Did Oprah ruin the marathon?

Apparently the whole Oprah running a marathon thing is a giant can of worms.

Most of the debate veers way off course and actually has little to do with Oprah at all.  This article, by Edward McClelland, as well as this one in Slate are just two of the articles claiming that Oprah, among others, ruined the marathon by making it more popular, and thus slowing the average finishing times.  Of course both articles are so full of assumptions, incorrect facts and flawed arguments that they can be torn apart and refuted paragraph by paragraph, but that’s been done.

But I do want to take a quick look at the overall concept that increased participation in the marathon, and the resulting slower average results, is somehow ruining the sport.  First, I want to acknowledge that this viewpoint really does seem to be from the ‘vocal minority’ – it has been my experience that most runners respect other runners regardless of ability.  Most runners are thrilled that others are embracing a sport that encourages an overall healthy lifestyle in a world that is becoming more sedentary.

I just don’t see how the increase in participation and resulting slower times have taken away from the accomplishments of elite and competitive athletes.  In the past, I have discussed that unlike in other sports, I can run in the same race as some of the best runners in the world, and I think that’s pretty cool.  But in no way do my results, or even my existence for that matter, impact the outcome of the race.  The slower average times do not hold back the winner.  And just like in other sports, they have elite competitions that most people do not get to participate in, such as the World Championships and the Olympics.  I won’t be going to either; but interestingly enough, neither will Mr. McClelland.

So why do these particular people feel so threatened by runners like me?  Are they truly worried about the integrity of the sport?  Because really, I don’t think that Haile Gebrselassie minds that I am out there, any more than Sidney Crosby feels that Timbits Hockey is somehow making the NHL less competitive.  In fact, I would argue that widespread interest in a sport can only benefit the future of the sport – the more of a market there is for it, the more support it will get.

So really, shouldn’t we be thanking Oprah for sparking, or at least contributing to the second running boom?