Thoughts on NYT Article: Don’t Like Plodders, Get Faster
I read a disturbing article in this today’s New York Times, entitled “Plodders Have a Place, but Is It in a Marathon?” A couple of quotes really set me off:
“It’s a joke to run a marathon by walking every other mile or by finishing in six, seven, eight hours,” said Adrienne Wald, 54, the women’s cross-country coach at the College of New Rochelle, who ran her first marathon in 1984. “It used to be that running a marathon was worth something — there used to be a pride saying that you ran a marathon, but not anymore. Now it’s, ‘How low is the bar?’ ”
“I always ask those people, ‘What was your time?’ If it’s six hours or more, I say, ‘Oh great, that’s fine, but you didn’t really run it,’ ” said Julia Given, a 46-year-old marketing director from Charlottesville, Va., who finished the Baltimore race in 4:05:52. “The mystique of the marathon still exists. It’s the mystique of the fast marathon.”
You must be kidding. Juvenile? Grade school cool kids vs. the nerds? Comments like these from 54 and 46-year old women?? Shouldn’t a cross-country coach / “educator” be encouraging more folks to get off the couch and get active, not denigrating their fitness goals by encroaching on “her” marathon turf. I have never heard of the College of New Rochelle, but hopefully there are some responsible adults in the administration who will have a conversation with “Coach” Wald.
As much as I admire elite runners, I am far more inspired by the “Penguins” or those folks shuffling along just trying to get fit. Shouldn’t the marathon be the ultimate celebration of their desire to accomplish a goal, regardless of their running technique? Also, if you are a fast runner (sorry, 4:05:52 is not fast, Ms. Given), you are slotted in the first series of corrals and should not be impacted by those running at a six-hour pace. Ask a 2:30 marathoner what s/he thinks of the “mystique” of a 4:05:52 marathoner. In fact, Ms. Given, go qualify for Boston and none of this would be an issue for rabbits like yourself. But alas, she most certainly cannot.
The article goes on to rightly defend all runners, noting that these plodders are principally responsible for the explosion in running over the last 20 years as well as the slow pokes are actually making it possible to fund all these races with their entrance fees.
Many runners, including myself, moan about having to weave around and between others at the start of a race. However, I don’t recall Haile Gebrselassie mouthing off on the subject. Why? He’s holds the men’s world record at 26.2 at 2:03:59. To “Coach” Wald and Ms. Given: look ahead and not behind you and maybe you’ll get faster.
