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Read other letters about this article
You raise some valid points about the rigors and risks of taking up marathon running.
But your problem is the same as Buckeye Tim's. You presume -- wrongly -- that many of these novices are not properly trained before entering marathons, but they are. The fact they may not have a shape or a stride as pretty as yours does not mean that they cannot finish the race, be they sprinters or staggerers. As a plus-sized runner myself (who has given it up for the most part due to joint stress, as you pointed out), I wouldn't dare try a marathon. But it's still a free country for those that do.
By the way, Oprah appears to be in substantially similar shape.
For those elite runners who agree with the author, I'd say this: If looking at these people offends your delicate sensibilities, then just pass them by, cross the finish line, and let the others stagger home. But give it a rest. You may be in impressive shape, but you're not Peyton Manning, Mia Hamm or Floyd Mayweather. You can run at a pretty good clip for a pretty long time. But don't pretend you're any type of premier athlete.
So, you self-proclaimed "warriors," mind your own business and let everybody else chase their goals, and maybe add years to their lives in the process. Run restricted competitions if you seek a taste of the good old days.
The fact that all of these fat, slow people are crossing finish lines all over the country doesn't diminish the marathon as a sport, it places it in perspective. Long-distance running is no longer the province of self-appointed elites whose only purpose in complaining about democracy coming to the sport is to validate themselves.
