Mr. McClelland, this article is completely off the mark, and the basic premise, that the flood of newcomers to the sport is somehow affecting American competitive ability, is ridiculous and unfounded.

Inferring that the problem in the Chicago event was the slower participants totally ignores the poor planning and greedy over-booking of the organizers. I think it was a criminal act to take people's money for such an event without providing for their basic needs.

If the problem is that too many Americans are overweight and not oriented towards competitive sports, how does restricting amateur events to the sports elite counter that issue?

While most folks who enter marathons may not be capable of imagining a finish in the top ten, that does not mean that they don't compete.

At the age of 50, my wife decided to get up off the couch and train to walk the Portland marathon with the help of a local support group. We decided to document that effort in a movie, "Walk to Me", and got to interview a couple dozen people who participated.

The group included people who were over 70, cancer survivors, people who were more than 100 pounds overweight, and one woman who had lost half of her lung capacity from emphysema. The last one in came in at over 10 hours - and we were waiting there to celebrate her monumental accomplishment. Even if the the raw talent was lacking, I've rarely seen that kind of determination and effort on professional playing fields.

My wife is still at it three years later, and competes in several events a year now, against her personal best (she's cut a couple hours off her original time!). It's made a huge change in her life, and documenting her journey has proven to be an inspiration to many others who have taken up the sport. Though she felt funny saying it at first, she now proudly shouts the mantra of her coach, Ellie Hodder, with all the other marathon walkers in training, "I AM AN ATHLETE!"