Mr McClelland writes from the lofty stance of his own 4:16 marathon record and concludes that competitive US marathon performance is being harmed by the hordes that show up for today's large marathon fields.

Race directors set cutoff times. Yes, many of today's marathon holds the field open for people who choose to walk. That's obviously a decision in the hands of the organizer, sponsors, the police who're paid to control and re-direct traffic etc, etc. McClelland has got a long way to go to draw a defensible conclusion based on his argument and he's not goe very far in looking for evidence to backup his complaint.

Citizens of the US are still doing very well thank you in ultra-distance endurance sports, if not the rather short distance of the marathon. The top 15 finishers in the Western Sates 100 were all from these shores. The BadWater 135 also continues to be dominated by residents of the US and Canada. The Hawaii Ironman championship is now seeing very strong international fields, but US citizens are surely holding up their end thank you.

I happen to be a back-of-the-pack triathlete. Triathlon for me is a means to an end, my primary sports are technical rock climbing and mountaineering, training for other endurance sports provides enjoyable interim goals on the path to being a stronger climber. I won't ever crowd the slopes of Mt. Everest, because I have no desire to depart from the 'leave no trace' ethic, nor to go into the mountains with the help of paid guide services. In short I pay my dues and I climb responsibly.

Same thing in 'racing' I won't ever enter a race without doing the training necessary. I will be glad to someday climb into the middle or even front of my age-group, in the meantime I'm quite happy to put in my hours and get the results I've worked for. In the last 18 months I've logged 4000 miles of cycling, 480 miles of running and tens of thousands of feet of ascent both in the climbing gym and out in the wilderness.

Someday I too will run a marathon. I'm targeting Mr McClelland's 'Oprah' time of 4:30, however that run will be following a 2.4 mile swim and 112 miles on a bike.

Ted McClelland, welcome to the ranks of people training not to win but to excel. If you see me out on the race course I won't be wearing a cotton T-shirt because bleeding nipples aren't my idea of 'fun' and I'll be perfectly glad to use the lighter, safer running shoes, just as I use nylon climbing rope, not the hemp of the 1950s.

what a lot of advice, much good, more abysmal.

LW, I would have to say be up front with your virginal status and desire to keep it that way. Clearly a pickup bar ain't the place to find someone who knows how to spank a girl well and respect her limits. What you're looking for is admirable, and like most admirable things, maybe a bit off the beaten path.

Count me as an older male to whom you might be attracted who'd be entirely glad to spank you, & / or engage in some chaste second base necking and be perfectly happy to head home after. In fact my first date with my current SO of many years pretty well matches exactly that except in that neither of us were virgins at the time.

Finding someone who will respect limits may take a bit of work. There are social groups all over the world for people who find power exchange -- with or without penetration -- to be sexy or even the main event. Google can help you find them.

If you haven't seen the film the "Secretary", I suggest renting it. Maggie Gyllenhall(sp?) plays a decidedly virginal girl who just wants to be spanked. The treatment is decidedly surreal but then the surrealist movement takes the Marquis de Sade as their inspiration so I find it fitting.

Cary -- that was a lovely and nicely written analogy, however I could not call it apt or fitting ... up to the final line, trying this with a stranger -- maybe not the best idea, on this we agree. As to Nitro in Pamplona, with an appropriately constructed container that's an entirely safe proposition. Negotiation and trust are the tools we used to be civilized and the consensual exchange of power and kisses is safely contained with well established boundaries.

I've spanked more than a couple of girls (and guys) that I've never f**ked. Spanking, like necking is plenty fun in and of itself and if the LW looks in the right places and keeps her wits about her she'll no doubt find what she's looking for.