Chicago Marathon: Defending Slow, Fat, Poorly Trained Runners
October 11, 2007 | Tags: chicago-marathon • Rants
By now, most of us have heard about the terrible heat and humidity that lead to the closure of the Chicago Marathon only three hours, thirty minutes into the race.
Chicago Marathon organizers say they were prepared for the heat and had plenty of water on the course, but marathoners say something completely different - that there wasn’t nearly enough water. Many runners have said some of the first water stations were dry very early on in the race.
While watching the Chicago Marathon organizers and media spin their spin, I’ve become compelled to speak out against what I think is a grossly inappropriate attack on the majority of people who took part in that marathon and, for that matter, all marathons.
I’m angry and disheartened to see attention being deflected away from the real issue - poor race organization - by suggesting that the runners were unprepared, poorly trained (even fat and out of shape), and had no business lacing up their shoes in the first place.
In one article I refuse to link to, runners were told they have no one to blame but themselves - that they should not have run the marathon.
And in another post the Chicago Tribune draws a line in the sand at the three hour, thirty minute mark - the point in time when the race was officially ended. In the article, it is implied that those who had not crossed the finish line by 3:30 did not do so because they did not respect the distance, were ill-prepared, ill-trained or simply too out of shape to be on the course.
And with those posts, and others like them, 90% of marathoners are being flamed all around the web.
According to Running USA marathon statistics, 90% of marathon finishing times are slower than 3:30. The statistic is based on hundreds of marathons - most with much cooler temperatures than Chicago’s 2007 marathon. If you combine that statistic with what was said in the Tribune article, the message you get is that nine out of ten people have no business running marathons.
Every time I read about garbage like this - garbage that tears down people doing something about their fitness, improving their lives and challenging their spirits - it makes me madder than spit.
The article and comments were ignorant. Ignorant of the time it takes most runners to finish a marathon, ignorant of the training, preparation and motivation those runners put into their races, and ignorant of the guts and determination slower runners must possess to finish a marathon.
To assume a runner does not “respect the distance” or is not qualified to run it based solely on an arbitrary finishing time is ludicrous. To assume the same thing at a race with soaring temperatures and inadequate water supply is even worse.
I know this from first-hand experience. In 2002, I ran the Edmonton marathon in 90 degree temperatures and I know for a fact that I would have never finished that marathon without having adequate water - water that should have been and WAS supplied by the event I was at.
I was well trained, was prepared for the distance and finished strongly in four hours, thirty minutes. It wasn’t pretty but I did it and, to this day, it is still one of my proudest achievements - even alongside the 3:30 PR I set just last month.
But what is more impressive than what I did was that hundreds of runners finished up to two hours after me - in 90 degree heat. I think if they were given a chance, and had been provided with adequate water, the Chicago Marathoners would have done the same.
So, to you people doing the criticizing I say: Please don’t make the mistake of believing 90% of marathoners are not prepared to run a marathon. They are. Most of them spend several months to a year training for their event. How much determination and training do you think it takes to be on your feet for six hours in 90 degree heat? Do you think someone who can accomplish such a feat deserves to be ridiculed and berated for attempting something 99.9% of the population will never do in their lifetime? Do you really think it was their fault there wasn’t enough water?
Marathoners generally don’t make it a habit to blame organizers for poor results or DNFs (did not finish). But, when mistakes like the ones in Chicago are made, they want organizers to own up to them and promise to do better next time. After all, if the front runners didn’t get enough water, you can bet they would have complained. You can also bet no one would have criticized them for doing so!
And so I ask the organizers: Did the people running in your marathon get their money’s worth? Did the millions of dollars you collected in entrant fees benefit the runners who funded your event?
What would you do if all those runners said they didn’t get their moneys worth and demanded a refund?
Finally, I say to the 90%: Keep the faith. Keep improving and challenging your body and spirit. You’ve worked hard and no one - no matter how cynical and negative - can take that away from you.
Keep on running.
Written by Mark Iocchelli · Filed Under News and Opinion
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the 90 percenters applaude you!
As someone who coaches novice marathoners, many of whom are glad to get under 5 hrs when they make their debut, I can only endorse your comments about ’slower’ runners being a soft target when the manure hits the fan. I would also add that the marathon is harder than many people think - hard to complete for a novice, hard to get a ‘decent’ time for an intermediate, hard to race properly if you are experienced. Any of these outcomes require hard work!
Nicely said, Mark.
I chair a committee for marathoners-in-the-making called the Welcome Committee. Essentially I throw a party for runners of the two longest runs (20-milers). As the hours go by, the crowds coordinate so that the latest runners get the biggest applauses. Why? Because we all recognize it’s mighty hard to stick it out on a hot day, and often with no one around by then to guide you or keep your spirits up.
I’ve seen lots of amateur video on YouTube from those supposedly well-stocked aid stations. Those folks never had a chance.
Thanks for posting this. Well said! I suppose older, slower marathoners are to blame too and shouldn’t be out there. Oh, and women. Median time for women in large community-oriented marathons is about 5:10. Median time for women in my age group (50-54) at Marine Corps Marathon last year was about 5:19. Half of the finishers were slower than those times! Let’s just tar all those worthless lazy unprepared old women with the same brush!!!
Well said, Mark. I keep telling myself that I will stop reading about the marathon because a lot of what is being said/written is hurtful and insulting. For some reason, I keep reading.
It was a terrible day for a race. The days after the race have been difficult too.
I feel a little guilty that I was allowed to run across the finish line (after it was canceled) while many runners were denied that chance. I had water/gatorade at all my aid stations while many runners did not. I was in a bit of a haze, but I didn’t see any runners taking 5-6 waters. I think many of us realized that it wasn’t an unlimited supply.
The marathon has struck a chord. Maybe something good can come out of it.
I agree. Keep on running, people.
As a cross country runner who has never competed in a marathon but hopes to in the near future, I think this Chicago marathon instance is outrageous. This marathon is supposed to be the one where personal records can occur. Perhaps we should not be so quick to blame the city of Chicago and the organizers for this lapse. After all who really expects it to be 80 something degrees in Chicago in late September? One must remember these things take a very long time to manage, plan out, and put into motion. Instead of berating the people who volunteered their time and possibly money we should be a bit more leniant, perhaps upset and expecting an apology. Furthermore I’d just like to point out that running a marathon under three and a half hours is very difficult and for those who can do it I applaude them; My half-marathon time is one hour eighteen minutes, so I know what it takes to go fast. Those who can’t run under the 3.5 hour mark I think I have more respect because they have the guts to go out there and do it, keep running when no one is there to support them but most likely family and close friends. In conclusion, I think Chicago should be apologizing for targeting people who could not finish under a certain time. As states above, however, we should be a bit easier on the people who volunteered and just expect an apology and promise of improvement from the city of Chicago.
Very well said! Mark, you rock!!
I think that the organizers did a good thing in stocking extra water, but they obviously didn’t stock enough extra and certainly should have realized that 14 stops was not going to be enough given the conditions that were forecasted for a week ahead of time.
While it is not likely to happen, it isn’t the hottest it has been in October in Chicago. They did have fair warning.
I do not have a problem with them canceling the race halfway through. They were not prepared to deal with the conditions.
That being said, I think that they should offer a complimentary bib for next year’s race to the people who were not allowed to finish.
Bless you, Mark! You rock, dude! My favorite Marathon Maniac’s PR is 5:30ish, and I’m looking forward to completing my first marathon in sub-5.
After reading teh Chicago Tribune article, I considered going back to 1 mile fun runs… Nahhhh
Mark,
Be careful when you quote second-hand information such as Julie’s blog. The runners weren’t cut off for not finishing the 26.2 in 3:30 they were cut off for not finishing 13.1 in 3:30. Also 24,933 finished the 26.2, not 4,000.
Paul,
Thanks for the correction. But, does it really change anything other than the blame demarkation mark? The article still says what it says and, to me, is still deflecting blame away from the marathon onto the runners.
But thank you.
I’m also kind of incredulous that the organizers seemed surprised that runners were dumping water on themselves instead of drinking it all. Like that’s the first time it’s happened in a marathon. Duh.
Very well said. I was upset to see all the spin that was going on surrounding the Chicago Marathon.
In more pleasant news, the Denver Marathon is waiving fees for any Chicago Runners who were unable to finish.
Here’s my perspective as a, well, 1%er, and it is in part based upon NY 2006 in which a non-running niece decided to run and did so, finishing in 4:43 after doing lots of training for it.
First, Chicago screwed up. Every runner, first to last, is entitled to the same treatment, and that did not happen. Did the early runners through make it worse? Yes, because they took too much water, but I would never have thought that there was a limited supply as I doused myself. The race should have had alternatives to filled cups for dousing, such as sprinklers. Most runners towards the front now appreciate the limited supply of water and if given the chance would use the alternative, if it’s set up properly. But if it’s not there, we’ll do the same thing again. Sorry.
Some of us diminish the efforts of the 90%ers. But most don’t as long as the guys towards the back have done the work. It’s the people who decide to run a marathon, do a few 10 or 15 milers, and jog through the race for whom we have no respect, because those people do not, as we say, respect the distance.
But as I’ve become more involved in my Club, I see more and more slower runners who put in just as much effort, and often more (it takes a while to run 20 at a 9 or 10 minute pace), than I do and are as dedicated to their own objectives of finishing well as I am. Long runs, tempo runs, intervals. They do them all.
We recognize that we don’t all start at the same point in terms of ability, and that there are plenty of runners who are faster than we are. I like to think that for most of us it’s not where you start but where you finish in terms of respect, and by that I mean what you do and how you do with the talent you have.
Very well said, I know you spoke for a lot of us!
Thank you! I’m part of the 90% and am 2 days into training for my first marathon, which will not be till July of next year. It’s been hard hearing all the insults and blame placed on us newbies, but the fact is, I’m working harder at this than anything I’ve ever worked at before. I may be slightly overweight and totally new to running, but I’ll be ready come July!
My hero! Very well stated.
I find the “1%” vs “99%” dichotomy interesting; since it’s been reported that fewer than half of one percent of the population has run a marathon.
Also, for a podcast on the subject, check out Steve Runner’s episode rebuffing a Slate.com article called “Running with Slowpokes:
http://m.podshow.com/media/192.....3-2006.mp3
Right on! Very well said.
Jeanne, you are right. 99.9% of the population has not run a marathon. I thought saying 99% was enough but, reading your comment has convinced me to change it.
Hmm, more hearsay statistics?? Let’s see some sources! I think there’s about half a million marathons run in the USA per year which equals approx. .16% of the population (1/600), but that doesn’t account for people running multiple marathons in one year… and that’s only one year, not lifetime marathons (=anyone who has ever finished a marathon).
Well said Mark. I’m in the camp that the race organizers screwed up. When people pay $90 for a race (or whatever the fee) you expect to be supplies along the course. Personally.. from experience I tend to not always trust that because I’ve been burned before by poor race organization. I won’t run a race again like that and have no desire to run Chicago now.
Plus - when will these races get it through their head that Gatorade alone does not have nearly enough sodium, etc. for the 99% crowd? (who take longer to finish and generally need more electrolytes) Sports drinks like Gatorade (used in Chicago) often contain less than half of our sodium needs on a normal day - let alone a VERY hot day like Chicago had. of course many runners never even got any Gatorade. Some would have been better than nothing….
Just another note - I haven’t done exact math on the aggregate entry fees, but it’s something on the order like well over US$3 million (not counting sponsorship income, etc.).
ok Nancy:
according to marathon guide.com:
in 2005, 382,000 people finished a marathon
US Population as of today:
303,099,921
World population:
6,623,971,663
http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html
(my calculator doesn’t go that high, andi ‘m bad at math.)
Dear Mark,
Thank you for this great article. What a lack of humility on behalf of the race organizers.
We had a similar situation in France at the Mont Saint Michel marathon where it was scorching and there was not enough water… A lot of people jumped on the sag wagon.
Cheers
Hey, my guesses were pretty close! That’s .126% of the USA population completes a marathon each and every YEAR, or roughly 1 out of every 800 Americans completes a marathon each and every year. In only 5 years, if there were NO repeat marathoners, it would be 1 in 158 people had completed a marathon. So I think the 1 in 1000 figure is bogus. So there.
You win, Nancy. Maybe I should have just said “a lot”.
Amen, Mark!
I feel the same way…
http://SpringfieldHalfWits.blogspot.com
As a back of packer who trained her tail off to run a 5:15-5:30 race and could barely hang onto the 5:45ers before being swept…THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart.
I don’t call this race a DNF for me. It was a NGTOTF (not given the option to finish). Had I not been forced, I would’ve finished…albeit with a personal worst, but a true 26.2 finish nonetheless.
Mark my words, I’m coming back with a vengence. And damnit, they better have the resources next time.
Thank you!
And to Paul, I was at the halfway mark (13.1) WELL before this supposed cutoff mark and was still diverted off the course. If you read the many personal reports of people who were out on the course, you will learn that what the organizers are reporting is simply not true.
Are you trying to beat my Happy Boobs article with all these comments? : )
Mark,
Agreed. Great article and congrats to all the runners who did get to finish. I was with a group of people between miles 16 and 17 that were forced back to Grant Park early by police and race volunteers. Frustrating as it was it was still a great race that I will attend again in the future. I’ll be hoping for much cooler average temperature weather next year…
Thank you. That’s all I can say. As a slowpoke who trained for her very first marathon, which was supposed to have been last Sunday, I thank you for sticking up for us.
I would have finished if they let me.
The 2007 Chicago Marathon was a two-engine train wreck created by the race organizers. They KNEW in advance that the weather would be excessive. They KNEW in advance how many runners there were. They KNEW in advance that the MAJORITY of their runners were not 3:30 marathoners (irrelevant arguments about stats aside).
Yet, they were ill-prepared and pathetically organized. It was tragic. It was an outright catastrophe.
Tell me they could not have shipped in extra water. Tell me they could not have provided more water hoses or cooling stations. Try. The reason they didn’t was because it would COST too much. Too much of their profit would have been hit. And that’s what the marathon is all about. Profit.
If there’s one thing we can all learn from this its that the Megathons are entirely unmanageable in dangerous conditions.
Great post! My heart goes out to all those runners who trained hard for 3 or 4 months, only to encounter such a rough experience.
Well spoken Mark!
I like to believe the best of people, and so I believe that very few, if any, of the people out there pulled a Jade Goody. (If you don’t know who she is and her attitude toward participating in London Marathon, you’re probably better off!)
Props to everyone who goes out there and gives it his or her best! You’re stars no matter what the papers say.
Is there anyway we can get our entrance fee back? Or maybe have it donated to the Chicago homeless?
Frank Shorter with an Op-ed in today’s NY Times.
Separately, there’s an ultimately sad article about the coordinator at the start of the NY Marathon, who’s stopped doing it after 25 years. “‘You can make a mistake once,’ Navarra said of setting up. ‘But you don’t do it again.’”
The worst thing that could happen from this is to discourage slower runners. I think anybody can complete a marathon if they put their mind to it and I have so much more respect for the people that take 5 or 6 hours! Most people go out and run 100% of their ability the whole way. I finished my first marathon last year (at Chicago in 45 degrees) in just under 4 hours. I cannot imagine running for an additional 2 hours with that kind of effort! Anyone that takes longer than that, you deserve a medal!
On a side note, Chicago broke several temperature records the week of the marathon. I have lived in Chicago for 15 years and it has never once been near that hot. It snows at least once every year in October. This is no excuse for their failure to provide water, but I just wanted to show how they may have overlooked the problem.
AMEN! You have stated what many of my friends have said.
I was amazed/stunned when I heard what happened and how runners were blamed for taking too much water. I read the columnist that you referred to and I went from amazed/stunned to outrage.
I have run several marathons and have never finished under four hours. I pay the same amount of money as those people who finish under 3 1/2 hours and expect to receive the same amount of support (as long as I’m on the course within the published time frame).
I train in hot, humid weather and part of that training is to determine when to change your pace, hydrate, etc. If I had been running Chicago, I would have liked the opportunity to finish. (And just so you know, I did try to enter Chicago but it had already sold out.)
I’ve been wondering if this marathon has become too big for what the race director and his staff can handle? I have suggested that they step back and really look at their objectives for the race. And based on the attitude he projected during the news conference, don’t hold your breath waiting for a refund or a free entry for next year.
A slow, overweight runner thanks you!!!!
I totally agree from being at the back of the pack. One problem not mentioned was from the medical people trying to help all those who needed it.Extra ambulances were called in but could not keep up . Emergency rooms were over filled with over 300 runners to the point that the Red Cross set up a crisis line to find people. Also several spectators that had heart problems watching on the course and had to be transported. 8 nurses volunteered in the main tent and saw over 1000 runners and started several hundred IVs.
When is there too many runners on a race course?
Running Blogfather, you hit the nail on the head. As a slow, slightly fat (by marathon standards), poorly trained marathon runner (I ran the 2001 marathon on 3 weeks of training), I too take great exception to the article that you mentioned in the Tribune. Who is he to judge who and who can’t run a marathon? The best part of the Chicago Marathon is that allows us ordinary runners, the people who ran cross country in high school and kept running in college and beyond to take a great step to something else. Running a marathon is a great character builder, but more then that it is an event that brings a whole city together. And believe me, the 1 million that come out to watch the Chicago Marathon every year cheer the Kenyans in front just as much as the average Joe running 10 minute miles.
If you started cutting down the entry field with qualifications then Chicago would just become a watered down Boston Marathon, which would really cheapen both marathons in my opinion.
One last thing: I just want to say that the Chicago Marathon is normally a great race. A freak set of circumstances happened at this year’s race and it won’t happen again. I have run and finished six Chicago Marathon’s (I didn’t run this year since I was on my honeymoon) and I can tell you that every one of them was a fantastic experience. I never finished faster the 4:10:45, and the support from the fans and organizers throughout the race never wavers. I hope they keep the field open to slow runners like me as truly the Chicago Marathon experience is truly great.
Thank you for this — I’m a slow runner in the last stages of training for my first half-marathon. I’ve been trying not to let all the negative remarks (and some well-meaning folks who keep forwarding/mentioning the articles to me!) get me down, this post helps.
As others have said, I agree with stopping the race — if you are out of necessary supplies and your emergency medical services are overwhelmed, it’s only responsible to do so. But I’m disgusted by the vicious, snickering, nasty comments that have followed. I think it’s a large helping of schadenfreude, mostly from people who couldn’t run a mile on an overcast 60-degree day.
Keep on running, everyone!
Amen brother!
As someone who brings up the back of the pack, thank you for your thoughtful article. I have nothing but admiration for elites and mid-packers and I don’t understand the sneering that goes on towards slower runners. When it takes 6 hours to run a marathon, you have a lot of time to respect the distance! I still get an incredible sense of accomplishment when I cross a marathon finish line.
Awesome article Mark. Thanks for sticking up for us slow old farts. As a runner who is over 50 and has often finished not only near the back but also as the last runner of a race I applaud your article.
For the Chicago Tribune to say that runners who cannot finish under a particular time do not respect the distance is wrong. I do respect the distance and see nothing wrong with setting it as a goal. However in doing so I set up a training plan that include the appropriate running I needed to be strong on race day no matter how long it took me to do my marathon. I trained in heat, rain, sleet and hail. I was prepared for any condition. I knew what I needed to eat and what I needed to hydrate. To be safe on race day I packed some of my own supplies. When I did my marathon which was thankfully not Chicago I ran strong but was out there a long time. I finished strong and feeling great even though I was out there for 7:27:03. Knowing and resecting the distance has nothing to do with speed.
If all runners are supposed to be fast and young why is registration open to all and age categories that even go to over 80 even at Boston. Heck if your over 80 at Boston you can take up to 5:30:00 if your female. That’s what I’m aiming for…lol.
As for water stations and earlier runners perhaps wasting water by splashing it on themselves. I’ve done plenty of races and always see runners doing that. Volunteers have often offered 2 glasses to each runner. I usually drink one and wear one on hot days. Heck at our marathon one year the water stations had kids with super soakers and they soaked any runner that was willing. In San Diego there were people with garden hoses. I was surprized that runners ran by. I didn’t I stood there until I looked like a drowned rat but it felt great.
All that said in this case I would say the only lack of respect here was by the marathon committee and their lack of respect for the many who paid fees, spent money to travel, shopped at their expo, and only expected in return to run a race where they had the opportunity to say “I did it”. Saddly many were robbed.
I’m not sure I would even want to run the Chicago Marathon next year, if I were any of you, especially if the marathon officials are putting the blame on the runners instead of taking some or all of the blame. I say get them where it hurts…their pocketbook.
I know some of you said that Chicago is normally a great event, but it speaks volumes when those in charge deflect responsibility away from themselves. There are other great races out there. Why promote one with officials who are irresponsible.
I hate to break this Kumbaya moment, but Mike P’s observation that he ran Chicago in 2001 “on 3 weeks of training” bears noting. As I said, that’s what I consider a lack of respect. If you’re running huge positive splits — second half slower than first — it’s evidence that the work has not been done and if the work hasn’t been done maybe the race shouldn’t be run.
The marathon itself is the pay-off for the work done for months beforehand. Sure, people can make mistakes on race day and blow up (I had an 8 minute positive split in New York). But if you haven’t done the work, you’re either jogging the course or you’re going on a wing and a prayer and you’re going to be suffering mightily in the final stages.
It’s not a question of time but of effort and ultimately of commitment.
I hadn’t read much press other than the fact it was called off early, but that is ridiculous to imply 90% of the runners don’t deserve to be there! Great post!
[…] on Chicago Marathon: Defending Slow, Fat, Poorly Trained Runners: I hadn’t read much press other than the fact it was called off early, but that is ridiculous to […]
Mark, You nailed it!
It was my first marathon, and at age 46 I trained through injuries and sickness. I was a Charity Runner and raised money for ACS. Huge amounts of money was raised by runners supporting dozens of charities. For many it was more than a sporting event, it was a LIFE EVENT. I am not bitter, angry, or sad, it was a great experience and I will do it again. Those who speak negatively are ignorant and narrow minded. The race was a success for many on so many levels. I can’t wait until next year. Last but not least… Thank you to all those who lined the streets encouraging the runners!
Brian - North Carolina
i am a fat guy; i finished the “chicago fun run” despite the heat, lack of water and advise from chili dog eating chicago police persons. many of the “monday morning quarterbacks” are just that…never done it, never will…but they can still critisize and critique. we run because we want to, love to, or in my case - for lasagna. we run because we choose to run regardless of our size, or speed. NO ONE CAN EVER CRITISIZE MY PACE, MY SHAPE, MY ABILITY UNTIL THEY FINISH THE SAME EVENT IN FRONT OF ME!