Real Lyfe Nobodee wrote:
Jaygrainger9 wrote:
How much do you guys want to bet this "top coach" is John Marcus? He is still butt hurt none of his athletes will ever be on the level of the top Nike athletes.
That makes for an interesting dilemma. Of course, it's unlikely that any currently existing shoes are going to turn a 2:19 marathoner into a top 3 contender, but it could certainly mess with the results.
My suggestion to any actual athlete faced with this dilemma is to try to do what is ethically best. It's one thing if running is your career and you end up in a situation in which you feel pressured to use AlphaFlys (or whatever shoes) just to not put yourself at a disadvantage. But as an independent amateur athlete (more or less), I think you have to ask yourself, do I really want to beat people just because I have better shoes than them? I think for most, the answer is no. Think of each runner you face as an individual match-up, and ask, would I, in a 1-on-1 race with this person, feel comfortable using a faster shoe that they were not allowed to use?
Are you sure it's not JS? Doesn't he claim to be a "top coach"?
On a more serious note, what is the definition of "professional athlete"? I barely hit the OTQ in the marathon. Can I line up against these guys in their own company's shoe that they can't even wear yet? Or, if I get an elite entry, am I considered part of the pro field even though I'm not sponsored by a shoe company? This could get weird. Now a bunch of people around me are not going to ask for elite bibs, pay for their own, then line up behind the elites so they can wear certain shoes. Geesh. This is a mess.