An open letter to race directors from the back of the pack!

As someone who works behind the scenes to put on a successful marathon, I just have to say that that blog is complete rubbish. Our aid stations are all set up until the sag wagon passes. After someone is passed by the sag wagon, there is still aid available at the aid stations. No volunteers remain. But they aren't totally abandoned. Our guys tearing down the aid stations have directions to remain in contact with those who have been passed and to make sure they have what they need.... even though they don't have to. The finish line and all the amenities are in place until the last participant passes, even if they have been passed by the sag wagon. The volunteers at the finish line do their best to applaud the last finishers as much as they do the first, possibly even more.

FatRunner1 wrote:

The whole point of the article was to say that course amenities are not avail able to runners who are still finishing WITHIN the time cutoffs.

I saw a 6:45 marathon mentioned being 15 minutes inside the cutoff which would be well below 4 minute miling. . . .

Rick Sanchez wrote: The volunteers at the finish line do their best to applaud the last finishers as much as they do the first, possibly even more.

At most HS meets, the last place finisher usually gets way, way, way more applause and cheers that every other finished combined. It's pathetic, really, when you think about it.

Free_the_thigh wrote:

"I’m not Meb Keflezighi (far from him) but I put my running shoes on one foot at a time just like him. I trained for this race just like him."

Best part!

Maybe they think mpw stands for meals per week

Impressive though that he/she/they know who Meb is, and how to spell his surname

It would be very easy to pick apart statements like, "I’m not Meb Keflezighi ... [but] I trained for this race just like him." No, you did not.

However, I think these runners have some legitimate beefs. RDs shouldn't remove timing mats or run out of water, etc. before the stated cut-off. A runner who pays the entry fee and follows the race rules deserves the benefit of the bargain, including whatever amenities and swag were advertised.

salted jock wrote:

It would be very easy to pick apart statements like, "I’m not Meb Keflezighi ... [but] I trained for this race just like him." No, you did not.

However, I think these runners have some legitimate beefs. RDs shouldn't remove timing mats or run out of water, etc. before the stated cut-off. A runner who pays the entry fee and follows the race rules deserves the benefit of the bargain, including whatever amenities and swag were advertised.

if someone starts with a stupid statement like that, they shouldnt expect that the rest of their statement to be taken seriously

If true, there might be some legitimate issues here. For some reason, I'm really skeptical that aid stations and timing mats are regularly being taken down before the maximum time to finish has passed.

The person writing that blog would get more sympathy if he/she wasn't such a whiner.

Big boneded 893 wrote:

https://300poundsandrunning.com/an-open-letter-to-race-directors-from-the-back-of-the-pack

The "everybody is a winner" mentality runs deep here. Same guy?

Bib #1 wrote:

Free_the_thigh wrote:

"I’m not Meb Keflezighi (far from him) but I put my running shoes on one foot at a time just like him. I trained for this race just like him."

Best part!

Maybe they think mpw stands for meals per week

Impressive though that he/she/they know who Meb is, and how to spell his surname

Right! Am I reading a different article that most of you? This is a person who knows who Meb is, runs a lot of races, and clearly enjoys being part of the running community. They're not in denial about their low level of talent either, or snarky towards the fast runners. This is exactly the type of slow runner we want at races.

We all hate bad RDs screwing us over just to save a buck. Happens all the time. We end up taking a wrong turn in the local 5k, whereas this person has the water stations close. Different problems, but the same cause.

Sure, maybe we should tighten the time standards, but I imagine "serious slow" runners check ahead of time that they can make the cut-off. If they're inside or close to the cut-off pace, the course should absolutely not close if front of them.

If You Bulk It, They Will Come wrote:

Before criticizing, author should give up 4-9 hours of a weekend day, arriving on or before 6:30 a.m. to volunteer for a half-marathon or marathon that remains open for 6+ hour finishers. It's a lot to ask of people.

+1

Be that guy at the 20 mile aid station when it's pouring down rain, you have been out there for 4 hours, and you are standing around waiting for 20 people who just got through mile 16 who are walking when they get to you.

What happened to marathons being runs?

Don't these events have time limits clearly stated on their websites and info packs?

I feel for anyone who misses out on good course aid due to poor planning by the race directors. I'd say 9 out of 10 times it hurts the back of the pack. Having run 100+ races, though, that still means numerous races where being in the front of the pack has meant a water station was not yet set up or the volunteers were not prepared. Poor directing and poor training of volunteers is largely to blame. I once stumbled upon a triathlon near my neighborhood that had a water table set up, but no volunteers manning it, so just the big containers of drinks and still stacked cups were on the table. I stopped in the middle of my run to man that aid station for an hour.

I'm somewhat sympathetic to the planning side, too. Imagine you are a local marathon and you have aid stations staffed by people like the local Girl Scouts or a high school band. Now imagine it's a crappy weather day. Suddenly your athletes need extra support, but a fraction of your volunteers show up due to the bad weather. That's a bad situation to find yourself in.

An open letter to "fun run" race directors from the front of the pack:

Stop giving us wrong directions, or no directions! We paid for your 5k too. Not everyone is a middle-of-the-pack hobby jogger who can just follow everyone else. A minute into the race, and we're all by ourselves. Suddenly changing courses without notice, poor or non-existent signage, and being stopped to yield way to traffic are not good ways to hold races.

At the end of the race:

1st place: 17 minutes and confused and frustrated

2nd place: 18 minutes and confused and frustrated

3rd place: 22 minutes and kind of frustrated

After 3rd place: All the hobby joggers

I agree they paid the same amount and should be treated equally: however, he lost me when hesaid he trained just like the elites. If he did, he'd be a whole lot faster.

moanswers wrote:

If You Bulk It, They Will Come wrote:

Before criticizing, author should give up 4-9 hours of a weekend day, arriving on or before 6:30 a.m. to volunteer for a half-marathon or marathon that remains open for 6+ hour finishers. It's a lot to ask of people.

+1

Be that guy at the 20 mile aid station when it's pouring down rain, you have been out there for 4 hours, and you are standing around waiting for 20 people who just got through mile 16 who are walking when they get to you.

What happened to marathons being runs?

Maybe don't be the guy who volunteers for the mile 20 aid station? If you have someplace else you need to be, maybe go volunteer for a different shift or a different spot on the course.

I can vouch for how much it sucks to have the course broken down while you're finishing, but I lost 35 lbs and moved into the meaty section of the finishing bell curve.

Instead of demanding a refund, stop giving these races your money(if you're really that butthurt).

"I’m not Meb Keflezighi (far from him) but I put my running shoes on one foot at a time just like him. I trained for this race just like him."

no

My honest reaction is:

Then quit supporting these big races by remote for-profit corporations that don't care about runners but just want money.

true dat wrote:

Nothing wrong with starting from the bottom wrote:

But if you are still waddling round in last place after six years, you are doing something wrong.

Indeed, and here is the part that cracks me up:

started running in 2012 and races were not friendly to bigger, slower runners like me. And it hasn’t gotten any better since.

What hasn't gotten better? Your times? Really, I am a fat old asthmatic and even my times have improved immensely since 2012, even though I am getting older. I'm getting lighter and as I get lighter, my times improve. So does my asthma. This person needs to spend the angry energy put into this article and learn to run on PURE HATE.

This person gets it, your goal isn't to be at the back if it is, get off the course fat ass!