The Official Sage Canaday Boston Marathon OTQ Thread

You're too soft and we don't care.

Opening gels is a real problem when it is rainy and cold. They should improve packages.

S. Canaday wrote:

Actually I really only really tired the half route in earnest in 2011...and it did work. I qualified for the 2012 Trials with a 64:32.

I thought you jumped into a half very recently in order to qualify? I understand you didn't do a lot of specific training for the half, but it still counts as a try, no?

I've tried to tough out runs before and end up paying the price by not being able to run for 4 to 10 months. As an experienced runner you should be aware when too much is too much. No one knows your body as well as you do.

There is absolutely nothing manly about being stupid!

Best of luck in your next race, Sage!

^^ This. Just another pampered soft hobbyjogger. Grow a pair.

Sage, why do you come here? These miserable a$$holes will only bring you down.

While it is true that the real Sage posts on Letsrun from time to time, he has not posted here. Just simply read the posts from S. Canaday and you will know that it is not him.

For people who are dense minded and boast a huge ego, I can see why you would want to finish a race in those conditions. For the sake of saying you finished what you started. Congrats on toughing out a terrible race and earning a mediocre time and possibly an injury to add to your finishers medal. Now for people who actually race sensibly, Sage dropping out at mile 18 was more than the right call. I'm sure it was obvious the slowing pace and terrible conditions were more than enough feedback to easily make an assessment that "today ain't the day". I can't argue with that at all.

I'm sure you might touch on this in your video Sage, and to be clear, I do enjoy watching your videos and how you contribute more than your share to the running community. I just didn't completely understand your judgement call to proceed with the race given that you should know better that if you're racing for goal time you should be placing yourself in an optimal setting, given the weather conditions well before you took flight, you had to have known that the weather of ridiculous head winds and heavy rain would mors than likely impact your goal time, and you yourself have already mentioned that Boston is a tough course to begin with, now factor in those weather conditions, and you've made a bad case scenario for shaving off an additional 30 seconds in what was already going to be a challenge given the above info. That alone should be enough to pull out before you got there. I might imagine that perhaps the trip was paid in full, were you 100% obligated to race anyways? I feel like there is more to the story, perhaps more than what you'd be allowed to share publicly given your sponsored status. In all honesty, I do wish you luck if you try again this year. You're fitness is already there, you just gotta find the right course and better weather and you got it. Good luck to you.

I wonder if more of the pros dropped out than hobby joggers because the pros are dense minded enough to race in singlets, shorts, etc. whereas the hobby joggers aren't so brainwashed and don't feel the need to race half naked when its 40 degrees, windy and raining.

John Utah wrote:

Sage, why do you come here? These miserable a$$holes will only bring you down.

So he can run on pure hate and shut us up.

I've been posting under this handle (my real name) for the last 15+ years on these boards. I get youtube comments and social media comments across all platforms....98-99% of all comments are usually quite positive and constructive so I still have some faith in humanity. This will be explained more in my youtube video recap, but here are a couple points: 1. First I greatly respect all those that finished. People who have full-time jobs, families and trained on limited sleep/resources. It takes a lot of sacrifice, grit, time, money and dedication just to make it to Boston. I think it is very admirable and this year was extra special because of the tougher weather conditions. Congrats! (and I mean that from the bottom of my heart!). 2. There is (in my opinion) a rather unhealthy attitude (and this is actually mainly in the US ultra-running trail scene) of "Death before DNF." I don't like it. I got into this sport somewhat for health reasons and having it be part of a "healthy lifestyle." If I get massively dehydrated (or hypothermic) or get stitches during a race from a fall/sprain I will probably drop out. In coaching athletes our general rule of thumb is "try to not drop out, but if you think the effort of finishing will set you back for a long-term health-wise than you probably shouldn't do it." 3. I'm totally at fault for making a poor gear decision. If I was starting a trail-ultra in those conditions, no doubt I would have on a full rain jacket, water proof gloves etc. But running 7:00--9:00-min /mile pace (like I do in a lot of "runnable" ultras) is a lot easier with a rain jacket on compared to trying to run 5:30-5:20 mile pace. The sheer velocity of running close to 12mph combined with the 25-20mph headwind (and the fact that many in the top BAA "elite" packs) where breaking the wind solo with no one in front of them added to the whole "drag factor." Body heat being generated was sucked away with evaporative cooling and the exponential increase in energy cost with the strong headwind I think was also a factor (especially for those in the "lead packs" and others in sparse areas). 4. When I toed the starting line I was 100% set on trying to finish and place as well as possible. That became my goal. I knew I'd have to be in at least sub 2:13-2:12 shape to run even close to 2:19:00 (and I know I'm not close to that kind of shape). I knew the OTQ goal was totally out the window before the start. But some things are bigger than personal goals. I didn't fly all the way to Boston and get all this support to have a "short training run". I truthfully planned on finishing the race and racing as best I could. I saw it as an opportunity to maybe even try to improve on my 16th place finish from 2015. No doubt in the back of my mind I was thinking "this is going to set me back on that OTQ goal and I won't have another chance this spring"...but so what? I'm a sponsored mountain-ultra-trail runner...not a full-time road runner. This is still a side goal of things I want to do in the sport. No doubt it is very important to me personally though...and I will keep chasing it. 5. I legitimately was toast at mile 17-18. Not an extreme case of hypothermia, like those that ended up in the hospital. But I've never been so cold in my life! Taking off my jacket was for sure a mistake. Not having waterproof gloves was another mistake. Starting off "solo" running 5:17-5:10 mile splits the first 3-4 miles in "no mans land" was a mistake. An ultra runner commented that the conditions looked like UTMB (it was a bit rainy and windy over there and I suffered for 27 hours to finish that race). I said "it was way worse than UTMB!". Total body shut down, having trouble seeing....I was worried about falling and hitting my head on the road. 6. Again, congrats to all the finishers!

Dril wrote:

I wonder if more of the pros dropped out than hobby joggers because the pros are dense minded enough to race in singlets, shorts, etc. whereas the hobby joggers aren't so brainwashed and don't feel the need to race half naked when its 40 degrees, windy and raining.

Sage, don't you pay these insecure dingleberries no mind. You absolutely made the right move out there (as evidenced by the number of pro athletes who did the same). Looking forward to your next video.

Thanks for responding sage. The haters and fans, both know conditions ended OTQ goal. BUT.. both really want to know how soon is the next attempt. Life is short.

This is a tricky question. You are absolutely right. However, I have an attitude that if I dropped out once it becomes a habit. The longest injury pause that I had after a marathon was 18 months because of a strange situation in legs but I do not know whether it would have been better if I would have dropped out or not. I suffered heavily from the 6 km mark until the end but finished. I am not an ultra runner and also not an elite runner but I finish what I start. Of course the same applies like in boxing. If the doctor ordered me to stop I would do it. The situation is different for you because you are a professional athlete. You have to keep the big picture in mind. Therefore you did the right thing because you should not risk your season. However, I also understand that attitude in ultrarunning. If they were not tough, no one would finish those races because they are such cruel competitions where the whole point is to find out who is tough enough to get it done. A friend of mine ran a race in the Pyrenees that was something like 600 mls. He was throwing up for 5 days but he did not give up. He lost his chance of winning but continued and was in top 10. Recovery takes three months anyway after a race like that. So what is the point of giving up if there was not really a situation where he could die.

So it is much more important for hobbyjoggers who traveled a long way to participate in the legendary event to actually finish the race than for the elite athletes.

it is impossible to know how cold it becomes.

I agree with you. Canaday showed poor judgment by starting a race he should have known would not achieve his objective; then, he panics and goes out too hard into the wind and makes clothing choices that would embarrass a first time marathoner; then, when faced with a test, he quits; and finally, he claims that quitting is OK because he felt terrible. Come on, man.

asfasdfsdfds wrote:

John Utah wrote:

Sage, why do you come here? These miserable a$$holes will only bring you down.

So he can run on pure hate and shut us up.

That is actually a legitimate reason.

You guys realize that the majority of pros had similar experiences out there and more than half dropped out. Why is everyone piling on Sage who actually has the balls to come here and explain his actions unlike Rupp and others.

Injuring himself and setting back his training by getting hypothermia and death marching to the end would be the better decision? That's ridiculous.

Shalane did a death march in and said she was delirious. I don't know if this was the right call.

His only real mistake is a gear choice and he owns up to it.

Good luck on your next race, Sage! Ignore the bitter trolls.

Duuuuude wrote:

I agree with you. Canaday showed poor judgment by starting a race he should have known would not achieve his objective; then, he panics and goes out too hard into the wind and makes clothing choices that would embarrass a first time marathoner; then, when faced with a test, he quits; and finally, he claims that quitting is OK because he felt terrible. Come on, man.

Agreed.. for a guy who tries to educate others, he surely makes a ton of rookie mistakes.

Like not eating during 100 mile events... not wearing right gear for weather conditions. Those are just basic things that even the most beginner runners get right.

Not Fast But Furious wrote:

Shalane did a death march in and said she was delirious. I don't know if this was the right call.

I think it might have been her last competitive marathon, so she ‘really’ wanted to finish;)