My brother brought my attention to this article from the NY Times: Plodders Have A Place, But Is It In A Marathon.
I highly recommend reading it as I found it very interesting. It compares racing vs. “participating” in a marathon. Some runners feel that participants who mostly walk or plod along very slow (11 minute+ miles) take away from a certain mystique that completing a marathon has. They feel that running a marathon should give you a sense of pride, but allowing participtants to take over 6 hours lowers the bar and takes away from the specialness of being a marathoner. The article also discusses the fact that many for marathon organizers, the law of diminishing returns kicks in if they let the course stay open for too long. Does the cost of keeping the course open for 7+ hours make sense for the number of people who are actually going to finish in that time? For many races, especially smaller ones, it doesn’t.
I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I do understand the complaints of serious runners, especially those who began running marathons years ago before it was such a popular sport. It was an elite accomplishment back then, and they would like it to remain that way. However, having come of running age during a time when runners come in all shapes, sizes, and speeds. I’m used to seeing walkers at races and really have no problem with them as long as they place themselves in the proper corral.
In addition, only 500,000 people actually complete marathons each year, so I think we’re still in a pretty elite crowd 
Today I ran 13 nearly pain free miles! My regimen of stretching, foam rolling, and ibuprofen has really helped loosen up my IT band and it only started to bug me at mile 11. The weather turned crappy again and the rain helped keep my mind off my IT band and on my other forms of suffering.
Tomorrow I’m running the NYC Marathon Kick-off, a 5 mile race in Central Park. This race starts at 8:30 about 10 blocks from my apartment, so I know I’ll be on time and start at the gun!! It’s been too long since this has happened. This is my last race to run for the 9+1, and now I only have to volunteer at one race to be guaranteed a spot in the 2010 NYC Marathon! So excited for this!!
Have a great night everyone!
I read that article on the website and I think it’s horrible. There is an obesity crisis in America and if walking or “plodding” a marathon is what it takes to get people off the couch than good. Nobody should be looked down upon for exercising. Walking that much is no easy feat. I am so tired of the elitist attitude towards running. If you’re outside, trying your best and doing what you can…you should be considered a runner. What’s the difference between a 10 minute mile and a 6 minute mile when both times are an accomplishment to the person running? Who gives? Completing a marathon or a race is an accomplishment regardless of whether or not somebody else finishes in six hours. People need to get over themselves. The so called “elitist” runners will be older and slower one day….maybe they should hold an event for the “old and slow have beens only”.
This is interesting. What do you think constitutes plodding? I’m not sure. I came across this website http://www.defineplodding.com that allows you to voice your opinion. What do you think?