How much money did Mo Farah raise on his sponsorship form? How much did the other runners!
How much more money would the charity have had to do useful things with if you had not put the tenner on your mate's justgiving page but had given it directly to the charity instead?
Trying hard to think of a quorn joke here. Anyone want to help?
Damn it. We've moved on have we? Give us a mo. Ah yeah, here we go, never mind sponsorship, they're always happy to have Farah along as he's such a fungi?
(Timing, secret of comedy. Timing...)
Running a marathon at whatever pace should help them be a bit more Aero...
I'm a bit uncomfortable with people getting upset about being told the truth, however it does seem a bit off dismantling things round the course at a pace you have pacers for. And to be fair, 8hrs is a gentle walk, but an 8hr London marathon is probably more like 6hr, which is a gentle jog.
The word marathon has two definitions:-
Long distance running race of specifically 26 miles and/or difficult long lasting task or activity.
So regardless of whether you were doing it competitively or for charity you're still entering a marathon and the organisers should allow sufficient time for people to complete it, they're happy to take the ridiculous amount of cash for the pleasure
Three definitions...
At least 4...
It's Topic that's really started a Ripple! So a few non runners gave it a Twirl, and Drifter round like they are walking their Yorkie - some Smarties think it's Nuts to give these Flakes a place, but when it comes to the Crunch anyone can have a Chomp at the marathon. I don't give a Daim as long as they don't give up Twix the start and finish. Just to get to the end is no Picnic. I'm told in the future when there is a Breakaway a Double Decker will pick up the stragglers by the Curly Wurlys, but I think this would just be a Fudge.
foomam wins the internetz today. I Cadbury believe the number of chocolate puns used there. Bravo sir.
If it has 3 or 4 definitions it definitely has 2 😜
Saw this article this morning, made me laugh- my marathon PB is 7h20...
I was on track for 3h30 until something in my knee went pop at the 10k mark and I hobbled 20 miles to the end. Had told my niece I would finish it for the heart charity that had helped her out, and I wasn't keen to let her down. Similarly my sister in law cracked on and finished the thing with a slipped disc, and my wife who suffers from clinical depression and for whom running felt like a panic attack also got to the end. In fact they caught me up despite having started over an hour later 😂
To those giving it the "ooh slow people shouldn't be allowed, it's a race" - jog on, anyone who finishes a marathon is at least out there doing something, and you've no idea what they've gone through to get themselves to that point or why they're doing it in the first place. Stay in your lane and let them get on with it.
I once walked 21 miles - it's a bloody long way.
The Stirling marathon was last weekend. No idea how long it to took the slowest competitor - but the Stirling bypass (at 22 miles) was kept closed because one "runner" was still out on the course. Respect.
To those giving it the “ooh slow people shouldn’t be allowed, it’s a race”
I think sarawak was the only person saying that.
Unless you have some kind of disability or are very old, if it takes you longer than 6 hours then you just haven’t **** bothered.
Exactly - the contractors were putting the course infrastructure back for anyone old and disabled and taking it away again for anyone fat and slow
I have ran several marathons (and longer) plus did some distance walking when mrs.muz did the moonwalk
Walking 26.2 miles is far harder than running it in my mind! So much longer on your feet etc.
I am in 2 minds, 8 hours is ridiculous, its just over 3 mph, walking pace or the average speed of a bus in Glasgow (true fact) and most marathons have an agreed cut off time on the entry form where after about 6 hours you either get in the hurry up wagon or accept the roads will be open and all support gone.
This is different, i bet you they started 2 hours after the actual race did, so on the verge of getting round but at the same time its a running event, if you cannot run for at least most of the way do a shorter run or something like the moonwalk, kiltwalk etc.
The contractors are Bounty say they're just doing their job. Hardly Bournvillains are they?
I'll get my (Carra)Mac...
Although they could have been Kinder
Walking 26.2 miles is far harder than running it in my mind
Loads of my wifes workies walked the kiltwalk last weekend, there's no way any of them are capable of running a marathon in their current state of fitness.
Nice to see the confectionery puns being knocked down like Skittles.
The marathon is a business and it's oversubscribed, so there is no need to be polite to fatties. Think of it as like a popular night club (e.g. the Kit Kat club) which refuses entry to those that aren't "cool" enough. Obviously they couldn't say, "no trainers", that would be taking the analogy too far. If they awarded places based on potential performance they could get it over with earlier and reduce costs, while still having the same number of entries. Arguably they would lose a bit of publicity from the nutters in fancy dress, so they'd have to run the numbers. All those looking for a run to challenge themselves but who are too fat or ugly to make the cut could simply run 26 miles round their locale, and maybe post it on some sort of online "app". That way everybody's happy (or jolly).
Stirling and London are very different places. The disruption to London when organising an event like a marathon is going to be somewhat more significant to Stirling.
I've only run one 10k race but trained hard and did ok. The were people walking round over an hour after I finished. That's 10k!
The disruption to London when organising an event like a marathon is going to be somewhat more significant to Stirling.
Eh?
Keeping a bypass in Stirling open compared to keeping a major road open in London, it's a very different level of inconvenience. It's understandable that organisers would be more keen to reopen a road in London.
Referring to the above posts, Keeping a bypass in Stirling open compared to keeping a major road open in London, it's a very different level of inconvenience. It's understandable that organisers would be more keen to reopen a road in London.
Well they need to rethink their timings and pace setters. It is ludicrous on the one hand to set a 7 hour schedule and then begin to dismantle the course ahead of that schedule.
Obviously they couldn’t say, “no trainers”
Nice work.
The problem is that it's no longer a running event. It's been taken over by corporate charities touting entries to the highest bidder with no regard for their ability to actually run. It's a real shame that a festival of running has become all about corporate charity greed
I'm sure I can nestle one more joke in. The organisers shouldn't be accepting entrants who take that long unless there is an exceptional case, especially if they know full well there won't be facilities or water etc.
As some have eluded to, some people seem to be under the illusion that the London Marathon is a race. Its' not. The 'elite' race is just a sideshow - the real freaks are those that can run a marathon in under 3hrs. They don't inspire normal folk to get up off their asses and run. in reality first and foremost it's an event to elevate the standing and reputation of the city of London so it wants those plucky undertrained and overweight amateurs who hit the headlines. It's all about the underestimated underdog grinding along to eek out the full distance even though they could have walked it just as quickly - nobody wants to watch a finely honed athlete complete it in 2.5hrs. It's purely a premier event that hits the global headlines and reinforces the city of London as one of the top three cities in the world and has the unintended benefit of inspiring thousands of individuals to get off their asses and away form the telly and start running for the benefit of some charity---- the bloody cretins taking away the opportunity for some 'far too serous for their own good' weekend warrior with delusions of grandeur indulging themselves in some fantasy that they're some sort of sporting superstar when in reality they're far from it! And as for marshals being rude to slow and fat competitors, then that is just plain rude. I'm sure they're not the only people thinking it, but no need to actually say it out loud.
I'm sure that makes sense in your head. 🤣
Solution: use rabid dobermans as the rear pace setters.
It's a shame marathons aren't like mountain biking or you could get some e-shorts that would boost the performance of the fat and under trained so they could perhaps even win it???
It’s a shame marathons aren’t like mountain biking or you could get some e-shorts that would boost the performance of the fat and under trained so they could perhaps even win it???
Most off-road sportives could be completed by decent runners quicker than the average rider!
