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I wouldn't say that I agree 100% with Opera "ruining" the marathon, but the general "just try to finish" mentality makes no sense to me. It is a race, and thus it should be about doing your best. If you train hard (not necessarily 100 miles a week or even 6 days a week or whatever) and really give it your best, and still run a "slow" time, then that's fine. You gave it your best, and that's what should matter. Sure, most of us won't, and can't, be sub 2:10 guys. But most male "marathoners" won't be sub 3:00 guys either, which, if given the proper training, many could. Would this be easy? Hell no. But that's what makes it worth while. One of my proudest achievements on the track came in a race where I got second, despite having won some "bigger" races. When I first started out as a runner, I'd finish near the back, even dead last on occasion, but I pushed on, made it hurt, and when I started to improve, those precious seconds brought me the greatest joy in the world. I know I'll never make an Olympic team, but I have goals, both realistic and not, that I want to achieve. Some involve races 4-5 months away, others 3-4 years on the horizon, and 10 and 20 years down the line there are still things I want to do. And though I'm going to put my body through hellish pain, utter fatigue, etc, I know that the moment I run what is, for me, a "great race," it will be worth it.
Now, does this mean that you should only run if you are going to dedicate your life to it? No way. Some of my best friends with amazing talent levels gave it up after highschool, and now train maybe 50% to 0% what they did before, and thats fine. You do what you enjoy. Maybe you like that feel of getting out on the trails or roads for 20-30 minutes a day, 4-5 days a week. Awesome! Go for it. And if you enter your local 10k or marathon or whatever, best of luck to you. But it's just when people who barely train to "finish" a marathon (or 10k or whatever, but usually it's a marathon) equate their "performance" to, say, whomever won or beat them by two hours, then they just don't understand the concept of competition and sport. Many of us like to go out and shoot hoops once and a while, maybe play some pickup basketball with friends or whomever at the local court. That's all well and good, and no NBA star is going to say that you shouldn't or that you are taking away from the sport. But people who do this clearly wouldn't put their completion of a basketball game on par with competing in the NBA. Why the difference between running and basketball (or any other "major" sport)? People like Opera and groups like TIT, perhaps. The "everyone is a winner" mentality, which isn't even the "everyone is a winner if they try" mentality. So if you want to go out there and run a marathon, by all means go for it. Prepare properly, be smart, and give it your all. But don't equate yourself to a Ryan Hall or a Haile G just for finishing. And don't feel that you have to.
