Marine Corp Marathon just got more lame

A 2:24 runner only deserves a pat on the back. Consider yourself over paid if you get any money for that. Once a person gets in the 2:15-2:18 range can you say that this person may have some elite talent and is worth giving out some money incentives. I am for 15 B squad Africans coming to a race and shutting all the 2:24 marathoners out of money. It becomes a reminder that 2:24 is not good enough to be elite and that this 2:24 marathoner needs to keep striving for better. Be competitive with the Africans if you want money, otherwise go for your age group medal and forget about what the elites are doing. Again, because the MCM does not cater to the elites, this marathon is more like a local fun run type race.

"because the MCM does not cater to the elites, this marathon is more like a local fun run type race"

Exactly. It used to be a decent marathon, but is now simply an event.

A boring one at that!

Lining their pockets with what? A building? If they were paying themselves 3.1 million in bonuses that might be something. Even so, I still wouldn't care. It's a commercial transaction. They offer a product (the race) and if I feel it's worth it, I pay my fee. Whatever else happens is irrelevant.

I'm not certain why you are so upset. What should they be doing with this money? Do you feel they owe it to you somehow? Or to a charity, perhaps? Big time marathons were around long before charity runners started overwhelming them. Supporting charities is not their purpose

When I mentioned what I was looking for in a marathon, I was not limiting it too "big time" marathons. What is big time, by the way? 1000+ runners? 10000+?

Anyway, that's only the first criterion I mentioned. I also mentioned things like course support, amenities etc. which encompasses a million details. You don't have to be a big marathon to get it right. I ran a small marathon this fall (maybe 600 runners) that gets an A in all departments.

Another Guest wrote:

You are just another one of those whiny 80s runners who say that during YOUR time running was this and running was that. Americans are faster now than they were during your time

Americans are not faster now than they were in the 80s. Not even remotely close

American marathoning peaked in the 80s. At Boston alone in 1983 there were over 70 Americans who broke 2:20, which is the current Olympic Trials "A" Standard. Yet as of right now, there are only 51 Americans who have broken that time in the past two years

I've always thought that there should be an unwritten rule for marathon race directors that if you can break a certain time barrier you can get in any race at any time (like NYC) without the lotteries etc.

If you have run under 2:16 or so you can get into any race. If you have run 2:16 to 2:22 you can get in most races.If your a 2:20 plus marathoner you need to stand in line.

I have always felt that a diversity is a important thing in life no matter what. So, having a major marathon like Marine Corps offering no prize money sure doesn't phase me a bit. It is different and that is all that matters in my book. It offers an atmosphere that can't be duplicated in many of your other "big" marathons. We have plenty of marathons that offer thousands to the "elite" runners. Having one that does not isn't going to hurt anyone. If you want money go to Chicago, NY, Boston, London, Berlin, or any number of others. If you want to have a good time, run a nice course, and do something a bit different, Marine Corps might be something to try. I for one am glad they sell more than just vanilla ice cream in the store. After all, having DIFFERENT options is a good thing.

20-30 years ago runners ran just to run, just to better themselves. Runners were running 2:10 marathons long before there was any significant prize money. With MCM, we all know they don't give out prize money and so that will limit the top end competitiveness. Any competitive runner knows this and that if they want to run under 2:20 then MCM is not the place to do it. Now, if you're a sub 2:30 marathoner and wanting to get exposure by winning a marathon then MCM is the place to do it. When it comes to getting a sponsorship, be it Nike, New Balance, PowerBar or Dixon's Auto Parts it's all about exposure and winning = exposure.

Alan

pr how did u get so darn smart? huh?