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Read other letters about this article
I, too, was a bit offended by this article. Mr. McClelland is assuming that those of us who are less-than-elite runners are ruining the game.
So WHAT if the majority of marathoners are not finishing sub 4 hours?? And that slows the elite runners down???? I don't think so! I ran the LA Mararthon twice and the elite runners run in their own crowd, with their own starting time, separate from the rest of us.
I've been running for 30 years and was considered a champion in my day (back in the 70s). I remember Bill Rodgers and Frank Shorter. And Joanie Benoit.
Trust me, if I could run a fast marathon today, I would. Hell, I'd love to run another one but my body won't let me--I got injured after my second one. So, I work out in the gym with weights and cardio. I didn't consider myself a 'drag' on the elite runners because I finished both marathons around 4:30. And I trained my ass off.
American marathoners have lost their edge, not due to the 'Oprah' runners of the world, but due to the lack of corporate sponsorship that other sports get. We don't support runners like we do other sports. There was a great story on NPR about this the other day.
AND, Mr. McClelland, the Chicago Marathon shut down early due to lack of water a couple hours into the race, not because the slower runners bogged the race down. Good God--where did you get such an attitude?!
I am happy to see less-than-stellar runners get into the game....anything to stop the growth of obesity and all of the adjacent diseases the come along with it.
In the meantime, if America wants better marathoners, then nuture them--give them sponsorship, collegiate and post-collegiate. That is the only way we can compete with the Kenyans, Eastern Europeans, etc.
And get off of your high horse, Mr. McClelland.
