In Praise of Hare Loss

[grasshopper]

Interesting column http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=18642

Agree or not?

[Ryan]

I've made it no secret that I agree. Rabbited affairs tend to be pretty boring to the fan. Head to head competition is where the excitement is.

[Andrew A.]

I like it and certainly agree, though I did not always see things that way.  Of all the things Wittenberg has overseen as CEO of NYRR, the elimination of pacers for ING NYCM is near the top in my eyes.  It is one aspect of many that have cemented that race as the top marathon in the U.S.A. and in the world.  I am not that optimistic that Virgin London, real,- Berlin, and Bank of America Chicago will follow suit, however.

[Ryan]

Andrew, agreed. I also used to like record assaults. The more I watch races, though, the more I realize a record assault is kind of boring. It's just watching one person run usually solo at a fast pace and checking splits when possible. Take a race without rabbits and with a reasonably well matched field and you have a lot of drama unfolding.

NYCM has been wonderful without rabbits. It would be nice to see London, Chicago, Berlin, etc. follow suit but I think the events with courses that are potentially record courses are not at all likely to give up the record assaults. For NYCM, records weren't likely in the first place.

[Andrew A.]

For NYCM, records weren't likely in the first place.

  Ditto John Hancock BAA.  I can say, without reservation, that the men's and women's races at ING NYCM last fall were two of the best I have ever seen.

[Ed]

Races without rabbits will become true "races" again.

[Andrew A.]

Yes, I have noted this in many marathon races I have watched.  Almost without exception, the race becomes far more interesting and exciting once pacers leave the course.  The sport has become far too obsessed with records and stats, which is perhaps a large part of why it finds so little broad appeal.

[Ryan]

The problem with the focus on records and stats is that, in running, it requires a lack of head to head competition to achieve those records and stats. In other sports, there is the same fascination with records and stats (just look at baseball - there couldn't be a more stats centric sport) but the head to head competition doesn't suffer in order to achieve the numbers.