Letters to the Editor
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Understandable but misdirected
I can understand the frustration of the writer--nothing increases one's appreciation for something than suddenly not being able to do it. How could McClelland not sit by, watching thousands of people with opportunity he wants but can't have failing to live up to their competitive potential, and be frustrated about it? It's human nature, we can all relate.
But perhaps a better tone for the article would have been, "come on, get competitive, America!" instead of "these people are ruining the sport".
Mainly because it probably just isn't true. The "average finishing time" quoted in the story is pretty much meaningless, because all it means is that more less-adept runners are running--it doesn't mean the best times are declining, which would be the only thing which could support his case, and no evidence is presented for that.
American runners' best times do seem to have plateaued, with only a few Americans having bested Salazar's best time from 1982, but the best American times have still come in the last few years. In that case, what is the concern--that we're not best in the world, or that our average isn't good enough? What would be "good enough" isn't made clear.
Another point to make is that McClelland is somewhat overstating how far back the top American is from the world record. Ryan Hall may be in 255th place, but the difference between his time and the world record is just 4 minutes. As with most sports, the margin for world records is getting thinner than it was decades ago. And Hall's personal record came earlier this year--further undermining the concept of a decline, as he's now the fastest American-born marathon runner in history.
How America approaches competitive activity is a very worthwhile topic for analysis; the recreational-participatory approach that has opened up all kinds of endeavor, from art to music to athletics, to a kind of mediocritization by accessibility. But a piece like this should probably be either more personal or more objective. It seems like it opened up a lot of discussion, though, so that's a good thing.