Alexi Pappas article in SF Examiner

not a big deal wrote:

Alexi's a harmless person, I don't think anyone on here wishes her any ill. She's more a striking example of how media recognition is so unfairly distributed. Yes, it's mildly interesting that she's both a pretty good runner AND has aspirations in film and writing (which, well, her films and writing are pretty juvenile), but...so what? It certainly doesn't merit all the media attention she's gotten for that. Will Claye has a rap album out. Laura Muir is a vet. Both have had far more athletic success than Pappas. But it's Pappas who's somehow the only athlete who has other career interests, and she's been able to parlay that identity into a marketable career.

i think it's partly people sick of the marketing oversaturation into our lives and people selling themselves out as brands and only worrying about exposure, not the quality of what they produce.

So when people see a sub-par 'artist' gaining exposure over better talents because one 'artist' is a shameless self-promoter selling $99 selfies to adolescents then obviously there is going to be a backlash.

Also, this is LRC so they hate 90% of women anyway, so that's going to amplify it.

Also, this is LRC so they hate 90% of women anyway, so that's going to amplify it.[/quote]

I think the current social media marketing climate lends itself to this sort of woman-hating backlash. Women in general do FAR BETTER marketing themselves on social media than men do, largely because people (men AND women) would rather look at pictures of women. It's also kind of weird and off-putting when a man does the same selfie-a-day, novel-length paragraphs of self-reflection captions on Instagram that's not weird at all for women to do. So the animosity toward Pappas and other social media self-promoters is pretty understandable--she and Gwen and Emma and Colleen are profiting a lot more from it, both in terms of media exposure and in actual money, than the men are.

not a big deal wrote:

Also, this is LRC so they hate 90% of women anyway, so that's going to amplify it.

I think the current social media marketing climate lends itself to this sort of woman-hating backlash. Women in general do FAR BETTER marketing themselves on social media than men do, largely because people (men AND women) would rather look at pictures of women. It's also kind of weird and off-putting when a man does the same selfie-a-day, novel-length paragraphs of self-reflection captions on Instagram that's not weird at all for women to do. So the animosity toward Pappas and other social media self-promoters is pretty understandable--she and Gwen and Emma and Colleen are profiting a lot more from it, both in terms of media exposure and in actual money, than the men are.[/quote]

I think emma is someone doing it right, her performance is front and center and she obviously works really hard at the sport.

I was half-expecting her IG to be a stream of typical IG-style 'hey look I just bought a kumquat' narcissism, but it was really just her training. I guess it helps to be one of the best in the world at what you do, you have the confidence to just let the work speak for itself and not try too hard to sell your personal 'brand' as some kind of marketing campaign for a complete 'lifestyle' package.

More News wrote:

She's planning to compete the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

https://www.sfexaminer.com/sports/bay-area-olympian-returns-to-give-back-before-sf-marathon/

If I had been good enough to run around 27:30-40 for 10000m (about the equivalent to her Greek record), and found the opportunity to run for any country in the Olympics where I would finish midfield (17 of 35 finishers), I would have taken it in a heartbeat, and 99% of male posters here would be ecstatic to be in the same position.

Her Olympic run there was pretty solid - a new PR, finished 10 seconds behind Emily Infield; right behind Jo Pavey and Jess Andrews, the British 1 and 2; ahead of both Japanese runners, as well as Dom Scott; Lanni Marchant; Marielle Hall; and British #3 Beth Hall.

not a big deal wrote:

Also, this is LRC so they hate 90% of women anyway, so that's going to amplify it.

I think the current social media marketing climate lends itself to this sort of woman-hating backlash. Women in general do FAR BETTER marketing themselves on social media than men do, largely because people (men AND women) would rather look at pictures of women. It's also kind of weird and off-putting when a man does the same selfie-a-day, novel-length paragraphs of self-reflection captions on Instagram that's not weird at all for women to do. So the animosity toward Pappas and other social media self-promoters is pretty understandable--she and Gwen and Emma and Colleen are profiting a lot more from it, both in terms of media exposure and in actual money, than the men are.[/quote]

Tommy Rivers Puzey. He seems to have it nailed on the male side of it. Hats (shirts?) off to him for that.

MORE POWER TO ALEXI PAPPAS for leading a life far, far, FAR more creative and well-rounded than 99.9% of LetsRun's readers. Her track resume is VERY impressive, even despite nearly getting double-lapped on the world stage. Good for her for pursuing goals, even if she's not the elite of the elite. Like a few others who get trashed on this board -- yeah, like the Tinmen, for example -- she marches to the beat of her own drummer, with a sense of fun in what she does, and hopefully she doesn't give a rat's arse what the nattering nabobs of negativism post on this board.

So she's not the demure sweetie-pie so many wish she was! I'm impressed with her, AND DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ IN A NEWSPAPER, ANYWAY, YOU SILLY PEOPLE! A writer with a deadline, with limited knowledge, and probably with little concern for the consequences of the written word produced a published SF Examiner work that is hardly Pulitzer material. Guess what, people. Just about every news story has errors that cannot be attributed to the featured subject.

There are a lot of idiots on this board. Mean-spirited idiots. Jealous idiots. The kinds of people who trash, and mock, even the elite - like JOHN GREGOREK -- after one bad race. Sneering losers!

Ms Pappas may not be Ms America, but people on this board would trash Ms America, too!

Thank you for pointing out that she BEAT one of the Americans and was only 10 seconds behind another one in the Olympics. People a t like she would struggle to make US finals but forget that she did that multiple times in the Steeple before becoming a 10ker.

An impressive lady! wrote:

Ms Pappas may not be Ms America, but people on this board would trash Ms America, too!

Ms America? Ms AMERICA?? what on Earth are you going on about?

She's Greek.

a lotta insecure men feeling threatened by Pappas on here for whatever reason. a normal response would have been, cool, I hope she does well in Tokyo.

ayyyyy wrote:

a lotta insecure men feeling threatened by Pappas on here for whatever reason. a normal response would have been, cool, I hope she does well in Tokyo.

i waited to read it because i wanted all the incels to have time to emote.

not a big deal wrote:

Also, this is LRC so they hate 90% of women anyway, so that's going to amplify it.

I think the current social media marketing climate lends itself to this sort of woman-hating backlash. Women in general do FAR BETTER marketing themselves on social media than men do, largely because people (men AND women) would rather look at pictures of women. It's also kind of weird and off-putting when a man does the same selfie-a-day, novel-length paragraphs of self-reflection captions on Instagram that's not weird at all for women to do. So the animosity toward Pappas and other social media self-promoters is pretty understandable--she and Gwen and Emma and Colleen are profiting a lot more from it, both in terms of media exposure and in actual money, than the men are.[/quote]

it's not understandable at all, incel. unless you're pathetic and insecure...like most addicts of this message board.

what on Earth are you going on about?

She's Greek.

No, she runs for Greece. As Mondo vaults for Sweden.

It is remarkable the degree of small mindedness one reads on Lets Run. Ms. Pappas appears to have none of my sensibilities, and from her public postings, I don't identify easily with her. But so what? This woman has done remarkably well given the loss of her mother at age 4 - a loss that should not be cast aside as merely another life event to "get over" - and for that alone she has my respect. I come from similar circumstances, and putting one's self in a position to make life better for the next generation is a tremendous accomplishment. I wish her well.

tootriggered wrote:

LetsBigotry wrote:

And she gets singled out by people "not buying it" (face it, none who switch yet remain outside that country for primary residence have anything close to pure love for the new nation) because she's a female with a significant profile and fanbase. That really it, that alone.

Eh, not really. Not for me, at least. I don't care about her fan base or other life pursuits. In fact, i wish her all the best. She's just not a world class runner, or a true olympian, and shouldn't be recognized as such. That is all. Really can't argue against those facts.

How is she not a true Olympian? She was on an Olympics team. She competed at the Olympics. That is pretty much the definition of being an Olympian.

not a big deal wrote:

Alexi's a harmless person, I don't think anyone on here wishes her any ill. She's more a striking example of how media recognition is so unfairly distributed. Yes, it's mildly interesting that she's both a pretty good runner AND has aspirations in film and writing (which, well, her films and writing are pretty juvenile), but...so what? It certainly doesn't merit all the media attention she's gotten for that. Will Claye has a rap album out. Laura Muir is a vet. Both have had far more athletic success than Pappas. But it's Pappas who's somehow the only athlete who has other career interests, and she's been able to parlay that identity into a marketable career.

This hits the nail on the head for me. Her running accomplishments include a good 10k at the Olympics in the fastest women's 10k race of all time and another solid 10k at Stanford earlier that year. Never ran under 32 besides that or posted decent times in other events. Then she didn't run a race for over two years yet still markets herself as a runner.

Meanwhile, she's mediocre at best in her other pursuits and wouldn't be taken seriously except for the backdoor Olympian subplot. Yet media outlets continue to laud this woman as someone accomplished and unique.

There are dozens of other runners with better accomplishments and interesting stories that deserve more recognition and attention. Yet somehow Pappas gets the puff piece every few months and people rush to defend her.

Like I said, her PR people are genius.

Can we get some baseline here of what Alexi has to to do qualify for the Greek team?

What is the greek women's marathon standard if any?

What is the Olympic standard she has to run to qualify?

What marathon will she run to get a standard?

Noisy headache wrote:

Can we get some baseline here of what Alexi has to to do qualify for the Greek team?

What is the greek women's marathon standard if any?

What is the Olympic standard she has to run to qualify?

What marathon will she run to get a standard?

The Olympic standard is 2:29:30. If she gets under that she'll probably end up on the team. I don't think Greece has a more than 3 who have hit that. She could also be top-10 at a major. She could also run 2:3x and maybe still get into the race based on world rankings. Someone from SCTC made an instagram post showing international runners listed for Chicago. I don't think this has been officially announced by the race yet and it shows Pappas at the bottom. She tried to debut there last year and dropped out.

I know she hasn't raced in a while but I can see her running 2:28-2:34. She was putting in good miles with Deena's group and now has a setup she seems to like in LA. The weather was not great at Chicago last year. It was awfully humid was 60ish and rained. Hoping for good weather & to see what she can do.

LRC you seem to have a huge issue with certain female runners & I really don't get it.

jeyry wrote:

not a big deal wrote:

Also, this is LRC so they hate 90% of women anyway, so that's going to amplify it.

I think the current social media marketing climate lends itself to this sort of woman-hating backlash. Women in general do FAR BETTER marketing themselves on social media than men do, largely because people (men AND women) would rather look at pictures of women. It's also kind of weird and off-putting when a man does the same selfie-a-day, novel-length paragraphs of self-reflection captions on Instagram that's not weird at all for women to do. So the animosity toward Pappas and other social media self-promoters is pretty understandable--she and Gwen and Emma and Colleen are profiting a lot more from it, both in terms of media exposure and in actual money, than the men are.

it's not understandable at all, incel. unless you're pathetic and insecure...like most addicts of this message board.[/quote]

And yet, here you are.... commenting and posting on this board like all the other "pathetic and insecure addicts"

Take a lap.

The Greek record is 2:33:40. She is miles better than others in her country. You got no idea about most European countries. Running is considered a freak activity in most European countries, and there are no good coaches / training facilities / culture. There are exceptions, like Norway, UK, maybe Germany, but many countries can't help talented runners reach the level they should.

Pappas has a massive advantage by training in the US, getting free coaching in HS, college and then as a pro. She could stomp the Greek nationals if she wanted to, just like Parsons did in Germany after he received his passport (albeit in absence of Ringer).