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Read other letters about this article
McClelland is right.
If you want to know why, just read all the posts on this letter thread, with self-indulgent narcissists talking about crossing "complete marathon" off their "life to-do list." Ugh. The marathon has become a supreme act of self-indulgence. Shuffling continuously for five hours now somehow translates to a heroic act of passage.
This is not equivalent to amateurs vs elites in most avocations; a better equivalency is to "American Idol" versus professional singing, except that the off-key tyros on that show receive mockery, not praise.
McClelland is pouring well-deserved derision on all these self-absorbed waddlers, and while he certainly overreaches in connecting this phenomenon to the state of American competitiveness, he is absolutely spot on about one thing: your five-hour marathoner deserves no more praise than I do after botching "Don't Stop Believing" at my nearby karaoke bar.
