people at $30/jogger.

The multiple clowns can hide in the woods (or behind buildings) to scare the daylights out of those who don't make the cutoff time.