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Salon is my favorite online mag--but who decided to make this the lead article? This guy stopped being able to compete in marathons because of a bum knee--and it never occurred to him that he might have ruined his knee by pushing his body too hard training for that 4-hour-goal. Another poster pointed out the (subtle? not so subtle) racism and sexism of the Oprah flab quote. I doubt McClelland even realizes how revealing his own words are. A (shudder) middle-aged woman hauling her flab? Not a thin young male Yalie? Shudder! And in the District of Columbia, no less! (Which happens to be black urban area. Hmm.)
I think long-term sports-related injuries are just as much of a scourge as obesity, and just as unnecessary in many cases. The anti-obesity obsession in this country is just our nation's latent Puritanism rearing its head. I think Penguin's attitude is far healthier than McClelland. Penguin may not be fast, but he's still in the game. McClelland is not.
I've never done the marathon; I've done the 5-boro Bike Tour. The organizers were quick to remind us that it was not a race. So some marathoners have that attitude. More power to them.
