Hey, I'm glad my name's not Edward McLelland, too. It's Edward McClelland. Dude, if you're gonna trash me, spell my name right. I would never misspell CBC.

What's been interesting is that the most outraged responses have been from people newer to the sport. People who were part of the first Running Boom seem to get where I'm coming from. Maybe it's easier to understand if you were involved in running before it became so commercialized.

I doubt I will be taunted. I plan to run in Rockford, Ill., or Green Bay, Wis. Nobody there gets "CBC: News Sunday," so they won't recognize me. This is why I'm not running the Mississauga Marathon.

Who is today's leading Canadian marathoner? I would honestly like to know. The last star I remember was Peter Maher, who ran in the '87 World Championships.

Ted

Hey...some of us aren't old enough to remember the first running boom. Times change man. Get with the program.

There's more to be gained from running than a good finishing time. Anyone who's ran any event knows that.

There's nothing wrong with being an 'amateur jogger'...some of us have lives outside of running (go figure) and don't have the ability/desire to be 'elite'.

Wow, Ted...could you be more jaded?
For the record; it's C.B.C. which stands for: the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (They broadcast some marathons).
I've been running since the 70's. I run because I love to, so I don't need an elitist has-been to validate my sport; nor would I look down my nose at the newbies who can't keep up to a 50 year-old.
You described yourself as a "decent recreational runner" when you tried your first marathon. Good thing - lest the "middle-aged woman hauling her flab around the District of Columbia" might have come closer than 13 minutes to your finishing time.
And by the way; Pheidippides called, and he's ticked off how you consider 1971 to be the birth of the sport. He mentioned that us neophytes have ruined the sport in the last 2500 years by wearing shoes, clothes and stuff, and not dying at the finish line.
As for the next greatest Canadian distance runner? Well he might just be a gangly 14 year-old, who saw the sport on TV because it has become "mainstreamed". Well either that, or we'll just scour third-world nations like Eritrea.

I started out doing the "Learn to Run" program at the Running Room. Then progressed thru the 10 km clinic, and then the 1/2 marathon clinic, and ran/walked the 1/2 marathon. Just because I'm not a great runner doesn't mean I don't have the right to enjoy it with other people. If it inspires people to see Oprah talk about it, great. It makes more friends out there, on the trails, jogging and/or running because they enjoy it.

Can't quite believe what I've just read, honestly. Still shaking my head.

Edward McClelland - I commend you for joining the fray. I must confess, after reading your article I thought you were a first-class [insert expletive here]. And I'm still put off by much of what you said. But then I saw this comment you made: "For reasons that sometimes have nothing to do with the love of running."

And I think I know what you mean.

I've only been running for three years but it's become a part of my life and identity. It's not something I do, it's who I am. I may be slow but I'm serious about my goals and the sport. I've also paid my dues through each level of training to get to the marathon distance.

Running a marathon was never a goal for me UNTIL I started running - solidly and passionately. This is why I, like you, have an issue with people setting up the marathon as a life goal (without having even *tried* running). It's sort of like saying you want to attend the Cordon Bleu without a love or experience of cooking or food - what's that sort of motivation about but empty status seeking (and let's call it for what it is).

To me, the problem you describe is not located in the lack of competitive spirit but a sense of entitlement.

Case in point. Last year I had a woman in my marathon training who had jumped into the marathon after only a year of running. She is obese and arrogant. I had run with her once and decided - never again. I disliked her for the following reasons: she cut corners (cheated) and she had a sense of entitlement about all things. You name it. For her, running a marathon was a status symbol. An accessory. Not something earned. And she was HIGHLY competitive!!! Unsurprisingly she got injured pretty fast. I saw her recently taking a 'learn to run' clinic - I hope it teachers her some respect for the sport, the distance and the idea of dues paying.

Dues Paying:

Thanks. As I said, this is the first time in my career I've ever wished for a "do over" on an article. I didn't express myself well, and, worse, I expressed myself offensively. Unfortunately, this article has drawn more attention than anything I've ever written, far more than work of which I'm far prouder.

I've actually gone back and re-written it. While that version will never see the light of day, I'll share this passage:

Once the supreme test for hardened runners, the marathon suddenly became a gateway into the sport. Soon, gravel paths were crowded with runners who werent necessarily into running. They wanted to lose weight, or quit smoking, or notch a triumph to certify their image as overachievers, and they latched onto the marathon as the vehicle for those aspirations. I met a lawyer who started running because "They say if you can run a marathon, you can do anything!"

Others were raising money for charity. Team In Training, which funds leukemia research, promised to turn loafers into marathoners in 20 weeks. The cause was admirable, but these newbies were being rushed into the marathon. It was a recipe for injury and disillusionment with what should be a life-long pursuit, not a one-off I Conquered Everest stunt. (As it seems to have been for Oprah, who has never run another marathon.) They were egged on by the running industry, which saw the race as a cash cow -- a vehicle to sell inflated entry fees, shoes, training programs, books, and water bottles -- and promoted it as the be-all and end-all of the running experience.

That pretty much sums up my feelings. I'm enjoying my marathon training, and I'll never for the life of me understand why anyone would want to attempt such a grueling race in less than top condition.

Dues:

Thanks for the suggestion. As I told someone else, an article about this article would be more interesting than the article itself was! Taught me a lot about the media, and the difference between what people say they want in journalism, and what actually gets ratings. Interestingly, I am writing an article for Runner's World: a "celebrity runner" interview with Charlie Trotter, a well-known chef here in Chicago.

I doubt I'll start a blog. I'm working on other things -- an article on water crises in the U.S., which I'm sure will be much more highly praised, and much less read. But one good thing came out of this: the article did start a debate. on many board, about what it means to be a marathoner.

Feel free to e-mail me at tedsgarage@yahoo.com. I'll be in Toronto in March, on a book tour, and could use some tips on where to run. I love Toronto, but I've always found it a tough city to run in. I like grass, and you don't seem to have any big parks.

While I instictively agreed with his main observation, I thought it would be fairly easy to debunk one of Mr. McClelland's postulates, that all marathoners are getting slower. Sure, the extra 30,000 at the back of the pack in New York are slow, but the serious athletes at the front must be faster than ever, as Peter H. implies.

So I compared 1980's New York results (averages for each group) to 2007's and guess what:

1980 2007
Top 999 2:43:402:52:22
Top 500 2:35:562:45:20
Top 100 2:21:512:31:26
Top 20 2:14:252:17:00
Top 10 2:12:352:12:25

It's true: 2007's field isn't even close until you look at the top 10, which in the 1980 race was all Americans, but in 2007 was all foreigners.

I don't know if he's the star Mr. McClelland was looking for, but Canadians can take some heart in this year's New York results, where 40-year-old Canadian Bruce Deacon set a slightly better example for competitive finishes at #19 in 2:24:20 than Sam Hill, the fastest American, 11 years his junior and five minutes behind!

But it is also true that I (not a runner) wouldn't know any of these very fit fellows from Adam. Unlike Bill Rodgers, who recently nearly stepped on me while I was waiting, seated, for my wife to come by in a local 10k. He didn't look to be racing very hard. I do give a slightly sad cheer for the first unknown local to go by when I'm out to watch that other little footrace they have every April here in Boston, but most folks are looking for their friends, the Hoyts, the celebrity entrants, and the Elvises.

Since Mr. McClelland also doubts the reach of the CBC, when I lived in Chicago 8 years ago, CBC Sunday Morning and Ian Brown still ran on WBEZ, and I think we had Much and Newsworld on cable too, so you can never be too sure that the CBC hasn't found a way into homes in Rockford or Green Bay! Good luck!

Although I agree with Edward's McClleland belief that Oprah's involvement in The New York Marathon took the spotlight from many deserving, hardworking, elite runners, I don't agree with patronizing beginners. Just because you have been in a sport longer does make you have any superior authority, only knowledge. Furthermore, although the average finishing time has increased throughout the years this is only because of the increasing amount of novice runners. However doesn't not impair the time elite runners. And a serious runner should only be worried about their time not the marathons as a whole. And as for people running to lose weight or quit smoking or to have a healthier lifestyles or even prove something to themselves this is a blessing rather than a curse. This is a motivational movement on the most obese, and commercial continent in the world that has occurred due the sport of marathon running and its participants (including Oprah). although I am not a fan of Oprah or her brainwashing techniques she has managed to inspire people who would not normally move a muscle to aspire to something more.