Nike says a sub3hr marathon is a “sign of an elite runner..” in their Nike 4% article. Do you agree?

No, I don't think it's even a sign of a serious runner.

I'm suddenly feeling much better about myself!!

(no, of course not)

The sign of an elite shopper

Sign of a possible eating disorder

Mens:

3hr + - hobby jogger

2:50-3:00 - runner

2:40-2:50 - serious runner

2:30-2:40 - sub elite

2:00-2:30 - elite

ohia wrote:

Mens:

3hr + - hobby jogger

2:50-3:00 - runner

2:40-2:50 - serious runner

2:30-2:40 - sub elite

2:00-2:30 - elite

Congrats on your 2:29:59!

This is the equivalent of "whos a hobbyjogger" threads. Sub 3 is a sign of a serious runner in that for you accomplish it you have to like running and take your training somewhat serious. Running almost every day and doing some form of workouts

As opposed to someone who isnt serious and runs 2 to 3 times a week for 2 to 3 miles at a time and then hikes it in for a 6 hour marathon

Maybe if they've never ever ran in their life. Than yes a untrained sub 3 is a sign of great potential.

In the Nike customer base 3 hours is elite.

In the world of competitive marathoning NOPE

someone likes himself wrote:

ohia wrote:

Mens:

3hr + - hobby jogger

2:50-3:00 - runner

2:40-2:50 - serious runner

2:30-2:40 - sub elite

2:00-2:30 - elite

Congrats on your 2:29:59!

Anyone who runs slower than me is a hobbyjogger.

Anyone who runs faster than me is elite.

typical LRC mantra wrote:

someone likes himself wrote:

Congrats on your 2:29:59!

Anyone who runs slower than me is a hobbyjogger.

Anyone who runs faster than me is elite.

I would add, “Anyone who runs faster than me is elite and doping.”

wineturtle wrote:

In the Nike customer base 3 hours is elite.

In the world of competitive marathoning NOPE

LetsRunners, who I understand to be mostly current/former college runners, always say things like this.

Yet every major marathon I run, in the last six miles I go by dozens of guys in "ABC University" gear. And I am not very fast at all, hovering over/under 3:00 in my masters days.

It is easy to run 15:xx or 16:xx at 18-22 years, and say how easy a marathon time should be, if you could simply be bothered to run it. It is somewhat harder, apparently, to actually get it done.

2:59 is a very solid local runner anywhere in the US.

I agree. Lots of former ncaa college runners barely run anymore once they get into late 20s and early 30s age and may even struggle to break 3hours especially if the weather isn’t great

I couldn't agree more. Well, no, more precisely 2:58:00 is the magic barrier that separates us.

I recently went to Iten for a month moreso just to see and experience the culture than for the altitude as I'm nowhere at the level to be squeezing out time from ancillary benefits.

What suprised me the most was the attitude of the Kenyan athletes to people slower than them and how it differs from America. These dudes were legitimate world class runners and were everywhere but their humility was in stark contrast to anything I see back home. I met Ronald Kwemoi out one evening and he said to come out and train with him the next day. I met him that morning and jogged the first few miles at a pedestrian pace with him before he started to light the afterburners and picked up the pace. He noticed I was dropped and dropped back from the group to run with me but I told him to go ahead which he did. As I was finishing the run, who did I see standing on the side of the road but Ronald waiting for me to get back. I'm 2 minutes slower than him at 3000m but I was accepted into the group like I was an elite athlete. There was no 'I'm better than you' atitude among the whole group of the very best runners in the World.

Arrive back in home and you are greeted by the local 5k 'stud' 15 flat guy walking around like he's hot $h!t and looking down his nose at anyone slower. The typical road runner here looks at their running as some kind of social class. These would be usually branded as elitist snobs by some but that's not a good description, elite athletes have humility and are secure in themselves to not think like that so all that's left to label people with this atitude is snobs and the running community is full of them.

For me a marathoner can never be an elite runner. I was a hobby jogger for a while but got sick of only running 5k marathons. Now I progressed to the Pikermi, which is definitely a distance that only the real elites, like myself, choose. It's not for beginners but only the most serious of runners. It's not my intention to offend, but once you run the Pikermi you just know what real running is about. My next Pikermi I will probably go under 3 hours, if the course is not too hilly and windy.

Junksies wrote:

Nike says a sub3hr marathon is a “sign of an elite runner..” in their Nike 4% article. Do you agree? I think it’s a sign of a serious runner or a runner with a good training history who knows the sport but not an elite. I’ve run in the 240s myself but I get my butt kicked by subelite girls all the time as well as tons of people just more talented than me so I can’t be elite

someone likes himself wrote:

ohia wrote:

Mens:

3hr + - hobby jogger

2:50-3:00 - runner

2:40-2:50 - serious runner

2:30-2:40 - sub elite

2:00-2:30 - elite

Congrats on your 2:29:59!

I've never run a marathon but as a former D1 guy, I consider myself sub elite

Technically that's correct.

All elite runners should have sub-3 hours in the cards, but just not the vice versa (i.e: not all people who have run a sub-3 marathon are elite runners)

For me everybody who breaks 3 hours is definitely a very good runner.

But elite for me is sub 2:20.