Photo of the Weekend: Boston & the Women's Trials

Before the start of Monday's Boston Marathon, someone wrangled up a really cool little photo-op of the top 3 placers in the Women's Olympic Marathon Trials, which were held Sunday, along with women's pioneer and 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist (marathon) Joan Benoit Samuelson, who raced Sunday, clocking 2:49:08, good for 90th. And at age 50, mind you. Of course that kind of photo journalism is going to win Photo of the Weekend.

They are holding the Olympic torch because, L to R, that is your Olympic Team, with Blake Russell (in red) serving as alternate. What's that you say? Samuelson wasn't top 3 at the Trials?

Oh right - our runner-up for Photo of the Weekend honors actually documents that story, capturing Benoit-Samuelson just moments before the ugly incident that moved Russell off the team.

Turns out "Joanie" wasn't so satisfied with just participating on Sunday, and, as you can see here, came to Monday's start -- how do you say? -- "packing." There was a scrum, shots were fired, and when the dust cleared Benoit Samuelson had her ticket to Beijing. Apparently.

Just prior, she had been heard saying, "I'm no geek off the street. I know how to handle the steel, if you know what I mean."

[ both photos Victor Sailer/PhotoRun.net ]

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What They Didn't Tell You: Women's Trials & Boston

A HUGE weekend in running with the Women's Olympic Marathon Trials, the Boston Marathon, and a ton of other action both in and outside of races. I guess it stands as no surprise then, that some things were bound to fall through the cracks in the mainstream coverage of this weekend's events. Less Than Our Best even traveled to cover an event for the first time, and so, we -- for once -- actually kind of know what we were talking about instead of just making shit up. Most importantly, we had front-row seats to witness all the stories that aren't getting ink. Find out What They Didn't Tell You, after the jump...

On Sunday, in the women's marathon Olympic Trials, Deena Kastor spent much of the race well back in 2nd, before throwing down on the final crit-course lap to catch and pass Magdalena Lewy Boulet, and take first place. Reports alternately said that Deena was not 100% comfortable, and implied that she assumed Lewy Boulet would eventually come back to her. But in reality, the gap opened up when Kastor stopped for a spell to ask one of the race marshals where she could buy one of those sweet, sweet Segways.

Longtime race leader Lewy Boulet was quoted as saying that for a moment she actually thought she was going to win the race. A field sobriety test later confirmed that, at that moment, she was still highly intoxicated from the previous night's LetsRun/PUMA party. Which only made her still-excellent run more impressive.

As reported, the crowds on Sunday were also quite impressive. The flip side of the story, though, is that race organizers had been telling Bostonites for weeks that Sunday would be a special Red Sox "Costume Game" for charity. The plan worked to perfection, as thousands of locals turned out, all too drunk to catch on. To wit: as Samia Akbar passed by, one person was overheard slurring, "Wow, Manny has great legs under those baggy pants. Go Sawx!"

That person may or may not have been Boston resident Matt Taylor.

Monday, in The Boston Marathon proper, the second biggest name in the field ran 2:50:58. While that is well off Lance Armstrong's PB of 2:46:43 run last fall in New York, this still has not stopped co-workers across the country from asking you if that time was good enough to give him a shot at the win. [ Feel free to retort: "Yeah... in 1899!" And then slap them. ]

Mt. SAC was going on this weekend. No, that's it. I don't think I saw a single story on it in any publication. (PS. McDougal got housed.)

Robert Cheruiyot won his fourth straight Boston this morning. What they didn't tell you is that for the past three years, Boston organizers have been sending him the following entry literature:

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Back Home in the Center of the Universe...

We survived. Barely. Boston'll chew ya up and spit ya out. And talk funny. Suffice it to say, we arrived home very late last night pretty much exhausted. We'll get to "What They Didn't Tell You" a little later in the day, after the Boston Marathon has wrapped up. So for now, some quick tidbits from the Boston weekend:

• Boston Pour House >>> New York Pour House aka the Chach Mahal. $5.50 for what's essentially a double beer. Cheap burgers, too. Not the best selection of beers, per se, but all things considered, a pretty passable option, right across the street from the Prudential Center/Convention Center. The fact that it didn't feel like a giant all-inclusive frat reunion was a major plus, too.
• The trains in Boston are weird - some are only two cars long, and everyone riding them talks funny.
  
• In the Women's Race, Deena caught Magdalena pretty much right in front of us, and despite that happening on one of the most sparsely-spectatored parts of the course, it was still an exciting, semi-electric moment.
• It was a great weekend for an out-of-towner visiting for all the running: gorgeous weather (Ben got his trademark pink nose from all the sun) and Boston makes this little marathon they have going, really seem like a big deal.

Check back later for a full wrap-up on the unreported stories of the weekend. And our video documentation will be leaking out throughout the week.

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BOSTON BOUND!

No, we didn't run sub-3:05 or whatever it is to qualify to Boston - although my co-workers tell me that's a "really REALLY amazing time, and might even get you into the Olympics." Rather, Less Than Our Best is driving up simply to experience the excitement of our SECOND Olympic Marathon Trials in six months. That's hardcore, huh?

As you may have heard, LetsRun and PUMA are teaming up to throw a little shindig. Unfortunately I guess our essay didn't make the cut to get in, so we're going to have to get creative and find an alternate way into what is rumored to be the biggest bash Boston's ever seen.

So check back over the weekend for updates. And tell your friends that early next week everyone can expect full (video) documentation of everything you missed out while sitting at home.

PS. Let us know if there is anything you'd like to see from the weekend, and we'll do our best to deliver.

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LTOB Guest Editorial

Less Than Our Best is dedicated to providing the most relevant, intelligent coverage and discussion of the world of running that we care about. Many times our small voice in our small corner of the world is just not sufficient and we are forced to bring in guests from the world of running who have a unique insight or experience. This is one of those times.
Today our guest editorializer is:

2007's Median Male American Marathoner

I would like to start my guest column by thanking the guys at Less Than Our Best for recognizing my achievement and, in a way, the achievement of ALL the great people out there who finished marathons this past year. We did it!

A little background on myself. My name is Ted Higgins. I work as a claims adjuster at Lexington Financial in the great state of Kentucky (Go Wildcats!). I drive a gray 2002 Saturn S-series and have a beautiful wife, Irene, and two lovely daughters, Samantha and Jessica.

As I'm sure you know by now, I was recently named "America's most average marathoner" by marathonguide.com for running my pr (that stands for personal record, most runners just say "pr" though, it's like your best time you ever run) of 4:29:52.00.


I know what you're probably saying. "Hey Ted, you have to be crazy to run 26 miles in under 5 hours!" Well, as I always say, "I think all runners ARE a little crazy, myself included" : ) Haha.

All joking aside, though, there were some fabulous people out there who helped me along the way to reaching the elusive 4:30:00 mark. The love and support of my family and coworkers, for one. They had to listen to me always complaining about how much my knees ached.

On the other hand, I think I helped them out by coming in every morning and reminding them that I am going to be running a marathon. I would also tell them how much I have been training and how hard the training is but I do it anyway. It's funny, I remember that they would always tell me, "Hey Ted, you have to be crazy to run all the time like that!" I would always reply that I think all runners are a little crazy, myself included ; )

My training partner, Katie, is one I would especially like to thank. We would meet every Tuesday and Thursday before work to go on a five miler together. I would wake up and peel myself out of bed at 6 in the morning and my wife would say, "Hey Ted, you have to be crazy to run 5 miles with Katie this early in the morning!" But then I would say, I think all runners are a little crazy, myself included ; D

After a while Katie and I started meeting every other week night for some runs and to talk running because I just can't talk running unless it's with a real runner like Katie (btw she's run 4:32:43. She's a Rockstar!!!!!! GOOOO KATIE!!!!!). We would go on our run and then head over to the local Applebee's and, I'll admit it, have a beer with our fettuccine alfredo.

Once we started to get really dedicated, we started meeting on weekends (yeah, if you want to run a fast marathon, sometimes you HAVE to run on weekends!!) to do our "long runs" (these are the runs that are the longest in length compared to your other runs). We would meet in the park, run, and then go out for karaoke at the Bennigan's down the street.

Katie is so much fun. And smart too. We would laugh and talk into the wee hours of the night. Not just joking and runner talk either, we would really help each other out with "life stuff" as we used to call it. That is what having a training partner is all about.

For instance, when my wife left me, Katie was the first one I turned to, mainly because we were sharing a hotel room bed and she was laying right next to me (we had to share a room the night before the marathon because there just were not enough rooms available). But I also turned to her because she was my best friend and lover.

But anyway, thanks America for recognizing me today for my great accomplishment that I worked really hard for. I love you all and my advice to all the aspiring runners out there: as I always say, "you have to be a little crazy to be a runner, myself included : P

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Geb To DNS For Beijing 10k

A week after Haile Gebreselassie announcing that he will probably pass on the marathon at the upcoming Summer Games -- citing Beijing's infamous pollution, and his slightly less infamous exercise-induced asthma -- Geb announced yesterday that he no longer plans to contest the 10k, either.

Details after the...

"Simply put," he said, "I am terrified of coughing up blood on the medal stand and all over my sneakers. Or dying. But mostly, I'm worried about the sneakers. Coughing blood onto them... that would effectively ruin that particular pair of sneakers."

Geb still plans to wear the Ethiopian kit and represent his country, though, but he will try to minimize his exposure to Beijing's pollutants by running a shorter distance.

"After evaluating the potential threats to my health, and to my sneakers, that I would risk in the 10,000 metres, I have finally settled on a plan for competing in the Beijing Olympics: I will be running the 200."

He explained the potential head-scratcher: "Y'all know I can close down a 10k with a fast quarter. So I've started working on my starts for the past week, and I'll be ready to go, come late summer. I mean, do you even realize how few Ethiopian sprinters there are? It's the easiest way onto the team. It's like eating a candied baby. That's the idiom, yes?"

While he would have been the favorite for marathon gold as the world record holder for that distance, and a long-shot dark horse in the 10k, Geb is realistic about his slim chances of medaling in the 200. But missing the gold does not seem to bother him too much.

He waved his hand dismissively. "A shiny coaster. I've got like, six of them or something. I forget."

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Last I Felt Him, He Felt Pretty Old

Pictured above: the moderately terrifying 101 year-old who has stated his intention to run the London Marathon, in hopes of becoming the oldest person ever to complete a marathon.

[Buster] Martin expects to shatter, or at least ease past, the [age] record next month when he runs London's marathon.

My question: isn't living 101 years enough of an accomplishment? A philosopher once said, "Life's not a track meet, it's a marathon. Fuck the cemetery that a nigga get buried on." In that case, isn't Buster Martin winning the marathon that is life?

In short, no. If anything, he's DFL because it's taking him so daggone long to finish. He's like the overweight middle-aged woman who is still out around the 20-mile mark at 6 hours, Gallowalking her way in and thinking, "I can't wait to get my Finisher medal" as volunteers disassemble the chute and think, Hurry the F up, lady. Only this time that volunteer is St. Peter.

Anyway, Martin apparently said he'd like to have a beer and a "fag" (tee-hee-hee) upon completion of the marathon, proving that, once again, he has heeded sage words from our great poet-philosophers:

"We be clubbin' til the day we die. Nigga, ask the bartender if you think we lie."

Indeed. Very indeed.

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Spirit of the Marathon: Boo-Hoo I'm a Runner

The documentary that has the running world in a mild state of something, Sprit of the Marathon, is having a second screening tonight nationwide. I saw it the first time and wasn't able to post my thoughts, so I'll let you know this time around.

Here is the thing I have realized about Spirit of the Marathon: It never had a chance.

Let me explain.

The movie itself is good. It has amazing visuals, a great soundtrack, and a gripping final sequence at the Chicago marathon. Professionally done throughout, the movie legitimately kept my attention, more or less.

That is my review, thanks for asking.

Here's the rub: I've seen all of the content a million times before (more or less) and, quite frankly, I'm starting to get angry with it.

All of the joggers' stories could not have been more formulaic than if they pulled them straight from the runnersworld.com forums. It is great that a woman runs for charity and that an overweight person with knee problems is able to finish a marathon (I'm honestly not being sarcastic), but I have heard it all before.

There is a possibility that media surrounding runners can be fun and unique and even genuinely interesting, without it being all about the runner's tragic life. There is a place and an audience for that type of media, but right now it accounts for about 99% of running media. Most of which, if I can be so bold to say, is little more than a circle jerk.



I certainly cannot pinpoint the reason why running media on a large scale, like that of Spirit, deals almost exclusively with the same old sadsack b.s. every time, but I know I've seen just about enough of it.


"Running is hard." "Yeah, it is isn't it?" "Yeah, I work really hard at running." " I do too." "Running is valuable and special and we are interesting and unique just because we runandblahandblahblah." And around and around.


This is why it was so difficult for me to walk away from Spirit with a good feeling, despite it being very well done.


But they do follow some pros (I hear you saying in your little winy voice).


The time the documentary spent on Deena was good because Deena is the top American female distance runner. She also has the kind of red wine personality that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Wanted more of that.


The time spent with the other pro, Daniel Njenga, was a bit more confusing. I'm certainly not saying Njenga is not relevant to elite marathoning, which some might falsely assume is the point of my next statement: Njenga is irrelevant to this movie.


There is the obvious fact that all of the people followed in this movie are Americans living in America doing a marathon in America participating in an American film which will be viewed by mainly Americans. Elite marathon racing is certainly an international thing, though, so this point on its own does not hold water.


Also, the filmmakers probably wanted to acknowledge the dominance that Kenyans have in the event that they are chronicling. Makes sense. So, they go to find a Japan-based Kenyan and proceed to include about 3 minutes worth of footage of him in Japan buying a train ticket and inexplicably opening a laptop in what I can only assume is an office building where he works (the film doesn't make it too clear). Does not make sense.


Almost all of the drama surrounding Njenga developed through 1.) the (limited) footage of Kenya (which, incidentally, was not done nearly as well as ChasingKimbia) and 2.) the fact that he keeps getting 2nd and 3rd. The film did so little with him, his inclusion just seems forced and out of place.


The point (Finally!): I'm tired of sadsacks. It's good to hear inspiring, overcoming the odds stories every once in a while, but that is not all the running world has to offer. Some good runners might actually have a fun personality with an interesting story to tell.

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Around the Interwebs: Ryan Shay

>> "Drugs Kills Ryan Shay" -- a provocative piece from Olympian Joan Nesbit Mabe on her blog.
>> Also, a pretty comprehensive gallery from Alison over at EliteRunning.com.
>> Links to much, much more on Letsrun's frontpage.
(For our non-runner readers (thanks, bjw's Nana) the initial, wrenching news report.)

Matt Taylor has another amazing piece at Chasing Kimbia, which, while taking a broader look at the weekend, also deals poignantly with Shay's passing.

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Video: Fam on the Marathon Trials

Part Two of our Monday night interview with the man they call Fam. In it, he breaks down the buzz in New York over the Trials, why he chose not to enter and what event he WILL be running at the Trials in Eugene, and what he expects to see from Saturday's race itself.

Click To Play

(Click above to play. Hi-res version over on our blip.tv page - Part 1 here.)

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Whats A "Blue Collar"?

It is obvious that every old school/long hair/mutton chopped running fan in America wants Brian Sell to win on Saturday. They also want him to change the oil in their car and drink a can of Budweiser afterward. There is a clear image surrounding Sell in the running community, and I am not so sure it is entirely warranted.

As you can tell by the number of modifiers in that last sentence, I am wary of how such a statement might be taken. I am all for blue collar running. It is the hardcore, independent, pick yourself up by your own bootstraps and run fast as hell image that I someday would like to portray myself. I just don't think that applies to Sell.

It's not his fault. From what I can tell, Sell is a great guy who works really hard and deserves all the attention and good results that he gets. And he gets quite a bit. He did run 2:10 in Boston after all, which puts you in elite American marathoning status as far as I'm concerned.

He gets full support from Hansons and other places and is not exactly scraping by. In short: he is doing everything he can with his considerable resources to race as fast as he possibly can. What people don't want to admit though, is that he is doing everything that the so-called white collar elite guys are doing.

Yes, he is running 150 mile weeks while other guys, Abdi and Ritz for instance, are doing a bit less. That just means those guys don't think it would help them. Somehow this makes them less hardcore than Sell. I am 100% sure that if the shorter mileage guys thought running 300 mile weeks would make them better, they would do it. They do other things that are equally taxing with the considerable resources that they have. In short, again: Sell is working as hard as everyone and anyone else out there.

Mainly, I am just a bit put off that a guy like Sell, who is definitely an elite runner who gets all of the resources, income, and accolades that other elite runners get, has somehow taken the label of blue collar from the guys who actually are what I consider to be "blue collar" runners.

My guess is that most of the guys in the trials with real jobs, like most guys in America, are no longer working their 40 hours in some factory making elevator buttons or replacing car bumpers. Rather, they are working the "new blue collar" jobs, like underwriter at an insurance company, or data entry at a ne...wait, what was I talking about, I must have dosed off. For anyone who has experienced such a job, you know how draining and spirit destroying they are.

Believe it or not, there are a lot of guys out there who are living life like you and I, working (at least) 40 hour weeks at a soul sucking, uninspiring job, and still managing some seriously fast times (2:14s even). That is blue collar. Running miles and miles through predawn suburbia while the wife and kids are fast asleep in a safe, comfortable house that is paid for by heading to work right after that morning run with only a coffee cup's worth of support.

The fact: These guys are blue collar runners. They may not have the privilege of sleeping past 5:30, but let's at least let them keep the title. Sell seems like a great guy, but let's call a spade a spade. He is a professional runner no matter how dirty his fingernails are after his shift at Home Depot.

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Watch You Some Running Tonight

TV alert, from Alison Wade over at EliteRunning.com:

A feature on Macharia Yuot (who also got some love from the NY Times) airs tonight on ESPN. And NOVA is airing programming looking at a few members of the, shall we say, "less elite" contingent at Boston.

And speaking of visual coverage, check back right here, to this very site, this very evening for our exclusive interview with the man they call Fam.

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The Voice of a 7:30 Apologist

True story: I went to see The Darjeeling Limited last night (very average, and I'm generally a big Wes Anderson fan), at the AMC theater just west of Times Square. Walking through Times Square (also known as Satan's Asshole), the streets were packed (nothing new) and everyone was standing stock-still and staring up at the buildings (unfortunately, also nothing new). What struck me, though, was that everyone was standing there staring in the same direction: they were watching a giant monitor broadcasting some sort of live classical music performance. OMG! Times Square! They have TELEVISION there! That's right: everyone was standing around watching TV.

Meanwhile, the buzz/outrage has been quite fervent over at Letsrun. While I suppose some of the complaints about the planning/marketing of the Trials are semi-well-founded, I think it's a little early to get our knickers all in a twist. Yes, 7:30 is an EARLY start. Yes, it makes it impossible for West Coasters to tune in at a natural waking hour. And folks in NJ and Connecticut have a heck of a commute on their hands. But I think it is a little lazy of critics to simply assume the NYRR, as experienced a race-management organization as you can find, picked that start time via a late-night game of Yahtzee while in a collective haze of Jack Daniels and mai thais.

You have to stop and think: why 7:30? Find out just that, after the jump.


7:30am. There has to be SOME reason, and it ain't avoiding the heat. Well, there are two obvious ones: to get on The Today Show, and to be able to run through Midtown, including Times Square. Is it worth it to have the entire event so early just for that? Well, at face value, those five minutes, that one pre-Central Park mile probably make it seem like it a middling plan, at best. But I think it's worth a closer look.

Why did I mention my experience in Times Square last night? The point is this: the tourists in Times Square will stop and watching ANYTHING. They stopped and watched television, hardly a brand-spankin'-new technology at the ripe age of 100+ years old. There will be plenty of people in Times Square at 7:30 next Saturday. Speaking from personal experience, I'm pretty sure there will be plenty of people outside The Today Show studios near the starting line, at 7:30. Plenty of people in the neighborhood around Rockefeller Center. I don't think this is a terrible scenario - there will be barricades on the streets. A police caravan. Maybe even a truck of some sort playing music and trying to fire up the crowd. OF COURSE the tourists out and about in Midtown are going to stop and watch all along the first few miles of the course.

So here's what you'll have:

-- The 5 Million people who normally tune into Today but would not otherwise watch the Trials on TV will be watching the start and early portion of the race. Yes, 5 million.
-- The first mile of the route will be passing some of the most recognizable landmarks in the United States, with tourists lining the barricades throughout.

What sort of message does this send to those 5 million viewers, even if only for five minutes? That this is a huge event. That distance running in America is (can be?) a marquee sporting event. A spectacle. Slap the word "Olympic" on the event, to boot, and I think you will make quite an impression on those viewers. Then you cross your fingers and pray that some of those folks will bounce over to NBCsports.com to watch the stream because they were intrigued. And if the availability of the stream isn't mentioned on The Today Show that morning, and during the early coverage, I would be absolutely shocked. (FWIW, I do think, this is where things break down, because you're asking the viewer to make a special effort AND to do something they might not be used to doing - watching a TV show streamed online)

So no, 7:30 is not conducive to the quote-unquote "casual fan of elite running" to attend the marathon. But: have we ever established that such a person even exists? Would New Yorkers be coming out of the woodwork to watch a small number of elite marathons compete, if it were 10am? 1pm? Would casual fans be tuning in? There is really no precedent to show that such would be is the case. You have diehard fans, you have runners, and you have everybody else, and the early start time, believe it or not, is squarely aimed at notching the biggest possible viewership from the "everybody else."

After being carried by tourists over the first mile, once in the park, you will have the die-hards out in force. However, the numbers here remain to be seen. After one crit-loop is done we're looking at about about 8:15am. Maybe a volume of Sunday marathoners begin to trickle out for their shake-out run. Another loop, 8:40. Friendship Run participants start showing up. Another loop, 9:05. Tourists have begun to show up in Central Park at this hour, not to mention plenty of walkers/joggers who, again, should, in theory, be disposed to stop and watch. Thus begins the final loop.

In that little breakdown - diehards, runners, hoi polloi - there lies the real question mark in all of this: are all those folks who are in town to run NYC on Sunday going to attend the Trials on Saturday? This is, I believe, what the NYRR is banking on. They have scheduled the International Friendship run for 9am that morning -- I imagine, in an effort to get a few thousand people into Central Park: people of a demographic we all imagine should be predisposed to watch a marathon, if anyone is. Whether this tack succeeds or fails depends on how many people will be willing to curtail their sleep two nights before their own marathon to get up at 7am and watch the Trials. A dicey proposition at best, if you ask me. Personally, I expect we won't see significant numbers straggling over to the course until 8:30 or 9. But this is where the whole project, as a spectator event, will succeed or fail.

If things break right, if the weather is as beautiful as it can be in New York at this time of year and people want to be outdoors, this could be a spectacular event. Still, I'm not so naive to expect that it will be -- there are a couple of MAJOR "ifs" in there, between the number of diehards in NYC (I think this number has probably been vastly overestimated by the NYRR) or who are willing to travel to NYC , and the number of Sunday marathoners who will turn up. But if the planners' plans come to fruition, the start will come off like a NYC-sized spectacle... and the finish of the race will be viewed by a crowd that has steadily grown into an impressive mob.

Treu: it might not play out that way. But I just don't see a way that a better scenario could be guaranteed.

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What is Wrong, Wrong With American Distance Running

Public: Can some random person please make an obvious, worn out point about what should change in American distance running to make it more popular?

ME: Ok, I will.

I love these people who think they need to tell the world via internet how things would be better for all distance runners if they were running the show. They are simple-minded egomaniacs who need to realize that "American distance running" is not some lumbering beast blindly wandering around, just waiting for someone to point him in the right direction.

What is wrong, after the jump.

Seriously, here is what is wrong with American distance running:
This ad is hanging up around NYC. Subways, buses, the usual. It is lame as hell. I can see my Grandma designing this ad. Nana loves Lady Liberty. Unfortunately, Nana is not who we want to get excited about the trials.

Leading up to the U.S. Open tennis tournament, which was in NY, there were posters in the same spots with pictures of Roddick, Federer, Serena, Sharapova, and the other big stars looking all young and hip. Commuters had some young, good looking individuals to look at while waiting for their train and, in the process, learned that the U.S. Open was going on and if they wanted to be hip, they should check it out.

No one in New York is going to be attracted to a picture of the statue of liberty, unless they just got here from 19th century Poland.

I am convinced that the trials deserves a similar marketing technique. Instead of using some no name Runner's World model, put up a picture of Ryan Hall crossing the line in Houston, Meb with his silver medal, or Abdi licking a sneaker. Maybe even put their names and some information about them underneath their pictures. Then, some people might actually know some names of the guys running in the race on Saturday, which is usually a prerequisite to cheering for them.

Of course, simply creating a different print ad is not going to make drastic changes, but this principle can very easily be extended to other ways usatf and big events like the NYC marathon can promote the sport. The USTA, the association that puts on the the aforementioned U.S. Open, is a remarkably conservative and unhip organization, but they successfully market their events and players as the opposite, which is to say young, exciting, and fashionable.

One of the first things that can be done to generate excitement is to promote the individuals and give them a personality or, rather, to give them a chance to let their personalities shine through. Well, there are some cases where we should probably just give them one (Anday Rownbay).

Either way, give people a chance to learn the differences between runners and then let them choose sides. Whether they love or hate how cocky one runner is or how humble another runner is, they at least have some sort of preference to the outcome of the race. Every type of contest is more exciting if you care who wins or loses.

For instance, I only like watching soccer during the World Cup because I want the U.S. to do well. Other times, the sport is rather dull. I also only like watching fights when I want someone to get beat on real bad. This is the principle that needs to be used to market the sport. We have to get some runners to be hated and others loved. (by the way, I was just making that one part up to make a point...I really like to watch all fights, especially in public places.)

I realize that I have slowly rolled away from my original point about the ad. Basically, distance running is an individual sport. The individuals need to be at least recognized before anyone cares if they do well or not. A print ad hanging up all around the city would be a significant step in that direction.

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Best/Most Talented/Fastest American Field Ever?

It is inevitable that there will be (and has been already) a great deal of opposition to this "greatest field ever" label that has floated around the trials. Quite frankly, it's easy to see it from the old guys' point of view.

I mean, I know when I was in college, my team used to train harder, party harder, run faster, and eat more. And, despite the same training, faster times, and same dorm cafeterias that the current team has now, that stuff is still true.

One thing I hate: People who think it was sweeter than it is now and feel the need to always tell you about it.

That said, in the early 80's there was indeed a strikingly deep field of American marathoners. There were a LOT of guys between 2:12 and 2:17. There were not, however, as many under 2:09.

Meb kinda sorta almost cancels out Frank Shorter. But, there are a couple of guys who have run very close to or faster than Frank ever did which makes this field faster and deeper up front than any ever. As for a more general idea of depth, it's tough to say if we're looking at the best ever.


Here's the thing: This trials is the best we've seen in a long time. It's easy to think this field is the best ever when a short time ago we were struggling to get people under the Olympic 'A' standard. There are a LOT more 2:12 to 2:17 guys than there were in the last twenty years, but not quite as many as the early '80's.

Which one makes a better field, the depth of quality up front or the depth of 2:12 to 2:17ers? That's a personal decision I guess. "Fans" probably care more about the former while guys who are running or have run close to 2:17 in the past probably care more about the latter.

The discussions are entertaining, though, and good for the sport. I always imagine an exchange with Joe Old Guy gesticulating, throwing out his back and breaking his hip, trying to convince Billy Young Gun that Beardsley was a man and Ritzenhein a mouse.

Face it: Old people are lame and have romantic, cloudy memories. Young people are brash, selfish and have a limited sense of history. Ryan Hall may be the new Frank Shorter which makes Frank Shorter the old Frank Shorter and, let's face it, no one wants the older model of something.

Look at the time in the picture of Ryan Hall. LOOK AT IT! This is American distance running. Things matter in this order:
1. Olympic Medals
2. Times
3. How many beers you drink
4. Your place at New York/Chicago/Boston/London

I have not answered any questions here. I realize that. I have, however, decided the question is unanswerable, like a lot of life's questions. I look forward to the message board scuffles regardless.

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I Heart NY(rr)

…kind of.

A few vocal members of our running community (or maybe many, I can’t be sure unless wejo makes people register to post on that damn message board) have been passionate in their outrage at NYRR and Mary Wittenberg in particular. Criticism has been focused mainly on the corruption that the evil Frau Wittenberg has brought upon our innocent sport, which was apparently uncorrupted by money and politics until she came along.

Some would have you think Mary simply sits high above the city with a bellyful of kraut and bier, signing millions of dollars away to the fat cats at USATF, all the while smiling through cabbage-dotted teeth. That is (probably) not true.


They wonder how a person can think that American distance running could be improved by simply throwing a (relatively) large crapload of money at it.

The unromantic truth: that is exactly what needs to happen sometimes.

I am all for those 60 year old guys who’ve run Boston 30 times and saw Rodgers and Shorter do well without fat cat support. But, the times, they have a-changed. There is more competition, both in the pool of athletes and in sports marketing, and dollars just plain help when it comes to developing runners and, moreover, quality events.

This is not a hardcore capitalist’s view, it’s the truth. If there is to be exciting distance running events filled with high quality athletes, then someone has to be willing to put up the money for huge events in huge venues.

The NYRR so far have set such a quality stage. They have also engineered an unprecedented amount of build-up toward the meet. Of course, I do not think they have gone about it perfectly (more on what they have done wrong later), but they have created a (relatively) large crapload of hype.

It certainly doesn’t hurt that they are hyping the best American field in history. But, it also doesn’t hurt that it is in the most famous park and the most famous city in the nation. I don’t care how pure it might seem to have the trials in small town America, NYC is exciting and hip and has lots of shit to do after (and before) the race (see: Terre Haute after xc nationals). Wittenberg and NYRR have provided that venue and have at least made an attempt at providing serious hype. It has been a good start so far.

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Trials Preview in Free NYC Magazine

I stumbled upon a bit of running literature today: for any New York-folk, I recommend keeping an eye out for a magazine called Metro Sports NY. In the current month's issue, the magazine features a pretty decent preview of the NYC Marathon and Olympic Marathon Trials: a course map with mile markers and recommended spots to spectate, and short mini-bios of the main contenders... and they get it right, covering just about everyone of note other than the Olympic dark horse darling of the NYRR Media team, Josh Rohantinsky. (I, for one, think he will end up being be a non-factor in his first marathon, but if the race goes out too "tactically" (read as, "slowly") then who knows?)

Anyway, serendipity brought me upon the magazine outside of Penn Station (7th Avenue entrance, beneath the Madison Square Garden marquee) in one of those big black cabinets holding a variety of publications behind their respective doors. Don't know where else you might find it around the city, but it's at Penn, if nowhere else, and, it's free. Not bad train reading, at all.

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Sensationalism Beats Out Sensational Finishes

I admit: I typically get excited to check major marathon results to see only a) if an American had a huge race, or b) if there was a world-record or near-world-record performance turned in. So with a WR newly-minted and the Marathon Trials nigh one month from now, leaving few elite Americans at Chicago, I didn't even make a point to look up the results while out of town over the holiday weekend.

I first heard anything about the marathon on the evening news that I just happened to be watching - not my typical source of running information. And what did they cover? The medical issues caused by the heat. I was aghast that they didn't even MENTION the winner. Now that I'm come back to civilization, and have the seen the videos of the finishes, I'd even aghaster. How can you not spare 15 seconds to cover these races? On the off chance you haven't seen them, here is the terrific men's finish, and the equally dramatic women's finish. Reflecting back on last year and all the attention Cheryiout's fall got (it even made PTI), the coverage of THIS year's Chicago Marathon only drives home the point that the anchors and producers of American's sports news prefer sensationalism over real human and competitive drama.

I only wonder if the average American sports fan sees this coverage and wonders to himself if there was any story beyond that nasty fall or this even nastier heat.

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