Fancy achieving a world record at the London Marathon ?

Beware Of The Fish

Sorry Caroline, but one of the issues here is that all these charity stunts are simply diminishing and devaluing running as a serious sports. There are thousands of runners around the country who would love to have been running the London Marathon this year, and they would have trained to their utmost and given their all on the day because it is their passion. Instead their place has gone to someone simply because they've agreed to raise money for charity. That's not to say that some won't work hard for it, but many will not, and as a result the London Marathon is fast becoming a 'thing to do before you die' like swimming with dolphins or visiting Disneyland rather than being a serious sporting event (effectively the British Marathon Championship). As a committed runner I get a bit fed up that a significant proportion of the country now regard marathon running (and running in general) as a charity fund raiser rather than as a sport. No other sport gets treated like this.

cougie

It'd be a bit of a crap race with 2 or 3 runners in.

I cant see why opposition to a pain in teh ass 100meter long caterpillar means that  :

1. People over 4 hours arent welcome. or

2. People slower than world record pace arent welcome ?

 Theres no logic in your arguments Mrs Caterpillar and 888 ?

[Deleted User]

parkrunfun - the VLM is not just a race, its an opportunity to raise awareness for many charities that are struggling to raise money for important causes which have suffered to raise funds in recent years due to the National Lottery and the silly bankers. Granted a very limited number people do run this as a race against each other (Paula Ratcliffe etc) , many run as a race against the clock / PB's , and then there's the others who run it to raise money for charity and raise smiles for the spectators.
I also say this because you appear to be a bit of a prat.

[Deleted User]

cycling does.....sorry, couldn't resist popping that in....London to Paris etc


Rather enjoying these arguments....carry on....

Kryten

Unfortunately I think there is always going to be friction between people that see the London marathon primarily as a running race and those that see it primarily as a charity fundraising event.

The charity aspect is never going to go away, so if you are in the first group and it annoys you then probably the best thing to do is avoid London and run other races instead.

If you're in the second group then maybe you shouldn't be too surprised if you get up a few peoples noses when you post things like this on what is after all a running forum.

cougie

LOL - says someone who doesnt know its Paula Radcliffe ! (sorry cross post to 888)

cougie

SBS - you're off the mark with the cycling comment.

The London to Paris thing is a charity event - but the Marathon is the British Champs.

Go and find the start list for say the GB cycling road race, or TT Champs. Heck even the Hill climb champs, or even any 3rd or 4th Cat road race and come back and let us know how many riders are doing it for their sponsored charity ?

I

[Deleted User]

fair point, I don't cycle



but I've got to the point of expecting London to be for charity ....I don't agree with it, get very cheesed off with every rejection I get. But that's how it is...done other marathons, loved them.
Will get in one day, just to do it.
But there other marathons

parkrunfan

Runner888 wrote (see)

parkrunfun - the VLM is not just a race, its an opportunity to raise awareness for many charities that are struggling to raise money for important causes which have suffered to raise funds in recent years due to the National Lottery and the silly bankers. Granted a very limited number people do run this as a race against each other (Paula Ratcliffe etc) , many run as a race against the clock / PB's , and then there's the others who run it to raise money for charity and raise smiles for the spectators. I also say this because you appear to be a bit of a prat.

 LOL I love well reasoned arguments!

I love how all this self indulgent 'I want to get on telly' nonsense is always justified with the word 'charity' and how any opposition to such daft stunts is labelled 'elitist'.

Let the show go on.......

[Deleted User]

oooops sorry cougie - should have asked my new best mate parkrunfun to check my spellings.

andreia

but its the popularity of london that allows charities to buy the places so runners are able to run on their behalf. imagine someone running a unknown marathon and expecting people, friends, work colleagues to donate, it would be very difficult even though the achivement will be the same. its the popularity of VLM and the fact that everyone is aware of this running event every year that allows us to ask everyone to donate and makes people willing to part with their cash.

musketeer

Surely if you are going to train for a marathon your friends, work colleagues etc will support your efforts which ever marathon you race?

[Deleted User]

love to carry on with this thread, unfortunately I need to get into my Lady Gaga outfit and run two laps of the park before dark - I'm attempting a charity fasted Gaga attempt so must go. see you all soon.

[Deleted User]

and good luck Caroline - let us know how it all goes.

Cheerful Dave

Doing it for charity is one thing, but it's quite another getting in the way of other folks who are trying to finish in the fastest time possible, quite possibly in addition to fundraising of their own.  There's no way a chain of 50 people can avoid getting in the way unless they start after everyone else.  Even keeping religiously to one side means blocking off water stations from other people.  Totally inconsiderate, then after all it's for charidee, so no need to worry about that.

Check out some race reports from last year - lots of complaints about the same thing (but much shorter, obviously).

[Deleted User]

Thanks for the support 888 and Andreia but I wont be commenting further as I  find the lack of humanity on here somewhat depressing

Moraghan

I think it's a fantastic idea.  This year you can break the record with 50 people.  The following year you can do it with 51 people and so on until the end of time. 

The greatest thing about it is that every year you'll also be breaking a second record - that of the highest number of inconsiderate, childish wankers tied together in a sporting event.

"But it's for charity" is a risible excuse for such nonsense. 

Moraghan

X-post.  "Lack of humanity".  I've heard it all now.  Can't you see people are just sick of this sort of crap?

cougie

I'm baffled. If there is a good cause I will give money. I fail to see how the cause becomes worthier or deserving of extra money because people ran tied together ?

I also fail to see how a stunt like this is allowed in the marathon when they ban costumes with wheels.

By all means run the race but not strung together.

parkrunfan

Humanity may refer to:  Human nature, psychological characteristics that all normal humans have in common ...

Since the most common characteristic evidenced by this thread is that 'people are sick of this crap', as stated by the ever eloquent Moraghan, it would suggest that humanity is plentiful and the minority 'pro-caterpillar' stance is a bit out of step.

[Deleted User]

Runner888 wrote (see)

Good luck Caroline - this lot are just jealous because they didn't think of it !! (maybe ??)

Hilarious, especially as Caroline is just ripping off last year's world record breaking caterpiller, and I bet she won't get a fat princess on board to ensure the publicity.

I could almost (this is a probably a lie actually) excuse this if a bunch of mates happened upon the idea themselves but the fact that you're having to advertise for random limbs on the internet makes it even more pathetic. When did charidee become so damn cynical? 

Moraghan

Here's the other inconvenient truth about charity raisers.  Most people don't give freely, most feel press ganged into doing so.  They couldn't care less what charity you run for or the vehicle you use to elicit the cash - they are most likely sitting there praying you don't come round to their desk begging when they are struggling with bills at home.

So take 50 of you each asking people for charity money, the majority on here and every single runner you encounter in the race and maybe you could set a new record for the number of people who hate the sight of you.

As for me, I'd give each of you a quid if you would stop trying to commandeer the sport of running.

Beware Of The Fish

I was talking to someone at work recently and commented that I was doing the London Marathon. She asked me who I was running for and was rather non-plussed when I told her I'd actually qualified to run it by meeting a qualification time and had entered it to actually race it. She said she didn't realise that you could do it without raising money for charity (and this is an intelligent well read girl, not a celeb obsessed person). That's what marathon running is becoming, and it's seeping down into shorter distances as well. Nobody expects footballers or tennis players or golfers to play for charity all the time, so why should runners?

parkrunfan

Quite right, Moraghan.

You also have to ask yourself how many of the people each year who 'runTHE marathon for charity' would:

a) Raise money for their beloved 'close to heart' charity if they didnt have to, ie if they got a ballot/GFA place. Some but not many.

b) Would go off and raise money for their charity anyway even it didnt present a  passport into THE marathon? Not many at all.

There is a never ending stream of people around this time of year staking their tents on the moral high ground in the name of charity, when in reality they are the ones cynically exploiting the charity umbrella to achieve 'one of their life ambitions'.

Also, how many of the co-opted friends/family/colleagues/mild acquaintances would have been keen to send off their fivers to the charity in question if they hadnt been  emotionally arm twisted into doing so? Virtually none.

[Deleted User]

Wilkie, have to say, after reading a lot of threads recently, you seem overly pesimistic! That is all

Hash

Oh the irony of this being okay but Mick & Phil being able to finish in a more-than-respectable time and getting in nobody's way, but having had such a monumental battle to get the organisers to see sense and let them in.