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?