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I think people are missing the tone of the article, i.e. it's intended to be semi-humorous. And I think they're missing the main point, which is that there is a difference between a fitness run (jog) and a race. In a race, you are competing, trying to do better than someone else or yourself. In running, very often the race is in fact against other people in your age group, or your own previous times (thus the emphasis on PR's) or perhaps against your temptation to drop out. But if you don't give a damn about your time, you're not racing.
There is a lot of pressure on people to choose running as their fitness method - as a runner myself, I find many people I meet oddly defensive about the fact that they don't run. That's part of why races are full of beginners. People should choose whatever sport is fun for them and stop with the pressure. Save the competitive part for RACING (or playing tennis to win), and do the fitness part in a noncompetitive atmosphere.
On the other hand, one of the great things about the NYC marathon is how democratic it is, open to anyone from anywhere just like the city itself.
