Posted on 05/08/2019 8:45:24 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Last Sunday’s London Marathon produced plenty of positive headlines. Eliud Kipchoge ran a new course record, Emily Sisson had an incredible marathon debut, runners set nearly 40 new Guinness World Records, and the event itself had more finishers than ever before (42,549) and passed the £1 billion mark in cumulative fundraising.
But it was not all celebration for some runners, especially those who finished at the back of the pack. In the first year the race has offered an official 7:30 pacer—which should have made the race more inclusive—runners who finished toward the end reported experiencing some disturbing conditions.
In a Facebook post on the Monday night after the race, official 7:30 pacer Elizabeth Ayres detailed a list of complaints that included shouted insults, sweeper cars pushing her to run faster and onto the sidewalk, aid stations already packed up and without water, cleaning crews spraying cleaning fluid, Tower Bridge—the most iconic part of the course—packed with cars and trucks, no official photos or finish line video, and timing mats already removed. (Ayres did not have any official splits after the 25K mark, but did have an official finish time.)
“When it’s on TV, it’s all about the big bandstands playing music, people in their costumes, people spectating, a big carnival party atmosphere. But what these people got instead was being nudged by cleaning vehicles, shouted at abuse,” Ayres told Runner’s World of the runners she led. “I’ve done London twice before, I’ve seen what it can be like. What I saw on Sunday was not London Marathon.”
(Excerpt) Read more at runnersworld.com ...
They finished a marathon? That’s an achievement.
I’m surprised they give a care about what anybody would say.
Terrible.
They should be commended for trying.
Really? Too bad, truth hurts. But why should you care what anybody else thinks? True liberals are never concerned when the shoe is on the other foot. Suck it up, run your marathon, have another steak or three, and STFU.
I would feed you an elbow, but I'm busy trying to finish a marathon.
Shamed by fast Africans out to set world records?
That ends up being about a 3 1/2 hour marathon.
That’s pretty good in my book.
I’m ok with packing up the course while some of the runners are finishing, but to have people shout insults is pretty classless.
Yes, a participation trophy.
I really don’t care if the runners are liberals or not. That sh*t is just wrong! They were right to complain about the various people around them acting like 7th graders.
Ayres finished in 7:28:47.////
Evidently the “pacer” wasn’t aiming for 7:30 miles but a 7 1/2 hour total time.
When I ran the Philadelphia Marathon in 1981 they routed it through the Italian market at about mile 22. I heard after the race that walkers were pelted with trash by the spectators. The Londoners had it easy by comparison.
I’m just happy the winner of the women’s event was an actual woman without a Y chromosome.
Some people choose comfort over speed.
Shamed by fast Africans out to set world records?
So, how fat and slow were they?
I don’t know, but the one complaining completed the race at blistering pace of 3.6 mph! Pretty much a leisurely walk speed I think.
That's not a marathon, that's a hike.
IF I was loony enough to enter a marathon, I would likely be called SLOW & OLD. = BOTH would be correct.
Fyi, I’m a longtime staff-member of a 100 mile cross-country race that begins at Noon on Friday & end sat Noon on Saturday.
Everyone who enters this VERY demanding race KNOWS this as they sign a “statement of understanding” as to what the rules of the race are. - Nonetheless, every year we have people who FAIL to meet the 24 hour standard to received the Completion Certificate & for a 100 excuses say that they should receive the same recognition as those runners, who met or exceeded the minimum standard.
(I’m sorry but “tryin hard” is NOT the same thing as succeeding at/completing a task.)
Yours, TMN78247
Meanie
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