- Top Features:
- War Room
- Glenn Greenwald
- Broadsheet
- Joan Walsh
- Camille Paglia
- Since You Asked
- Follow Salon:
Read other letters about this article
I couldn't disagree more with McClelland.
I'm one of those hard-core trail runners who competes in grueling long-distance races up and down steep mountains, and a former college ski racer/cross-country runner. In some circles, I'm considered an elite athlete. And yes, I do understand that in certain events, there may be a compelling safety reason to vet the entries.
But McClelland is all wet with his idea that there's something wrong with average citizens taking on the challenge of a marathon, triathlon or most other athletic events. He's also all wet with the idea that it's some great national tragedy that Americans no longer dominate the marathon on the world stage.
To the latter, I say, who cares? I'd rather have all U.S. citizens getting up off the couch and running, or biking, or skiing, or skating, or walking, or whatever, to the best of their ability -- even if that means that they're doing so slowly or ploddingly -- than have any more gold medals go to U.S. marathoners, or as a matter of fact, to any elite U.S. athletes. Gold medals and championships are overrated, and overall public health and fitness seems to be underrated.
In some ways, after all, this is a debate pitting the regular folks against the elite. I'm on the side of the regular folks. Also, there are plenty of admirable stories out there in the back of the pack, like those of cancer survivors or car-crash victims who are building back their strength. Sometimes, the back-of-the-pack athletic accomplishments are the most impressive.
(Besides, I still don't understand how in the heck Oprah and other amateurs can possibly "wreck" the marathon for those elite runners who are, after all, far ahead of them on the course.)
