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Give me a fucking break. Is McClelland seriously trying to say that Americans don't win marathons anymore because so many people can do it now? Do the Red Sox avert their eyes when they go past a corporate softball game in case their spirit is irreversibly harmed by a bunch of beer-drinking middle managers desecrating their sport? He's just whining because many years ago, running a marathon was a rare achievement, something that only serious athletes and the slightly crazy would do. He stood out. Now, he's just one of many. Boo hoo, Mr. McClelland. You're not as amazing as you thought you were. I don't know why American elites aren't winning marathons anymore, but it's not because their spirits are broken. And if it is--then they deserve to lose to someone with more guts.
I'm not a marathoner--I had hopes to be, but I was recently diagnosed with a serious condition that precludes me from long-distance running. But I have friends who run marathons, some in times that McClelland would respect, others that he would scorn. They're all athletes worthy of immense respect. They don't need some washed-up curmudgeon denigrating their effort. Why did Salon give him this space?
