A little something about "elites" (Read 976 times)

This is the same argument that happens on running boards across the country. Part of the reason why I enjoy RA is this type of argument rarely if ever surfaces. One side holds a gross generalization about how "fast" runners are assholes who don't give slower runners enough credit for the work they do, and the other side holds a gross generalization about how "slow" runners can't understand the amount of effort put into getting fast.The fact that this argument recurs frequently and vehemently should be some indication that both of these positions are misunderstandings. We all run for a variety of reasons, and I may never understand why it is that you run. In fact, I don't really care to know why you run. It makes me happy, though, to have a community of folks to share my hopes, setbacks, questions, experience, and successes in running. I take inspiration from many of you. But to take inspiration from someone is rarely, in my opinion, to understand them. In fact, what inspires me is when people do things that are beyond my comprehension. Like Ryan Hall running 2:08:24. Or CallieB transforming herself into a marathon runner. Asking which is the greater accomplishment is like arguing over whether sunrises are generally more beautiful than sunsets. I don't really care. I'm just glad that those kinds of color cross the sky.

Jeff -- well said. I'm not going to try to prolong the argument, but instead (hopefully) try to find some common ground we can all agree on. 1. I think most of us agree that regardless of speed, you can't read too much into non-responsiveness while running. People of all levels can get into a zone where they either don't hear others around them, or are not in a place to acknowledge it. 2. Moving on to the point where ZZ and BRR feel like they got snubbed, let's strip away fast vs. slow, elite vs. mid-pack. In fact, let's remove running from it entirely. In a polite society, I think most of us can agree that it's rude to willfully ignore someone who is speaking to you. There are exceptions, but by and large, I think I'm on pretty solid ground by submitting that either a) the people ZZ is writing about didn't hear her or b) they willfully chose to ignore her. If it's b), then a polite society would consider it rude to not acknowledge it in some way. This is true whether you're at home with the spouse, at the bank, the supermarket, wherever. In this case, all we're looking for is a little wave. 3. Why does a running store have a racing team? One word -- advertising. The store hopes to have individuals who will place well at events and be visible -- visible during the race, and at the awards stand. The more these athletes get seen, the better -- it means more name recognition for the business, and ultimately more revenue. I can't speak for the individuals involved, but I know our local running store racing team members are involved in volunteer activities in the community. This promotes the sponsoring store in a positive light, and should lead to more business, in theory. Again I can't speak for anyone involved in this incident, but I will say this -- if I were a running store / racing team owner/sponsor, I would certainly hope that all of the athletes representing my business would do so in a manner that reflected positively on the business and its core principles. Wearing the team jersey confers a greater responsibility to reach out and carry one's self in a positive manner because the wearer is not just representing themselves -- they are representing the sponsor and its core principles. Wow, isn't free speech great? I love the exchange of ideas. In the meantime, let's all get out there and run! Cheers, Jeff