"It used to be that running a marathon was worth something — there used to be a pride saying that you ran a marathon, but not anymore. Now it’s, ‘How low is the bar?' " - Adrienne Wald, New Rochelle
This is in anticipation of the New York City Marathon which happens this weekend. It is a marathon I've attended 3 times. Once as a volunteer passing out water, once to cheer on strangers along the route and once to cheer on Jason (who had leg cramps starting in mile 12 and had a really tough time, missing his goal by 40 minutes).
Having since attended many more marathons to cheer on family, friends and strangers, I believe marathons are pure inspiration. I've never attended without crying at least once at the sight of someone pushing their body to this amazing place where they are able to reach a goal that seems impossible because they refuse to quit. Sometimes you can see that every step is agony, but they keep going. Sometimes you can see by their t-shirts that they are raising money to fight a disease that took their loved ones. Sometimes you can just tell that they are ultra-competitive and you probably couldn't be friends in real life. But on Sunday morning at mile 24, everyone is family and you yell your head off with every encouraging thing you can think of...anything to get people you will never see again over that finish.
It doesn't matter how long it takes to finish a marathon, because that isn't the point...at least not from the sidelines (which is where I will always be)
I actually had a discussion about this with my friend and her fiance, who live in NYC. Her fiance's friend was complaining about how the slower people get in his way and it affects his race. I guess the guy thinks he worked hard and these people prevent him from getting an accurate time. That attitude totally pissed me off and made me glad I don't know that guy personally. My mom ran the NYC Marathon in 2003... it took her 6 hours, but she was in her early 50s. I went to support her and was totally inspired. I think if the doucher wants to challenge himself and be an elitist a-hole, he should try the Ironman or do the Boston Marathon, which makes you qualify for it. Even if people are slow, they've still trained and worked hard. They deserve to run, too.
Since, according to the article, they let in slower people in order to pay the bills - if the race organizers want to make a cutoff time to keep out the slowpokes, I think that's perfectly their right; and the "elite" runners will have to pay much higher entry fees to participate. But either way, if I stay on my feet for 26.2 miles and you turn up your nose at me because I was "too slow", you're a doucher.
was a few days ago (Marine Corps Marathon on Oct 25), and I saw inspiration in every runner on the course, no matter how fast or slow they were going.
People who complain about 'slow' people at large marathons are like people who move to NYC and then complain about there being too many people around. There are plenty of events tailored to elite runners (entry qualifications, cut-off times, etc.) so that someone who is really worried about their time can find a race where no one will get in their way.
In a country with an obesity epidemic, we need to be encouraging exercise in all shapes and forms, no matter how slow.
..how many of these "elite" runners were once the slow "plodder" at one time in their life? It always amazes me how quickly many "elite" athletes forget that you have to start somewhere and look down upon those slower than themselves. In my book the true elite athletes are those that remember and try to help newbies become better athletes.
I couldn't have said it better myself. Who watches marathons to see the professional athletes? We watch to see people like us achieving seemingly impossible goals.
