I'm at work and we were talking about the Broad Street run in Philadelphia that happened this past weekend. For those who aren't familiar with this race, it is a 10 mile run in downtown Philadelphia. We were talking about how long it took them to finish and then I asked how many people ran it...
"40,000, but 20,000 shouldn't even be there"
Ummmmm what?
What did you say?
What do you mean 20,000 shouldn't be there?
Basically...they meant that 20,000 of the participants shouldn't have run the race because they weren't good enough and had no business even trying because they got in the way of other runners. That these people who can't run the race should start out with easier smaller races.
@#(%$(#*@)!)@*#!)%&#
Excuse me? At this point I went off. I could NOT believe that someone would say that. I personally took offense to this statement because if I decided to attend this race, I would be the 20,000 he was referring to. And that made me sad. It hurt my feelings.
What is wrong with the idea of someone starting from the bottom and working towards their goals? Who cares if the person can barely run a 5k let alone 10 miles. WHO CARES! At least they are motivated enough to try. At least they put on their sneakers and decided that they were going to work towards their goal. That is more than I can say about some people! And who knows...maybe they are training with shorter races...how would you even know? Maybe the person who finished dead last in the race has just lost 300lbs and for the first time ever just walked/ran 10 miles. Knowing that, would you tell them that they didn't belong there? I would dare you to say that...and I would bet $100 that you would leave with a black eye.
I absolutely would do a 10 mile race without being able to run the whole thing in under 1 hour and 30 mins. I would do it and I would be proud to finish it in 5 hours! Why? Because it would probably be something that I couldn't have done at the beginning of my journey.
I remember when I ran my first 5k last year. Was I able to run the whole thing? NO! Was I determined to try my best? YES! The feeling of happiness and accomplishment I had after the race was something I have never felt. If someone were to say to me that because I didn't run the whole thing, I shouldn't have been there...it would have crushed me. It shouldn't matter how long you take to accomplish your goals as long as you work hard and eventually get there.
Moral of the story: Don't make assumptions, everyone has a story and you don't know it.
Oh MAN! I'm glad you told them off. Sometimes people can be so brainless!
ReplyDeleteHow about, those people spent the same amount of money to be on that course. The street is closed for a designated amount of time so if they want to stroll merrily through the streets singing "The hills are alive with the sound of music" and they make it across the finish line within the course restrictions then MORE POWER TO THEM. Ugh, that makes me MAD!
Right!!! I agree! Glad I'm not the only one who was mad! I want to help them change the way they think! ANYONE can run/walk a 10 mile race and shouldn't feel bad for doing it their way! :)
DeleteWhat an elitist form of thinking. Anyone who wants to run should be allowed to. There are definitely runs out there that require you to satisfy certain requirements but Broad street is not one.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you spoke up :)
Right on! :)
DeleteThere is a pace requirement for what it's worth - a 15 minute mile.
DeleteGuys like him are jerks. Tell him to come to my cube and say that, seriously. I'd love it.
I guess there probably should be a pace requirement for safety reasons with traffic and all. I'm sending him over.
DeleteFirst of all, I have been running my whole life. I am in my early 30s and, until I had a baby, could run 7 minute miles with no problem. Now I'm proud of a 9-min pace time in races. And you know what? That's still better than most people can do and I know it.
DeleteRunning is so personal and you should never feel you're competing against anyone else. That's why community races are THERE, so you can accomplish you OWN goals.
This man needs 1. a reality check that running is something we are all entitled to do and not an elitist club and 2. a kick in the ass.
Julie, don't ever feel like you aren't entitled to entered a race because you are slow or a novice. We can all put on running shoes and try, and don't let anyone ever say any differently. It's just running, jeez.
I agree with you SO much on what you said about running being personal!!! It really is! When I run I race against myself, not the people around me.
DeleteThank you so much for your kind words of encouragement!!! xoxo :)
I totally agree that this guy was an asshole for stating that the way he did, BUT I do also understand the restrictions placed on participants. For safety reasons, they can't have people participating in a race after the streets are reopened and the volunteers are done. I've been the last to finish in a race before and I still thought it was quite an accomplishment to finish at all! (but I picked a race without a time limit). Use this clown's bad attitude to motivate you to train hard so you can kick his ass in a future race :)
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with you, I do see both sides. But the way the comment was made.....ugh. He could have made his point in a nicer way lol.
DeleteAnd it IS an accomplishment to finish! :) WAY TO GO!!!
LOL i'm going to train so I can run it next year....and I'm going to trip them. LOL jk.
DeleteHAHAHA don't give him another reason to say nasty things- just train, crush it and cruise on by with a BIG smile on your face!
DeleteAlso, since I'm so salty and angry now too, you can remind him it's a race sponsored by the Parks and Recreation Department. It's a freaking community race, not a BQ. It's about getting people in the local community out there. If he doesn't want to run with the community, he better work on his time so he can run with the elites.
ReplyDeleteLOL right on!!!!
DeleteSeriously! What kind of half-assed jock is this person? "Waah, there are too many people around me, make it stop." You don't like it? RUN FASTER, shithat. After all, BOOTSTRAPS!! (That is, of course as long as all the other people don't offend your delicate sensibilities while trying to reach for their own bootstraps.)
DeleteI'd like to observe that adding people to a race does not actually add to anybody's individual time. Nor does it make the achievement of finishing a race less prestigious if there are more people behind you. It baffles me that anyone would need such a basic math and sports lesson, but: the whole goal of a race is to have more people behind you, not fewer. Ahh well. You can't argue with stupid.
First off...THANK YOU for saying shit hat...that is an amazing adjective.
DeleteI love everything you said and how can someone not understand the basic concept that it's good to have more people behind you? Whatever...they don't deserve it.
OH HELL NO. Everyone has their own race to run. He doesn't need to worry about anybody else's but his own. Who gives a flying piss what anybody else does? Did he finish top 10? Top 20? Doubt it. What if the elite told him he wasn't good enough to be there?
ReplyDeleteIt's just upsetting that people aren't more aware of other peoples struggles. The thing that bothers me the most is all of the assumptions that those people don't belong there. He has no clue about their stories, he wants to feel special.
DeleteWow, this guy didn't seem to have much tact, or much brains for that matter saying something like that. What he said was incredibly rude and inconsiderate, glad you threw him off.
ReplyDeleteI agree! If you think that, keep it to yourself!
DeleteOh...this gets me heated too! What a twat! I am so glad that you shared this! I would have been one of the 20,000 and that hurts hearing that. Even the people who I have separated from and choose not to be friends with are going through things. I wouldn't hate on anyone for trying anything that helps them move on and be a better person!!! whew!
ReplyDelete