I came across the following quote on the letsrun.com forum that piqued my interest:

"It used to be considered a parent's right to beat their kid senseless if they so desired, but thankfully (most) people got out of that way of thinking. But maybe they went a little too far, and now kids are treated like little kings and queens who must be praised every time they fart successfully. The same with sports; maybe in the past, there was no room for just being a participant, but now we have reached the point where just participating is seen as cause for praise. I think there are good intentions involved, but the situation has gone a little too far in the other direction." - TomM

This quote is in reference to "Gallow-walking" - a method of finishing a marathon proposed by Jeff Galloway in which runners are encouraged to include walking breaks in their runs (e.g. run 5 minutes, walk 1 minute). Many old-school runners like myself find this to be an abhorrent way to train for a marathon, but this method is designed to appeal to the "normal" person considering the paramount task of training for a marathon. His methods have increased in popularity over the last 5-10 years and now a significant number of runners are using his methods

The desire to get fitter is a fine cause and I support it, but it begs the question - why are you choosing to do a marathon? Is it to say you have run a marathon? If so (some controversial, arrogant opinion forthcoming) IMHO anybody walking a significant portion of the course has successfully covered the distance, but has not run the marathon. I'm sorry. There is a clear distinction here. I have done a 4:40 marathon (at the end of an Ironman) and I would not brag or tell anybody that I "ran" that marathon. I finished it (and was happy to do so) but that's it.

I think this whole phenomena results from our society's desire for instant gratification. We see people competing in a marathon, regard them as fit, and then decide that we want to do that too. But instead of researching the topic, building a logical program, perhaps employing a coach, taking a year or more to reach that goal, etc., we reach for the easiest way to get from point A to B - Gallow-walking. But as the ancient saying goes - "it is not the destination, but the journey that counts". Those who work harder and (hopefully) finish faster are more worthy of my praise than those who walk 20% of the course. But in our society today that is not cool. We are taught that we must always encourage all participants equally even if some of those entered in the race have no business being there. But I won't be part of it. I continue to encourage all who want to participate in endurance sports, but only if they are as into it as me (or close, I'm pretty crazy) and are not looking for the "quick fix".

OK, I'm off the soapbox. If you have a different point of view, I love to hear about it - feel free to contact me.

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