Comments on: Opinion: Guts & Glory

By: All Downhill From Here » Guts vs. Glory Response

All Downhill From Here » Guts vs. Glory Response — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 14:53:49 +0000

[...] back here are not elite in that we are chosen, but our glory shines through because WE choose IT, no matter how long it [...]

By: Dennis

Dennis — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 00:37:12 +0000

@ Old Skool
I don’t think body fat has a lot to do with this. There were plenty of rail-thin runners around me who stuck it out. And cold is cold. 29 isn’t warm no matter how much you weigh.
And many of the elites who are sponsored and make money regardless of whether they finish typically run 2 or at the most 3 marathons a year. I know plenty of amateurs who run 5 or 6 a year. Granted, they’re not vying for the win, but it’s hard regardless. Maybe it’s just me, but unless you’re truly injured, I can’t see any logic or honor in a DNF.

By: Blaine Moore (Run to Win)

Blaine Moore (Run to Win) — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 17:47:03 +0000

Jeff, I would not use the term “elite” for back of the packers. While I have a lot of respect for mid-to-late packers (I sure as hell wouldn’t want to be out there that long!), “elite” are the people that get paid and have a chance of setting records and winning cash. Elite equates to professional, and very few people that gut it out for 5+ hours in a marathon are going to be professional athletes. Those runners sure do have guts, though, and certainly work a lot harder than I do for a lot longer during the race.

By: jeff

jeff — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 17:08:45 +0000

i’m staying away from the dnf debate, because everyone is making good points in that arena (even if they are a bit heated). but i will laud those runners that are mid/back of the pack, as you suggest, dennis. i can only imagine how hard it is to be out on the course for 5+ hours for the length of a marathon. often, the weather will get hotter as the race goes on and when i’m cooling down and on my way home, those folks are still toughing it out at the same heart rate that i had through the whole race. so, yes, there’s definately an element of ‘elite’ to the back-of-the-packers.

By: Old Skool

Old Skool — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 14:51:55 +0000

You cannot compare Jeter to elite runners…its apples and oranges. I promise you if Jeter made his lively hood on only 4 completed games a year, and he was not going to place in the money at one of them, AND by completing a bad one he could hurt his chances for the future, he would DNF too.

Plus, sponsors don’t pay their elites to jog in just to finish. Sponsors do not want their billboards finishing in the middle of the pack, they want results.

And to condensend a female elite runner who dropped out because it was too cold, is dumb. A female elite runner has a body fat level well below your heros at the back of the pack. 29 degrees will affect her much more harshly.

You need to step off of your soap box. Bless everyone who toes the line at a race. Just don’t forget, many of those elites who have inspired us over the decades because of their awesome performances produced those awesome performances because they were smart and DNF’d when they needed to.

By: Is it okay for elite athletes to DNF? « Run to Win »

Is it okay for elite athletes to DNF? « Run to Win » — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 23:52:10 +0000

[...] wrote an article over at Complete Running asking, “is it okay for elite athletes to drop out of races?” I’ve seen this happen in a lot of races in the last few years, from 10Ks to major [...]

By: 21stCenturyMom

21stCenturyMom — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 17:24:08 +0000

Dude – it’s the lucky EGG club – duh!

We don’t “put up with it”. As you allude to, pro and elite runners have a really thin fan base compared to baseball players, golfers, football players, etc. Also, a lot of people totally tough it out for 1 marathon a year. If you are running a dozen marathons with a bunch of other races in between tossing one once in a while is no big deal, right?

I get that those who suffer deserve a lot of respect for it but still – those who give up because this race (out of the dozens they are signed up for) won’t be good do have a point.