What The Hell Happened To The LA Marathon?
May 23, 2022 5:30 AM Subscribe
Adam "tweebiscuit" Conover decided to run the LA Marathon more or less on a whim. It sucked, even more than a marathon should.
This is a great read even if, like me, you have never been a runner. Its observations were inspired by a running event, sure, but it's not really about running or marathons specifically, either.
posted by Western Infidels at 5:57 AM on May 23, 2022 [10 favorites]
posted by Western Infidels at 5:57 AM on May 23, 2022 [10 favorites]
It was always weird to be running towards the finish and seeing the elite runners (who finished long before me) running in the other direction to go cheer on friends/teammates. I can't imagine what it would be like to see all the runners doing that.
posted by tommasz at 6:12 AM on May 23, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by tommasz at 6:12 AM on May 23, 2022 [3 favorites]
Even when you're hiking, out and backs are the worst kind of trail when there's nothing noteworthy at the point where you have to turn around.
And yeah it's an article about something that was good being made worse for short-term profits.
posted by subdee at 6:30 AM on May 23, 2022 [5 favorites]
And yeah it's an article about something that was good being made worse for short-term profits.
posted by subdee at 6:30 AM on May 23, 2022 [5 favorites]
Huh--what timing. I went for my first big bike ride of the season yesterday, and the route was more-or-less out-and-back, and because I got off to a late start, I was passing people who were finishing on my way out... and I thought about cutting it short, even though the whole point of doing the ride was to start prepping for RAGBRAI later in July. Some of it was that I knew that I'd have to face a headwind on the way back, but I wonder if some of it wasn't psychological. (See also: this comment in another thread about people going way too far the other way.)
posted by Halloween Jack at 6:42 AM on May 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Halloween Jack at 6:42 AM on May 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
Good read, Etrigan.
The money aspect of these large civic events has always really bugged me. I live in Denver, spend a lot of time in Boulder, and there is an event nearly in every direction every year. Some are tasteful, with thoughtful sponsors and neat swag. And others are... Well hauntingly nasty. Poorly designed routes, sales monkeys everywhere, clip board zombies looking for signatures, and it just reeks of value extraction of the masses. I guess it is often buyer beware... Just another thing to shop around for these days. Irony there.
posted by discardme at 7:07 AM on May 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
The money aspect of these large civic events has always really bugged me. I live in Denver, spend a lot of time in Boulder, and there is an event nearly in every direction every year. Some are tasteful, with thoughtful sponsors and neat swag. And others are... Well hauntingly nasty. Poorly designed routes, sales monkeys everywhere, clip board zombies looking for signatures, and it just reeks of value extraction of the masses. I guess it is often buyer beware... Just another thing to shop around for these days. Irony there.
posted by discardme at 7:07 AM on May 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
Rarely have I seen a more neat and succint description of late-stage capitalists:
Instead, they’d rather cut costs and maximize short-term profit at our expense. Why would they do anything else? They’re making money, and that means they’re right.
posted by swift at 7:16 AM on May 23, 2022 [25 favorites]
Instead, they’d rather cut costs and maximize short-term profit at our expense. Why would they do anything else? They’re making money, and that means they’re right.
posted by swift at 7:16 AM on May 23, 2022 [25 favorites]
What The Hell Happened To The LA Marathon?
Rich people.
posted by AlSweigart at 7:35 AM on May 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
Rich people.
posted by AlSweigart at 7:35 AM on May 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
As someone who has completed precisely one marathon in about the same time as the author this was a fun read. I prefer loop or one-way courses myself but after 20 miles or so it doesn't really matter to me. All I can focus on is keeping one foot moving in front of the other one.
posted by dweingart at 7:58 AM on May 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by dweingart at 7:58 AM on May 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
Thank you for the link - fascinating. And helpful in case I ever run a marathon -- good to remember that sometimes the problem is the course, not me!
posted by brainwane at 7:58 AM on May 23, 2022
posted by brainwane at 7:58 AM on May 23, 2022
Our local half just did the same thing, turning a formerly great course into a t-shaped mess of switchbacks to avoid a few road closures. Special place in hell, etc etc
posted by q*ben at 8:00 AM on May 23, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by q*ben at 8:00 AM on May 23, 2022 [3 favorites]
QFT: If a cabal of monopolists has to kick you out for being too greedy, it’s safe to say you’re a fucker.
posted by chavenet at 8:22 AM on May 23, 2022 [13 favorites]
posted by chavenet at 8:22 AM on May 23, 2022 [13 favorites]
Fun story but I can't imagine running a race without memorizing the map beforehand. I've only done halfs and 10ks but I always studied the map and walked and/or drove the route in the weeks before and even ran the non-highway parts in segments.
posted by octothorpe at 8:32 AM on May 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by octothorpe at 8:32 AM on May 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
According to a guy at my neighborhood striders group, the Rock 'N Roll marathons are all For Profit ventures which is sometimes confusing as their charity partners occupy the marquee. For example the Nashville St. Jude Marathon uses a lot of city resources, grants and volunteers who I'm pretty sure believe they're supporting St. Judes, but in reality the marathon just pays a large fee to St Jude for the name and race fees go directly to their pocket. I don't have anything against large for-profit civic events but road races require so much volunteer work and buy in from local running groups that are fueled chiefly by passion that I'm pretty uneasy with my local Rock N Roll event.
Oh, just confirmed on Wikipedia, the company behind Rock N Roll races is currently being sued for this exact issue. So.... fuck those guys.
posted by midmarch snowman at 8:34 AM on May 23, 2022 [16 favorites]
Oh, just confirmed on Wikipedia, the company behind Rock N Roll races is currently being sued for this exact issue. So.... fuck those guys.
posted by midmarch snowman at 8:34 AM on May 23, 2022 [16 favorites]
I've run a few different marathons. Good job to him for running a second one!
...
*ALWAYS* look at the course before you sign up for a race of *ANY* length. Every race is different (hills, shade, crowds, temperatures, scenery, traffic) and presuming that 26.2 miles is 26.2 miles is 26.2 miles is crazypants. Case in point: I had a very very expert runner friend (did 50 marathons in 50 states) ask if I wanted to join him on a race near my city. I looked it up and sent back to him the note that it included more than 1,000 feet of elevation gain. We both decided absolutely not.
posted by heyitsgogi at 8:50 AM on May 23, 2022 [8 favorites]
...
*ALWAYS* look at the course before you sign up for a race of *ANY* length. Every race is different (hills, shade, crowds, temperatures, scenery, traffic) and presuming that 26.2 miles is 26.2 miles is 26.2 miles is crazypants. Case in point: I had a very very expert runner friend (did 50 marathons in 50 states) ask if I wanted to join him on a race near my city. I looked it up and sent back to him the note that it included more than 1,000 feet of elevation gain. We both decided absolutely not.
posted by heyitsgogi at 8:50 AM on May 23, 2022 [8 favorites]
“Remember that story about the guy who ran so much he died? Let’s do that for fun!”
posted by star gentle uterus at 8:58 AM on May 23, 2022 [32 favorites]
posted by star gentle uterus at 8:58 AM on May 23, 2022 [32 favorites]
Since they're not saying, I kind of suspect that Santa Monica was perfectly happy to just have the marathon out of their city, and that the amount of money they were asking for was set with that in mind.
posted by vibratory manner of working at 9:11 AM on May 23, 2022 [13 favorites]
posted by vibratory manner of working at 9:11 AM on May 23, 2022 [13 favorites]
Maybe it's because the author hasn't run a marathon in ten years that he notices right away how much the experience has degraded. Normally it gets worst bit by bit, so it's not as noticeable.
posted by subdee at 9:17 AM on May 23, 2022 [7 favorites]
posted by subdee at 9:17 AM on May 23, 2022 [7 favorites]
I do wish I could still run, it was such a big part of my life and then suddenly it wasn't. On the other hand, I like having a semi-functional lower back and not being in pain so I'll keep not running.
posted by octothorpe at 9:22 AM on May 23, 2022
posted by octothorpe at 9:22 AM on May 23, 2022
If a cabal of monopolists has to kick you out for being too greedy, it’s safe to say you’re a fucker.
No love lost for Frank McCourt.
My dad, who was somewhat of an athlete used to say about running, "Why should I go for a run when I just end up in the same place I started? Why not play a sport and keep score?" He was partially dad joking and partially serious. Either way, he was right.
When I was in HS many many moons ago, my basketball coach made those of us not playing soccer or football run cross country. The only reason I liked it was that every afternoon during practice which consisted of a long run in a loop out of the school grounds, my and a friend whose nickname was "Tripper" (see where this is going?!) would get about halfway and light up a fatty outside of our coach's view. He never understood why we were laughing an coughing when we got back.
Anyway, out and backs make no sense in any endeavor.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 9:41 AM on May 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
No love lost for Frank McCourt.
My dad, who was somewhat of an athlete used to say about running, "Why should I go for a run when I just end up in the same place I started? Why not play a sport and keep score?" He was partially dad joking and partially serious. Either way, he was right.
When I was in HS many many moons ago, my basketball coach made those of us not playing soccer or football run cross country. The only reason I liked it was that every afternoon during practice which consisted of a long run in a loop out of the school grounds, my and a friend whose nickname was "Tripper" (see where this is going?!) would get about halfway and light up a fatty outside of our coach's view. He never understood why we were laughing an coughing when we got back.
Anyway, out and backs make no sense in any endeavor.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 9:41 AM on May 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
If you think about it, there's no real reason why a city marathon should be privatized. If it takes over public roads and requires traffic control and policing and public infrastructure, it should be run by the city. But we've come to take it for granted that such events must be privately run.
There's this general thing where local governments outsource public goods to private entities: it's a win-win for both because the government is no longer directly accountable since it's now someone else's responsibility, and can even justify the decision in terms of costs/revenue, while the private entity was never accountable in the first place and is now free to profit by any means it likes, and basically incentivized to commercialize a public good or make use of it for its own ends. So both parties are happy with this arrangement; meanwhile, as more and more public goods get privatized, all of society gradually gets shittier, a little piece at a time. And as things get shittier, the first response of the people of LA (or anywhere) is to blame the homeless, the immigrants, the "woke activists"... or basically anyone except the rent-seekers laughing their way to the bank.
posted by splitpeasoup at 9:46 AM on May 23, 2022 [21 favorites]
There's this general thing where local governments outsource public goods to private entities: it's a win-win for both because the government is no longer directly accountable since it's now someone else's responsibility, and can even justify the decision in terms of costs/revenue, while the private entity was never accountable in the first place and is now free to profit by any means it likes, and basically incentivized to commercialize a public good or make use of it for its own ends. So both parties are happy with this arrangement; meanwhile, as more and more public goods get privatized, all of society gradually gets shittier, a little piece at a time. And as things get shittier, the first response of the people of LA (or anywhere) is to blame the homeless, the immigrants, the "woke activists"... or basically anyone except the rent-seekers laughing their way to the bank.
posted by splitpeasoup at 9:46 AM on May 23, 2022 [21 favorites]
Rock n' Roll is a scourge. In 2013 I did a marathon with them after the one I was training for was canceled due to hurricane Sandy. I hadn't heard much particularly good or bad about them, thought it would be fun to have bands every mile, seemed like a good time. On the day of the race it was slightly rainy/misty (not at all pouring/miserable weather) and the volunteers just... didn't show up. Not that I blame them- what were they getting out of it? But it absolutely ruined my marathon experience, the few volunteers who did show up couldn't keep up with pouring enough water for the amount of runners and if you wanted water you had to stop and wait for them to pour it for you. Private, for-profit events should hire staff and pay them appropriate wages for them to show up and do what they are supposed to be doing. Non-profits generally have other ways to compensate volunteers (NYRR's program where you can volunteer in order to gain entry to the NYC marathon). Even NYRR's for-profit competitor, NYCRuns, has a way to compensate volunteers (through the ability to earn free race entries, etc.) and it generally works pretty well in my experience - I've never been part of a race, other than that Rock n' Roll marathon, where volunteers just did not show up.
posted by matcha action at 10:02 AM on May 23, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by matcha action at 10:02 AM on May 23, 2022 [5 favorites]
"WHAT ARE YOU RUNNING FROM? THE SICKNESS IS INSIDE OF YOU!"
Apologies to any runners reading this hot take, but I've had the misfortune of living right on urban marathon routes a number of times in different cities and it's a very particular kind of hell if you're not into it. And in particular the Rock n' Roll marathons I've witnessed have been the worst offenders of this.
Comparing and contrasting those events to other major urban festivals like parades often using the same streets and even larger public crowds and gatherings like Pride parades marathons are some of the worst events to deal with and live through as a resident of the area and just generally irk me in ways that parades don't even when I try to put aside my personal bias of not being a runner.
I think it's the weirdly irritating mixture of street closures, the amount of trash that's generated and how marathons get away with things that other events don't because it's under the protection of a kind of social umbrella of "healthy sporting activity that may or may not be a charity fundraiser" and gets a free pass that other events wouldn't be granted.
There's also the weird issue of runners who end up vomiting, defecating, micturating and expectorating all over the route but it's all ok and normal because that's just part of the extreme endurance sport of running a marathon, where other events that had those things going on would be more likely to be seen as a public nuisance, health or safety issue.
I think part of it is because I'm honestly a bit jealous and personally irritated by the inherent bias that it's all ok and good or positive just because it's a competitive sport and gets a number of indulgences like a lot of competitive sports in the US.
I can't even imagine the public outrage and difficulties that would happen if someone tried to organize a massive urban dance party in the streets where people danced or partied for 5-8 hours or more (like Love Parade) even if it didn't include sound systems and did a silent disco style headphone only party (unlike Love Parade) where you'd have similar issues with street closures, litter, and people excreting things all over the neighborhood and streets.
The topology and logistics of these two different kinds of events aren't really that dissimilar. They both would involve large crowds, street closures, issues with trash and human waste. They both create a lot of noise. They both involve lots of movement and physical activity. They also both involve the mental reward of releasing endorphins though physical activity, though some of the dancers may have chemical augmentation going on.
The main differences seem to be that one is an officially sanctioned competition and race.and the other is a non-competitive party where you can dance as little or as much as you want to, so for whatever reason dancing isn't "sport" and doesn't get the same indulgences or civic support.
I think that it honestly bothers me a lot that the idea of non-competitive public dance party seems to be widely considered a lesser or more frivolous thing because no one is keeping score or whatever, even though the motivations and rewards of celebrating movement and getting high on your own natural endorphins through movement are arguably very similar.
And if anything a large scale public dance music event with the same number of participants and/or spectators would be lower impact and more inclusive for a number of reasons. It wouldn't need 26+ miles of street closures. Since it's not a timed race over distance, services like portable toilets, water stations or first aid could be centralized and not spread out over a marathon route as stations.
A dance party would be arguably more inclusive because almost anyone interested in music or dancing could participate and you wouldn't be obligated to dance the entire time or even dance at all.
I know that many marathons generally try to be inclusive of different abilities and people who use wheelchairs, but the competitive mobility part of marathons is inherently more exclusionary. And I have seen plenty of people in powered or unpowered chairs at dance parties rolling and bopping around to the music and just enjoying the music, participation and general vibe in ways I just don't see at marathons and organized runs.
And the comparisons of indulgences don't have to be limited to my personal interest and bias of dance parties. This same double standard also gets applied to other events like protests or marches.
posted by loquacious at 11:08 AM on May 23, 2022 [39 favorites]
Apologies to any runners reading this hot take, but I've had the misfortune of living right on urban marathon routes a number of times in different cities and it's a very particular kind of hell if you're not into it. And in particular the Rock n' Roll marathons I've witnessed have been the worst offenders of this.
Comparing and contrasting those events to other major urban festivals like parades often using the same streets and even larger public crowds and gatherings like Pride parades marathons are some of the worst events to deal with and live through as a resident of the area and just generally irk me in ways that parades don't even when I try to put aside my personal bias of not being a runner.
I think it's the weirdly irritating mixture of street closures, the amount of trash that's generated and how marathons get away with things that other events don't because it's under the protection of a kind of social umbrella of "healthy sporting activity that may or may not be a charity fundraiser" and gets a free pass that other events wouldn't be granted.
There's also the weird issue of runners who end up vomiting, defecating, micturating and expectorating all over the route but it's all ok and normal because that's just part of the extreme endurance sport of running a marathon, where other events that had those things going on would be more likely to be seen as a public nuisance, health or safety issue.
I think part of it is because I'm honestly a bit jealous and personally irritated by the inherent bias that it's all ok and good or positive just because it's a competitive sport and gets a number of indulgences like a lot of competitive sports in the US.
I can't even imagine the public outrage and difficulties that would happen if someone tried to organize a massive urban dance party in the streets where people danced or partied for 5-8 hours or more (like Love Parade) even if it didn't include sound systems and did a silent disco style headphone only party (unlike Love Parade) where you'd have similar issues with street closures, litter, and people excreting things all over the neighborhood and streets.
The topology and logistics of these two different kinds of events aren't really that dissimilar. They both would involve large crowds, street closures, issues with trash and human waste. They both create a lot of noise. They both involve lots of movement and physical activity. They also both involve the mental reward of releasing endorphins though physical activity, though some of the dancers may have chemical augmentation going on.
The main differences seem to be that one is an officially sanctioned competition and race.and the other is a non-competitive party where you can dance as little or as much as you want to, so for whatever reason dancing isn't "sport" and doesn't get the same indulgences or civic support.
I think that it honestly bothers me a lot that the idea of non-competitive public dance party seems to be widely considered a lesser or more frivolous thing because no one is keeping score or whatever, even though the motivations and rewards of celebrating movement and getting high on your own natural endorphins through movement are arguably very similar.
And if anything a large scale public dance music event with the same number of participants and/or spectators would be lower impact and more inclusive for a number of reasons. It wouldn't need 26+ miles of street closures. Since it's not a timed race over distance, services like portable toilets, water stations or first aid could be centralized and not spread out over a marathon route as stations.
A dance party would be arguably more inclusive because almost anyone interested in music or dancing could participate and you wouldn't be obligated to dance the entire time or even dance at all.
I know that many marathons generally try to be inclusive of different abilities and people who use wheelchairs, but the competitive mobility part of marathons is inherently more exclusionary. And I have seen plenty of people in powered or unpowered chairs at dance parties rolling and bopping around to the music and just enjoying the music, participation and general vibe in ways I just don't see at marathons and organized runs.
And the comparisons of indulgences don't have to be limited to my personal interest and bias of dance parties. This same double standard also gets applied to other events like protests or marches.
posted by loquacious at 11:08 AM on May 23, 2022 [39 favorites]
In 2016 the Milwaukee Marathon was ~28 miles for some runners.
So a lot of effort was put into getting it correct for 2017. But it still ended up being only 25 miles and change. Which meant it wasn't a qualifying race for NYC or Boston.
In both cases the error was due to incorrect placement of the turnaround on the out-and-back.
Then lately they've had some shenanigans about postponing rather than cancelling during the pandemic which meant they didn't have to issue refunds for a long time.
Anyway, if you're local and travel for races, just run the still-locally-owned Lakefront Marathon instead.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 12:09 PM on May 23, 2022 [3 favorites]
So a lot of effort was put into getting it correct for 2017. But it still ended up being only 25 miles and change. Which meant it wasn't a qualifying race for NYC or Boston.
In both cases the error was due to incorrect placement of the turnaround on the out-and-back.
Then lately they've had some shenanigans about postponing rather than cancelling during the pandemic which meant they didn't have to issue refunds for a long time.
Anyway, if you're local and travel for races, just run the still-locally-owned Lakefront Marathon instead.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 12:09 PM on May 23, 2022 [3 favorites]
This is a surprisingly great analysis from a non-runner about the mental aspects of running. Seeing other runners on the out-and-back, the hidden finish line - most hardcore runners don't think at all about it.
I'd rank marathons, especially big city marathons, as near the bottom of "fun things about running". You could actually race* a 5K, explore forest trails, or run up and down mountains. Instead, you're running on endless city streets and worried that if you have to poop, you'd be wasting six months of training.
And there's nothing like finishing the marathon and getting emails about how you have to reserve a spot for next years, because the already ridiculous price they're asking for is going to go up in a week or something.
posted by meowzilla at 12:43 PM on May 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
I'd rank marathons, especially big city marathons, as near the bottom of "fun things about running". You could actually race* a 5K, explore forest trails, or run up and down mountains. Instead, you're running on endless city streets and worried that if you have to poop, you'd be wasting six months of training.
And there's nothing like finishing the marathon and getting emails about how you have to reserve a spot for next years, because the already ridiculous price they're asking for is going to go up in a week or something.
posted by meowzilla at 12:43 PM on May 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
Many of these issues are addressed by running in your neighborhood parkrun, if you're lucky enough to have one.
Local
Free
Weekly
Timed
Non-competitive
Volunteer Driven
https://www.parkrun.us/
posted by grateful at 12:58 PM on May 23, 2022 [4 favorites]
Local
Free
Weekly
Timed
Non-competitive
Volunteer Driven
https://www.parkrun.us/
posted by grateful at 12:58 PM on May 23, 2022 [4 favorites]
I started running marathons when I was 13. The well-known Grandmas in Duluth was my first. This was back in the early 80’s and long enough ago that I had to have a doctors note in order to compete. Probably in my mid-teens I decided I didn’t like competing because I am far too competitive. It’s a conundrum but I don’t think too uncommon. I stopped competing all together until I decided to start doing the Birkiebiner, the big ski marathon in Minnesota. I did it four almost a decade but again, right on the cusp of making it to wave 1 but not quite was frustrating so I stopped. I also hated how expensive things were getting. When I started out running 10k’s as a wee lad they were like $10-$20. Now I see how pricey these things are and it’s crazy. Then I discovered gravel bike races. Free, volunteer driven and just fun. In fact, the granddaddy of them the Almanzo stopped timing the race altogether as they decided it was getting too competitive.
So yeah, money and competition are not for me. Do it for the fun and the beer.
posted by misterpatrick at 1:17 PM on May 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
So yeah, money and competition are not for me. Do it for the fun and the beer.
posted by misterpatrick at 1:17 PM on May 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
the hidden finish line
My first marathon was the Cincinnati Flying Pig which as far as these things go is a well spectated event with lots of motivating crowds along the whole route...except for one bit. The old finish for this race used to be along the Ohio River and to get to that you have to run in what is effectively an eighth of a mile tunnel between the baseball stadium and the arena. You go from being out in the sun with cheering crowds to making a 90 degree turn into relative silent darkness. At the end you turn 90 degrees again to run parallel with the river and the finish line is 50 - 75 meters ahead. You are suddenly blasted with light and the sound of people 6 deep along the rails cheering...and to make matters worse they widen the course from say 5 meters across to a giant open air plaza. It was so disorientating that for a few moments I was nowhere near running towards the actual finish line.
Now the race ends right before that dark tunnel.
posted by mmascolino at 1:20 PM on May 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
My first marathon was the Cincinnati Flying Pig which as far as these things go is a well spectated event with lots of motivating crowds along the whole route...except for one bit. The old finish for this race used to be along the Ohio River and to get to that you have to run in what is effectively an eighth of a mile tunnel between the baseball stadium and the arena. You go from being out in the sun with cheering crowds to making a 90 degree turn into relative silent darkness. At the end you turn 90 degrees again to run parallel with the river and the finish line is 50 - 75 meters ahead. You are suddenly blasted with light and the sound of people 6 deep along the rails cheering...and to make matters worse they widen the course from say 5 meters across to a giant open air plaza. It was so disorientating that for a few moments I was nowhere near running towards the actual finish line.
Now the race ends right before that dark tunnel.
posted by mmascolino at 1:20 PM on May 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
You can run a trail 50K (longer than a marathon, an ultramarathon!) for less than a quarter of the cost of a big-city marathon here, and it will even come with all the Oreos and jelly beans you can eat.
The cost of a marathon seems to be bribing the city to ignore all the people aggravated by road closures and trash caused by the marathon.
posted by meowzilla at 1:31 PM on May 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
The cost of a marathon seems to be bribing the city to ignore all the people aggravated by road closures and trash caused by the marathon.
posted by meowzilla at 1:31 PM on May 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
Apologies to any runners reading this hot take, but I've had the misfortune of living right on urban marathon routes a number of times in different cities and it's a very particular kind of hell if you're not into it.
You don't even have to live in a proper city- I used to live in a college town that ran a half-marathon and I'd have to keep track of when it was going to happen, because I worked nights and was in the habit of going to this particular local diner after work for breakfast. They'd shut down the roads that comprised the course around the time I'd be getting my food, and then my options would be to wait until well after the time I went to bed or drive way out of my way along country roads I didn't know, back before I had a phone, to get home.
Later I moved to a suburb of a larger city, just off the main road that runs through the various additions and such, and every year on some summer Saturday morning I'd discover, as I set off for my usual Saturday morning shift, on the other side of that road, that the drive to work I already hated was going to be several extra miles long, along unfamiliar roads.
I'm glad people get enjoyment out of them, but fuck me, I've only ever encountered such races as barricades imposing extra stress and effort on me.
posted by Pope Guilty at 2:00 PM on May 23, 2022 [3 favorites]
You don't even have to live in a proper city- I used to live in a college town that ran a half-marathon and I'd have to keep track of when it was going to happen, because I worked nights and was in the habit of going to this particular local diner after work for breakfast. They'd shut down the roads that comprised the course around the time I'd be getting my food, and then my options would be to wait until well after the time I went to bed or drive way out of my way along country roads I didn't know, back before I had a phone, to get home.
Later I moved to a suburb of a larger city, just off the main road that runs through the various additions and such, and every year on some summer Saturday morning I'd discover, as I set off for my usual Saturday morning shift, on the other side of that road, that the drive to work I already hated was going to be several extra miles long, along unfamiliar roads.
I'm glad people get enjoyment out of them, but fuck me, I've only ever encountered such races as barricades imposing extra stress and effort on me.
posted by Pope Guilty at 2:00 PM on May 23, 2022 [3 favorites]
The LA Marathon used to start right by my house, for a couple of years (by now they've changed the course several times). Once we woke up early to walk down to the end of my street to see the runners go by in their first 1/2 mile. The wheelchairs whizzed by first, and then the elites...and then the massive horde arrived. It was so, so inspiring. It was lovely to see the mix of people, young and old, all colors.
And then...then I learned that a lot of people wear a sweatshirt they just plan to discard as they start running. All around us, sweatshirts and warmup jackets were piling up. And *then* I learned that a lot of people need to pee right at the beginning, and they just started pissing all over the walls and parking lots of the businesses at the end of my residential street. And that was the end of us watching the marathon go by.
posted by BlahLaLa at 2:32 PM on May 23, 2022 [15 favorites]
And then...then I learned that a lot of people wear a sweatshirt they just plan to discard as they start running. All around us, sweatshirts and warmup jackets were piling up. And *then* I learned that a lot of people need to pee right at the beginning, and they just started pissing all over the walls and parking lots of the businesses at the end of my residential street. And that was the end of us watching the marathon go by.
posted by BlahLaLa at 2:32 PM on May 23, 2022 [15 favorites]
Many of these issues are addressed by running
Oh I'm way ahead of you. I never run unless something larger, hungrier and toothier than I am is chasing me.
Thankfully I still have most of my teeth and I'm not getting any smaller which is probably directly related to my appetite so I have no plans on running any time in the near or distant future.
I'll stick to non-competitive low impact bike riding. It's a lot easier on my poor old fat bones.
posted by loquacious at 4:54 PM on May 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
Oh I'm way ahead of you. I never run unless something larger, hungrier and toothier than I am is chasing me.
Thankfully I still have most of my teeth and I'm not getting any smaller which is probably directly related to my appetite so I have no plans on running any time in the near or distant future.
I'll stick to non-competitive low impact bike riding. It's a lot easier on my poor old fat bones.
posted by loquacious at 4:54 PM on May 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
I can only run if I'm running away from things or running after things, not just for the sake of running. So I played soccer.
posted by kirkaracha at 5:26 PM on May 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by kirkaracha at 5:26 PM on May 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
Why is it that the history of large public recreational events is becoming tainted by corruption and commercialism, leading to a new event to be created, ostensibly to be rid of those factors, only to succumb to them years later, ad infinitum?
posted by Down10 at 6:37 PM on May 23, 2022
posted by Down10 at 6:37 PM on May 23, 2022
I can only run if I'm running away from things or running after things, not just for the sake of running. So I played soccer.
I'm trying to think of a snarky sport-related comment where I get to watch people running towards me or away from me or being the ball or something, but then I realized I do like one form of running: Running my mouth.
posted by loquacious at 6:56 PM on May 23, 2022
I'm trying to think of a snarky sport-related comment where I get to watch people running towards me or away from me or being the ball or something, but then I realized I do like one form of running: Running my mouth.
posted by loquacious at 6:56 PM on May 23, 2022
Crashing the marathon course on bike was one of the joys of living in Los Angeles, even when the Crash itself became an event. Since I lived in Santa Monica, it also meant an out-and-back ride, but what the hell. It was cool to see the city at that hour.
posted by RakDaddy at 7:51 PM on May 23, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by RakDaddy at 7:51 PM on May 23, 2022 [3 favorites]
I'm with RakDaddy, biking the LA Marathon course at 3am with thousands of other people, right as it's closed down to traffic is PURE JOY. I've done it every year since I've lived in LA, and it's always great.
That said the old LA Marathon course that went all the way to the ocean was excellent and iconic. The new turn around to make it end in Culver City is stupid. It's a Defector link so I am sure the author said some to that effect both more cleverly and more sarcastically and also probably blamed the whole thing on capitalism, but I can't say for sure because it's behind a paywall (which I blame on capitalism).
posted by 3j0hn at 8:58 PM on May 23, 2022 [4 favorites]
That said the old LA Marathon course that went all the way to the ocean was excellent and iconic. The new turn around to make it end in Culver City is stupid. It's a Defector link so I am sure the author said some to that effect both more cleverly and more sarcastically and also probably blamed the whole thing on capitalism, but I can't say for sure because it's behind a paywall (which I blame on capitalism).
posted by 3j0hn at 8:58 PM on May 23, 2022 [4 favorites]
I noticed that Rock'N'Roll Marathons volunteer lawsuit that midmarch snowman mentioned was written about a lot when it was filed in 2014, but I couldn't find any articles written about how it was resolved. I think I found court documents that show it dismissed under a summary judgement in 2016 (https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/4667730/Liebesman_v_Competitor_Group,_Inc ) which is too bad because the whole practice of recruiting volunteers for for-profit events under the veneer of raising money for charities is super icky. If you are charging $150+ a runner, you can afford to pay staff for aid stations.
posted by 3j0hn at 9:35 PM on May 23, 2022
posted by 3j0hn at 9:35 PM on May 23, 2022
Such a shame, Angela's Ashes was a lovely read.
...I think I've gone into the wrong thread.
posted by ZaphodB at 12:04 AM on May 24, 2022 [3 favorites]
...I think I've gone into the wrong thread.
posted by ZaphodB at 12:04 AM on May 24, 2022 [3 favorites]
I can't say for sure because it's behind a paywall (which I blame on capitalism).
As a person who works (and gets paid) in journalism and media, I hate this, but for the record, someone already added it to archive.is.
posted by mykescipark at 8:06 AM on May 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
As a person who works (and gets paid) in journalism and media, I hate this, but for the record, someone already added it to archive.is.
posted by mykescipark at 8:06 AM on May 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
Adam Conover of Adam Ruins Everything is MeFi's own? *faints*
posted by rednikki at 10:23 AM on May 24, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by rednikki at 10:23 AM on May 24, 2022 [4 favorites]
As a person who works (and gets paid) in journalism and media, I hate this, but for the record, someone already added it to archive.is100% respect to paying journalists for journalism. I don't really feel right going around the paywalls of small outlets, and Defector is just not on the list of things I pay for.
posted by 3j0hn at 8:58 PM on May 24, 2022
Defector doesn't have a paywall. There's an x on the pop up, which clears it.
posted by Pronoiac at 1:10 AM on May 25, 2022
posted by Pronoiac at 1:10 AM on May 25, 2022
My bad, on getting a full screen pop-over telling you to login or subscribe, it's easier to close the tab than to play "find the X" to close the pop-over. Also, I seem to recall they used to have a paywall, did that change?
posted by 3j0hn at 7:24 AM on May 25, 2022
posted by 3j0hn at 7:24 AM on May 25, 2022
I didn't figure it out myself! I stumbled on a mention of it, pretty early on; maybe there's a limited number of free articles, maybe monthly, which I haven't hit.
posted by Pronoiac at 10:39 AM on May 25, 2022
posted by Pronoiac at 10:39 AM on May 25, 2022
Oh no, not finding an x!
posted by ominous_paws at 11:08 PM on May 25, 2022
posted by ominous_paws at 11:08 PM on May 25, 2022
« Older When I'm dancing, I am free | RIP Miss.Tic, French street artist Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by greycap at 5:53 AM on May 23, 2022 [6 favorites]