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If anything from reading this article it feels like the running and marathon communities are hugely self-righteous and have a colossally overblown sense of self

If anything from reading this article it feels like the running and marathon communities are hugely self-righteous and have a colossally overblown sense of self-importance. It's just a fucking race mate, this man teaches people and heals people - if you run a marathon, it should be about your own sense of achievement, why care so much about what some other person has done?

Werewolf255 5y ago
This is my big takeaway. I think running and biking can be really fun, but I've lost friends into the morass that is LetsRun. It almost always boils down to 'That person did something I think they can't do, they must be cheating, whose with me?' levels of mob justice... in the running community, no less???? It's enough to make you think that it's the sport itself that breeds the toxicity.
peteradio 5y ago
This isn't some guy who is faking his way into the middle of the pack, he was accepting record times. How can a community maintain fraudulent high water marks?
greedo 5y ago
That's why I never got much into my finishing position in a race. All I cared about was running a PB if possible. I knew that no matter how hard I trained, how well I built up to a healthy diet, that someone out there was better than me. Or trained harder, had a better pair of shoes, or better coaching. Or had a rabbit to help them stay on pace. But people have an unhealthy competitive urge. I saw the same thing when I played basketball. Pickup games where people took things way too seriously, like the outcome of the game meant they'd get a call from an NBA scout, when most of the players were juco level at most.
dspillett 5y ago
> If anything from reading this article it feels like the running and marathon communities are hugely self-righteous and have a colossally overblown sense of self-importance In general that is far from the truth. Running communities tend to be very helpful and welcoming groups in my experience. Yes, there are a few alpha-cock types out there and one or two online forums where they manage to dominate (mainly because they leave other groups where being an arse is actively unappreciated), but that sort of prick appears in all walks of life and running seems to have fewer than its fair share. A lot of the noise that you do hear comes from outside the running groups sometimes. For instance most people making jokes belittling joggers compared to runners neither run nor jog, they just like taking the mick out of a recognisable target. It is like the people who hardly ever leave their couch unless they need to go get another beer going on about how Cantona should have taken a particular shot differently (yeah, my football knowledge is that up-to-date!). > if you run a marathon, it should be about your own sense of achievement I would agree there. Though if there are awards for best-in-class or otherwise they should go to the people who genuinely earn them. > why care so much about what some other person has done? People don't generally like a cheat in any area, If someone else missed out on a best-in-class or other result because of a cheater they are perfectly justified in being irritated and many will be irritating on their behalf. The man didn't deserve bullying by an online mob, he needed mental help not harassment and the ban from other events should be sufficient counter action, but that doesn't mean we should dismiss cheating as a victimless action that we shouldn't care about because it doesn't directly affect us.
trhway 5y ago
>this man teaches people and heals people with his systematic cheating and refusal to accept the reality and take the responsibility magically confined only to marathons ... The guy was an executive and moral integrity isn't that execs are known for. Cheating, outright denying of proven facts, legal threats and hiring PR company - that is a typical exec behavior, and public/community campaign is frequently the only way to stop them.

Werewolf255 5y ago

This is my big takeaway. I think running and biking can be really fun, but I've lost friends into the morass that is LetsRun. It almost always boils down to 'That person did something I think they can't do, they must be cheating, whose with me?' levels of mob justice... in the running community, no less???? It's enough to make you think that it's the sport itself that breeds the toxicity.

peteradio 5y ago

This isn't some guy who is faking his way into the middle of the pack, he was accepting record times. How can a community maintain fraudulent high water marks?

greedo 5y ago

That's why I never got much into my finishing position in a race. All I cared about was running a PB if possible. I knew that no matter how hard I trained, how well I built up to a healthy diet, that someone out there was better than me. Or trained harder, had a better pair of shoes, or better coaching. Or had a rabbit to help them stay on pace. But people have an unhealthy competitive urge. I saw the same thing when I played basketball. Pickup games where people took things way too seriously, like the outcome of the game meant they'd get a call from an NBA scout, when most of the players were juco level at most.

dspillett 5y ago

> If anything from reading this article it feels like the running and marathon communities are hugely self-righteous and have a colossally overblown sense of self-importance In general that is far from the truth. Running communities tend to be very helpful and welcoming groups in my experience. Yes, there are a few alpha-cock types out there and one or two online forums where they manage to dominate (mainly because they leave other groups where being an arse is actively unappreciated), but that sort of prick appears in all walks of life and running seems to have fewer than its fair share. A lot of the noise that you do hear comes from outside the running groups sometimes. For instance most people making jokes belittling joggers compared to runners neither run nor jog, they just like taking the mick out of a recognisable target. It is like the people who hardly ever leave their couch unless they need to go get another beer going on about how Cantona should have taken a particular shot differently (yeah, my football knowledge is that up-to-date!). > if you run a marathon, it should be about your own sense of achievement I would agree there. Though if there are awards for best-in-class or otherwise they should go to the people who genuinely earn them. > why care so much about what some other person has done? People don't generally like a cheat in any area, If someone else missed out on a best-in-class or other result because of a cheater they are perfectly justified in being irritated and many will be irritating on their behalf. The man didn't deserve bullying by an online mob, he needed mental help not harassment and the ban from other events should be sufficient counter action, but that doesn't mean we should dismiss cheating as a victimless action that we shouldn't care about because it doesn't directly affect us.

trhway 5y ago

>this man teaches people and heals people with his systematic cheating and refusal to accept the reality and take the responsibility magically confined only to marathons ... The guy was an executive and moral integrity isn't that execs are known for. Cheating, outright denying of proven facts, legal threats and hiring PR company - that is a typical exec behavior, and public/community campaign is frequently the only way to stop them.