Forums >General Running>What's your take on the Marine Marathoner at Boston?
Runs with the pack
https://www.yahoo.com/gma/marine-vet-crawled-boston-marathon-finish-surprised-spot-115300100--abc-news-topstories.html
I don't know what to think. Hero or grandstanding? Maybe I'm too jaded. Would you really crawl to the finish? .
Full tights were probably not the best fashion accessory on a warm day.
Mongo not know, but going back many years to Julie Moss at Ironman, ye olde "crawl to the finish line" has made for a good story and always gets buzz. Stuff happens all the time. At least (well, in the clip I saw, I could be wrong as I barely paid attention to Boston this year) he wasn't getting propped up by other people and spectators... because then we'd have to have the whole "should he have been DQed" discussion.
Didn't inspire me, but it also didn't tick me off either.
Mother of Cats
https://www.yahoo.com/gma/marine-vet-crawled-boston-marathon-finish-surprised-spot-115300100--abc-news-topstories.html I don't know what to think. Hero or grandstanding? Maybe I'm too jaded. Would you really crawl to the finish? .
I've crawled to the finish of a race (evidence here). I did it because my legs honestly gave out due to hypoxia (I hadn't yet had my asthma correctly diagnosed and treated). I was on track for a PR (which I still got). And...if the finish line is 20 feet away, and you can't get back up on your feet, wouldn't you rather crawl than DNF?
My crawling didn't look anything like his. His crawling was very rhythmical, strong, controlled; mine was a struggle, and off and on. He looked like he could have gotten up and finished.
I thought it was at least 50% grandstanding, to be honest. But I am willing to concede that I don't know that for sure, and others could accuse me of the same.
Everyone's gotta running blog; I'm the only one with a POOL-RUNNING blog.
And...if you want a running Instagram where all the pictures are of cats, I've got you covered.
More importantly, the guy you see here actually running to the finish, but who inexplicably did not make it on Good Morning America, is RA's own Baboon.
Dave
I guess I don't have so much of an issue with the guy. People do all kinds of things in difficult races for all kinds of reasons. My issue is more the media making a national celebrity out of him. Why is this more noteworthy than all the 27,000 other people who finished, most on their feet? Unless he had a backstory of coming back from some kind of significant adversity. Which I don't see, other than being a vet, and I'm sure there were plenty of other vets who finished.
I haven't checked but I assume LetsRun is having a field day with this one.
Someone on Twitter commented something like: "Thanks to the Vaporflys he's crawling 4% more efficiently." Not LetsRun, but might as well be. I had a really good laugh, and then felt ever so slightly guilty.
delicate flower
HA! I got this view too, taken from my Adidas video. That's me with my arms raised, totally oblivious to The Crawler to my right.
<3
letsrun has never known a thing NOT to pick on, so yeah.I'm waiting on Derek to explain to us that, why no, this is not cheating.
Interval Junkie --Nobby
With all the bullshit things the media gives attention to, I'm absolutely fine with them handing the mic to a marine who is looking to remind people that our countrymen are still dying in a foreign land in a war started almost 20 years ago.
* countrypeople just doesn't have the same ring to it, but I mean to include everyone.
2021 Goals: 50mpw 'cause there's nothing else to do
I don’t really have an opinion on it, but I’m just glad it caused darkwave to post her link! Scrolling through those pics is epic. Haha! Sorry, dwave.
Road Mile: 5:19 (2017), 5k: 17:09 (2021), 10k: 35:54 (2021), HM: 1:21:55 (2020), M: 2:53:18 (2021)
jfa
The back story is that he was running it in honor of three of his fallen comrades who were killed in action. He had their names tattooed to his hand. He kept repeating their names as he crawled.
Problem Child
Considering a strong crawl and a 3:38 finish I’m wondering how much he crawled. Did he get down at mile 25.2 and crawl the last mile? Interview required but won’t happen since the truth probably is that he chose to crawl and wasn’t injured or anything requiring a dramatic finish. He has the same medal as everyone who walked and bonked and hit the wall and finished 2 hours slower than him. No story on the 5:30 finisher who lost friends.
Many of us aren't sure what the hell point you are trying to make and no matter how we guess, it always seems to be something else. Which usually means a person is doing it on purpose.
VDOT 55.2
5k18:xx | Marathon 2:55:22
the truth probably is that he chose to crawl and wasn’t injured or anything requiring a dramatic finish.
Well I’m glad that’s settled.
discuss.