Tom wrote:
>Jon and the list,
>I will throw out a few comments about why there are fewer
>2:15-2:25 guys than in the recent past:
>1.Post collegians have better jobs now than were available.
I don't know about that, but I'll agree that the consequences of being
without Medical/Dental coverage is much higher today than it was 20 years
ago. Ever see what a cleaning or filling costs at the average dentist
these days?
>2. They have to make more money to pay off college loans.
Yep - college costs have jumped a lot.
>3. It costs more to live.
See #1. And a corollary may be that previous "runner's havens" are places
that have benefitted greatly from the White Collar boom of the 1980's/90's,
and so housing prices have jumped even more than average in those
locations.
>4. They have tiring commutes to work.
I agree here. I don't think that too many folks had 30 minute commutes in
1980 - now that seems to be considered "short".
>5. There are more cars on the road so running is more exhausting (pun)
with
>death-at-your-elbow then it was in the 70's.
More? I don't know - but 30 years of Walmart-friendly road engineering
have created miles of SUV laden roads with no sidewalks or shoulders,
linking stranded apartment complexes to office parks to neighborhoods
chopped into cul-de-sacs, all of which have made the suburban environment
much less runner compatible (as well as contributing to a generation of
parents who don't feel safe letting their kids go out to run, walk, or ride
bikes).
>6. Young guys get beat by women and old men in their first road races and
>quit.
>7. There are fewer young guys.
I don't think that these are the problems, so much as that the most
publicized road races are really jog-a-thons aimed at bringing in those
women and old men today. There is very little attention to excellence in
most of your local road races, the best merchandise prizes are awarded in
"drawings" while winners get trinkets and baubles, and the awards
ceremonies are really an afterthought. The races are effectively marketed
to making the 20-mile a week yuppie feel good about him/herself, with
smaller age-groups and more awards per age group. 25 years ago there were
much smaller crowds, but when you won a race you could at least go pick up
your blender or new shoes or power drill (all things which I won at races)
from the prize table, and get some "attaboys" from the crowd.
Nowadays, as has been mentioned before, a good local runner can't get
recognition and respect from shoe companies, race directors, or the local
media. The positive reinforcement has definitely diminished.
Phil
