[sigh] Please try to read and comprehend.
1) Here is what he said, "I don’t believe that starting and finishing a marathon makes you a marathoner. I don’t believe that." Well, again, as I said earlier, if you RUN the whole thing, then you are a marathoner. He then disparages 4-hour marathoners. Trust me, there are a LOT of RUNNER who have to race that thing to run a 4 hour marathon. I guess he doesn't believe in the definition of words.
2) I never said he made a distinction between fast and slow. I AM saying that should be the distinction. You are either a fast marathoner or a slow one. HE wants it to be marathoner or not. He's wrong. Run a marathon, then you are a marathoner.
3) Doesn't matter if there's a difference between running it just to finish or running it to race it. The definition of marathoner is "one who takes part in a marathon." or for another one, "A runner who competes in a marathon." And, for the record, "competing" can mean a lot of things...competing to finish, competing to run it in 5 hours, etc. Steve Jones doesn't know how hard every person who runs one in 4 hours has to work to run it in 4 hours.
Finally, what would YOU call someone who runs the whole way and finishes in 4:13? Would you seriously not call them a marathoner? What about a 78 year old guy who runs 4:43? Is he not a marathoner?
I can see the after party now -- "ok, all of you who ran [some arbitrary time] go over to this side of the room. You are all 'marathoners'. The rest of you stand over there. You are not marathoners. I don't know what to call you, but you are not marathoners."
Really too bad his need to have this made up elitism when just by the nature of his times, he was already elite.