What is going on in Concord?

[Picton]

Just to wrap it up. The American, Conner Mantz, came in 4th. He was 15 seconds out of 1st and a mere few seconds off the podium. Close race. He was leading for a bit and in 2nd when the pack ran by at the top of heartbreak hill. You couldn’t ask for a nicer day.

Oh.

So that was why Concord roads were shut down on Saturday!

There ya go, OP. It was Conner Mantz' fault.

/s

Great race today. The women were flying, too; that one was exciting until about one km remaining, at which point it got boring. Lol.

 

[MisterHappy]

There was a time when white guys actually used to win that race. Remember Bill Rodgers? I remember running track in high school in the late 70s into the early 80s - and compared to the current day it was "weird" ..... in that the country actually seemed to care about actual Americans.

I think that, back in the day, one ran the Marathon to complete it, and win. For the sake of winning.

IIRC, the first Boston Marathon started out in front of an inn, in Ashland (then it was 25 miles), with a guy dragging his foot across the road, the racers lining up, and someone yelling, "Go!"

Then, money was added, lots of it, to attract "better talent".

My real complaint that a race that started off as about as egalitarian as one could get, now has to have qualifying times in other races, buck$ "donated" to get a bib, etc. Now, I'm old and fat, and when I was young I was not going to run, either, so I may have the wrong view. Perhaps a distance runner can chime in?

Basically, the Boston Marathon was for locals. The Olympic Marathon was for the world. Now, the $ makes it a viable way to earn a living, if you're one of the elite.

 

[Picton]

I think that, back in the day, one ran the Marathon to complete it, and win. For the sake of winning.

IIRC, the first Boston Marathon started out in front of an inn, in Ashland (then it was 25 miles), with a guy dragging his foot across the road, the racers lining up, and someone yelling, "Go!"

Then, money was added, lots of it, to attract "better talent".

My real complaint that a race that started off as about as egalitarian as one could get, now has to have qualifying times in other races, buck$ "donated" to get a bib, etc. Now, I'm old and fat, and when I was young I was not going to run, either, so I may have the wrong view. Perhaps a distance runner can chime in?

Basically, the Boston Marathon was for locals. The Olympic Marathon was for the world. Now, the $ makes it a viable way to earn a living, if you're one of the elite.

They have to offer a lot of money, or the Big Names won't come. They're motivated by world records, and you can't set one at the Boston Marathon. You can at the Paris Marathon or the London Marathon, and both of those are in April. BAA needs to do something to attract world-class athletes who are willing to line up in Hopkinton (or Concord, if you're the OP).

Like it or not, the BAA is a for-profit institution with a lot of brand value. You can't expect them to leave money on the table by knowingly keeping top talent away from the event. The days of anyone doing anything for the "glory of sport" ended fifty years ago, when they professionalized most Olympic sports.

 

[Yazz]

They have to offer a lot of money, or the Big Names won't come. They're motivated by world records, and you can't set one at the Boston Marathon. You can at the Paris Marathon or the London Marathon, and both of those are in April. BAA needs to do something to attract world-class athletes who are willing to line up in Hopkinton (or Concord, if you're the OP).

Like it or not, the BAA is a for-profit institution with a lot of brand value. You can't expect them to leave money on the table by knowingly keeping top talent away from the event. The days of anyone doing anything for the "glory of sport" ended fifty years ago, when they professionalized most Olympic sports.

I'm sure they all have the latest's Covid shots!
It is Massachusetts.

 

[MisterHappy]

They have to offer a lot of money, or the Big Names won't come. They're motivated by world records, and you can't set one at the Boston Marathon. You can at the Paris Marathon or the London Marathon, and both of those are in April. BAA needs to do something to attract world-class athletes who are willing to line up in Hopkinton (or Concord, if you're the OP).

Like it or not, the BAA is a for-profit institution with a lot of brand value. You can't expect them to leave money on the table by knowingly keeping top talent away from the event. The days of anyone doing anything for the "glory of sport" ended fifty years ago, when they professionalized most Olympic sports.

Oh, I agree, that one can't fight progress, and that it's about the Buck$.

I was responding to the comment about why Americans don't win it, anymore. If you had to spend $10,000 in training and travel to win $1000....you'd stay home. That's not reality, anymore.

 

[Picton]

Oh, I agree, that one can't fight progress, and that it's about the Buck$.

I was responding to the comment about why Americans don't win it, anymore. If you had to spend $10,000 in training and travel to win $1000....you'd stay home. That's not reality, anymore.

Yeah, and it's also just a basic fact that the Kenyans and Ethiopians will always be faster. There are probably built-in reasons for that (nature and nurture both), but the bottom line is that if you're a top American long-distance runner, the best you can hope for is an endorsement that funds shoes and travel and gives you a stipend that lets you pay rent (not a mortgage) in Eugene, Oregon.

If you're a top East African long-distance runner, the endorsement money is enough to feed and house your parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins for a lifetime. In mansions.

The Americans end up quitting long before they can develop. They become researchers or baristas. USA Track and Field only cares about sprinters.