tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2796785757974247915.post6102291243682621850..comments2023-04-27T02:45:46.766-05:00Comments on Run. Race. Repeat.: Charged with being elitistSteveQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16943650844671498074noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2796785757974247915.post-20067258678893532452010-12-29T00:15:08.111-06:002010-12-29T00:15:08.111-06:00SQ said: ...I don't find skinny women attracti...SQ said: <i>...I don't find skinny women attractive.</i><br /><br />I KNEW IT! Come to mama! <br /><br />*shakes decidedly NOT skinny ass*<br /><br />Come on. You missed me a little. :)RBRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14193497073393160994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2796785757974247915.post-54430029385916758262010-12-29T00:08:31.125-06:002010-12-29T00:08:31.125-06:00Soooo...
Does this mean you won't run with me...Soooo...<br /><br />Does this mean you won't run with me? <br /><br />*sniff*<br /><br />And for the record I am only over 6 hours in trail marathons. I am a <b>5</b>+ hour marathon runner. Get it right. <br /><br />:)RBRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14193497073393160994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2796785757974247915.post-88671382130246144962010-12-22T10:57:23.347-06:002010-12-22T10:57:23.347-06:00Steve, per blogroll, I find this is the easiest wa...Steve, per blogroll, I find this is the easiest way for me to keep track of blogs. Google reader pisses me off, and the blogger reader thing the same. Plus, if I've left a serious IMPORTANT long or funny comment on someone's blog, I'll drop back every now and then to see if anyone has followed up. So a few of them will be me, but I do have a small, but loyal band of followers.Keithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09364395150014197905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2796785757974247915.post-3763345452270405682010-12-22T08:55:03.358-06:002010-12-22T08:55:03.358-06:00Qualifying times and the like push people. I'...Qualifying times and the like push people. I'm not working towards a 3:10 marathon (or 2:55 for NYC) just because it's a round number (which it really isn't). If Boston were to tighten the qualifying times, people will just work harder to meet them. If Twin Cities lowered their cut-off from 6 hours to 5 hours, I'm sure the race would still fill up.<br /><br />Now, for the part where I disagree with myself...<br /><br />The 5+ hour runners subsidize the race for the 3 hour runners. Races need the slower runners with disposable income so that they can put on a race where others can run a 2:45. I just checked the results for Twin Cities, and someone who finished in 4:30 placed 5344 out of 8197 overall. Could they have put the race on with 5000 runners instead of 8000? Probably not unless the registration fee was $200 instead of $110.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08328594276456398901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2796785757974247915.post-54537722333824454012010-12-21T14:42:59.402-06:002010-12-21T14:42:59.402-06:00So, let me see if I've grasped this. An expens...So, let me see if I've grasped this. An expensive race is elitist. (read bad.)<br />Lowering qualifying times so fewer people can get into the race is not elitist. Maybe I need to go back and read that again. Or Kanadian logic isn't applying for some reason.<br /><br />I've only recently begun to track the whole expensive races thing, so I admit I may not have a good handle on it. To some extent, what you think of as expensive is going to depend on your income, and your other expenses. But it sure seems to me, that the amounts people are complaining about don't seem that large in the great scheme of things. Oh yes, I understand there are often transportation costs to get there, lodging, food, and other expenses adding to the total. But I read a bleat on one blog complaining about a $50 race fee. Now, to me, $50 is not a lot of money for doing something I like. I figure, suck it up and pay. Or don't pay, that's your business. If you think it's too much, try putting on a race for less. <br /><br />But, (and this isn't meant as a kertwang, though it's going to sound like it) many people have the feeling that the things they want to do ought to be cheaper than they are. America in particular has a disease that thinks things should always be getting cheaper, and that if someone else can afford it, you ought to be able to afford it as well. Frankly, I blame Walmart, and Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous for this attitude. Many people have lost all sense of what things actually cost. <br /><br />In many cases, there is a certain minimum cost to put on a race. The various permits cost the same if one person runs or a 1000. The other costs probably don't scale particularly well, but then, I've never organized a race, so I admit this is a bit theoretical on my part.<br /><br />I think that the people that put on a race can set whatever qualifying times they like, and charge whatever fees they like. They can put in a requirement that everyone run in a pink top, or wear New Balance shoes, or be under 6 feet tall if they like. (after all, allowing tall people to race is elitist because we take longer strides.) It's their race. People can look at the entry info and make the decision to race or not to race. That's what a market economy is all about. <br /><br />There is probably a place for races that require people to document a sub 3 hr marathon to be able to enter. And probably for races where your PB is OVER 4 hours, or 5 hours. All depends on the demographic you're trying to attract. If your race doesn't attract enough people to cover the costs then it isn't going to run again, or at least not many more times. If it does cover costs and achieve whatever the organizers had hoped for, regardless of "elitist" entry conditions, then it's a success. By those standards, Boston is an enormous success. <br /><br />Most event organizers would love to have the problem that their event is too popular. The classic economic response to an event that is selling out, is to charge MORE. The price will ration a limited supply to whoever wants it most. That's the American way.Keithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09364395150014197905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2796785757974247915.post-60059669339421760602010-12-21T13:49:11.441-06:002010-12-21T13:49:11.441-06:00Wait. I thought you loved skinny women?Wait. I thought you loved skinny women?Glaven Q. Heisenberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08223203230634447543noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2796785757974247915.post-8162561727128722672010-12-21T12:56:33.118-06:002010-12-21T12:56:33.118-06:00@G: If you think that's bad, you should see my...@G: If you think that's bad, you should see my argument that I don't find skinny women attractive.SteveQhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16943650844671498074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2796785757974247915.post-31620307212705937132010-12-21T12:46:05.680-06:002010-12-21T12:46:05.680-06:00Um ... this is your attempt to seem less elitist?
...Um ... this is your attempt to seem <i>less</i> elitist?<br /><br />Or to recommend your patented SteveQ Brand of Elitism as somehow inherently superior to Brand X?<br /><br />The weird riff on the Zeno's arrow paradox at the beginning is no more persuasive than ... well, the Zeno's Arrow paradox. Arrows don't stand still in mid-air; people don't run marathons one tenth of a mile at a time.<br /><br />And isn't it elitist to argue that your brand of elitism is better than other brands? Making you doubly so?<br /><br />I say fuck it. The next Boston Marathon should be available ONLY to those who have either never run a marathon before, or who never broke 5 hours.<br /><br />I'll <i>see</i> your elitism and raise you one healthy does of anti-elitism.<br /><br />(Make sure the anti-elitism doesn't come into contact with the elitism - the explosion would be cataclysmic.)Glaven Q. Heisenberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08223203230634447543noreply@blogger.com