Anyone else bothered by this:

I too have never heard of this company prior to to reading this thread. Wether you find the adds offensive or not they have accomplished what they set out to do...they have grabbed our attention and have created interest in their company and what they produce.
 
I guess what bothers me about the ad campaign is the implied "If you can't run a sub-6-minute mile, you shouldn't be out here and nor should you be reading this magazine for that matter" message. It makes me feel like I'm peeking in on "real" runners when I get to those ads in Runner's World, even though the rest of the issue seems like it's designed more for people like me.

But really, what impact do we mid-to-back-of-the-packers have on those "real" runners who bemoan the slower average finish times? If I were a front-of-the-pack runner, I'd like to think I'd welcome the slower runners and walkers with open arms. I mean, who wouldn't feel better about finishing 35th in a field of 35,000 rather than 35th in a field of 100? Or are they somehow threatened by the concept of "their" sport being opened up to anyone who's willing to put in the training miles, making the marathon no longer the exclusive domain of the hard-core runner?

From what I have read/seen over the years - most of the elites have no problem with the slower runners. After all, it is the entry fees of the middle and back-of-the-packers who help generate the interest, sponsorship, and, most importantly, the purse for the larger races. If the Chicago marathon only had 5000 runners, they couldn't offer the prizes to the winners that they do.

A lot of the grumbling I have seen comes from people who are trying to become elite runners, but haven't quite made it yet. (For example, among the men I know, the grumbling comes almost exclusively from those who are running 2:20 to 2:35, and virtually none of it comes from those who are running a 3:10 marathon.)
 




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