Rock 'n' Roll Marathon coming to Los Angeles in 2010
Michelle
social experience, and I think they�ve captured that.�
Even though I'm a back of the pack runner, this grates on me. �It is a
race, not a social event. �Even if you come in dead last, if you have given
it your all and have done the best you could have done, you are racing.
Socializing is for the pre-race and after-race events, but they are the
icing on the cake, not the cake itself.
-- Michelle
Rock 'n' Roll Marathon coming to Los Angeles in 2010
November 19, 2009 | 1:13 pm
The Rock �n� Roll Marathon series is coming to Los Angeles.
The Competitor Group, which owns the series of marathons held around the
country, announced today that it will open a new half-marathon in L.A.
Scheduled for Oct. 24, 2010, the run will replace the City of Angels Half
Marathon, which has been held since 2006 on the first weekend in December.
Peter Englehart, president and chief executive officer of the Competitor
Group, said an agreement had been reached with the nonprofit group Grove of
Hope to replace the City of Angels event, but he did not disclose the terms
of the deal.�
�We�ve been blessed with several other good markets on the West Coast, but
L.A. was the missing piece to the puzzle,� Englehart said. �As we grow our
company, it�s important to have a presence in L.A., so this was an
opportunity we were looking for.�
Officials expect 15,000 to 20,000 runners to sign up for the inaugural
13.1-mile race. Englehart said there are no immediate plans for a full
26.2-mile marathon, but he sees the event as a warm-up to the L.A.
Marathon, which is held in March.
Russ Pillar, president of the L.A. Marathon, which recently announced its
new �Stadium to the Sea� route, said he welcomed the half marathon to L.A.
�We at the L.A. Marathon are excited about anything that improves the
health and wellness of everyone in our great city,� Pillar said.
The Rock 'n' Roll series races are known for their entertaining routes, and
the L.A. version will feature live bands, themed water stations and
cheerleaders along the course. The series began in 1998 in San Diego, and
there are now 14 events.
�They�ve found a niche,� said John Bingham, a columnist for Runner�s World
magazine who will be an announcer at the race. �The idea of competing is
not as important as the social experience, and I think they�ve captured
that.��
The 2010 race will utilize the existing point-to-point course that takes
runners from Griffith Park near the Los Angeles Zoo, along the L.A. River,
down Sunset Boulevard, near the edge of Echo Park Lake and finishes at the
Los Angeles Civic Center.
-- Baxter Holmes
--
26.2 Because I can
rick++
ocean" course. I think that will make it more interesting.
Doug Freese
"Michelle" <mich...@michelle.org> wrote in message
news:michelle-7B2832...@nothing.attdns.com...
> This caught my eye: �The idea of competing is not as important as the
> social experience, and I think they�ve captured that.�
>
> Even though I'm a back of the pack runner, this grates on me. It is a
> race, not a social event. Even if you come in dead last, if you have
> given
> it your all and have done the best you could have done, you are
> racing.
> Socializing is for the pre-race and after-race events, but they are
> the
> icing on the cake, not the cake itself.
You are entitled to your opinion and we don't walk the same line on
this.
I have run many races where I wanted to support the cause/rd/etc and
didn't give a shit about this balls to wall attitude and my time. This
is this same gnarly thought process that draws that time in sand with
an arbitrary marathon time limits that keeps you on the hairy edge of
getting pulled.
You can't have your cake and eat it! If you feel the need race your ass
off each time, fine, but don't dare take a cheap shot at those that run
for the SOCIAL aspects. There will always be a set of people at race
that can "jog" it and finish in front of you while your working your ass
off. They paid their money and have the right to whatever they want,
except exceed the time limit. I don't think they care what you think of
their effort. Many races that are for a good cause often have people
that hardly breath heavy.
This attitude is a subset of defining a runner vs. jogger that we have
managned not to have for some time.
-D
Michelle
"Doug Freese" <dfr...@hvc.rr.com> wrote:
> You can't have your cake and eat it! If you feel the need race your ass
> off each time, fine, but don't dare take a cheap shot at those that run
> for the SOCIAL aspects. There will always be a set of people at race
> that can "jog" it and finish in front of you while your working your ass
> off. They paid their money and have the right to whatever they want,
> except exceed the time limit. I don't think they care what you think of
> their effort. Many races that are for a good cause often have people
> that hardly breath heavy.
That is completely different from it being a social event. And if they can
jog it without breathing heavily and finish it, whether they come in ahead
of me or behind me, more power to them. I never said what they should or
should not do, and they won't care about what I think of their effort if
for no other reason than I won't tell them; heck, I probably won't even
bother to think of it in the first place.
What bothered me, and what I apparently failed to get across, is his
promoting in that manner, not in anyone's personal motivation. Their
personal motivations are their own business, and even if I can't understand
it, it's still none of mine. For instance, I could not understand why any
runners at the Disneyland Half Marathon that I ran last year stopped to
have their pictures taken with the Disney characters along the route. They
wanted to, so they did. I personally wouldn't want to increase my time
during the race to do that. If I wanted to have my picture taken with
Disney characters, I'd do it at the park. I shouldn't say "if", because
that's what I did.
-- Michelle
Doug Freese
> In article <he754u$rau$1...@news.eternal-september.org>,
> "Doug Freese" <dfr...@hvc.rr.com> wrote:
>
> That is completely different from it being a social event. And if
> they can
> jog it without breathing heavily and finish it, whether they come in
> ahead
> of me or behind me, more power to them. I never said what they should
> or
> should not do, and they won't care about what I think of their effort
> if
> for no other reason than I won't tell them; heck, I probably won't
> even
> bother to think of it in the first place.
Howe many people that read here and do not post did you poke in the eye?
How about someone stopping by to read and see your view?
> For instance, I could not understand why any
> runners at the Disneyland Half Marathon that I ran last year stopped
> to
> have their pictures taken with the Disney characters along the route.
> They
> wanted to, so they did. I personally wouldn't want to increase my
> time
> during the race to do that. If I wanted to have my picture taken with
> Disney characters, I'd do it at the park. I shouldn't say "if",
> because
> that's what I did.
Then I feel sorry that you don't understand. There are good runners that
do Ultra races and stop to take pictures of beautiful views. There are
times in some of my races where I stop for a moment to enjoy a farm,
mountain or stream. Since I don't carry a camera I mentally store the
picture. The clock is but one way to record a race. The zeal of the
newbie runner.
Can't see the forest for the trees" .....at least not while recording
pace and miles.
-D
Edward Edmonds
> Even though I'm a back of the pack runner, this grates on me. It is a
> race, not a social event.
+1
From: http://bit.ly/4IC6Ja
"...there are certainly more appropriate places to have a social get
together then a marathon..."
Michelle
Edward Edmonds <edward....@gmail.com> wrote:
Yeah, but being a slow runner does not mean that one is having a social get
together.
Edward Edmonds
> Yeah, but being a slow runner does not mean that one is having a social get
> together.
I apologize if I implied in the earlier thread that if you're slow
you're having a social get together in my haphazard way of writing.
Clearly though after reading this:
On 11/20/2009 3:12 PM, Michelle wrote:
> Even though I'm a back of the pack runner, this grates on me. It is a
> race, not a social event.
You feel that a race is a race, and in a race you race.
I'm in agreement with you on that point +1
Like I said in your other thread I've got no problem with the slow
runners it's more so the efforts, I probably should have been more clear
on that; so I'll happily eat my foot.
Again I think a race is a place were you line up, shut up, and go. Pre
and post race do whatever, but during the race, race.
aeiouy
> This caught my eye: �The idea of competing is not as important as the
> social experience, and I think they�ve captured that.�
>
> Even though I'm a back of the pack runner, this grates on me. It is a
> race, not a social event. Even if you come in dead last, if you have given
> it your all and have done the best you could have done, you are racing.
> Socializing is for the pre-race and after-race events, but they are the
> icing on the cake, not the cake itself.
>
> -- Michelle
I disagree. Everybody has their own reason for entering a race if somebody
wants to run it for the hell of it as opposed to racing, who cares.
Ever run a Susan G. Komen race? Those things are as far from a "real" race
as you can get but thousands and thousands of people still do them.
Also the quote you highlighted was from John Bingham who if you're familiar
with his style is all about the social aspect of running
Doug Freese
"Edward Edmonds" <edward....@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:he7t5l$8g8$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
> Again I think a race is a place were you line up, shut up, and go.
> Pre and post race do whatever, but during the race, race.
And precisely the point I find a little obnoxious. It's a place where
YOU "line up, shut up, and go."
Some I run hard and some I giggle during every step. I'm so glad that
the running population has not adopted your macho masochistic mantra( ya
gotta love alliteration) or we would still have a lot of fat unhappy and
unhealthy people sitting home on the sofa.
Everyone that starts and finishes a race, regardless of their
competitiveness, has added a quality day to their lives.
Caveat lector,
-D
Edward Edmonds
> I'm so glad that
> the running population has not adopted your macho masochistic mantra( ya
> gotta love alliteration) or we would still have a lot of fat unhappy and
> unhealthy people sitting home on the sofa.
So because I expect nothing but the best out of people I'm some how
responsible for those fat unhappy and unhealthy people sitting at home
on the sofa. That's just plain preposterous m8 => (mate).
Seriously you train and train just to giggle your way through a race,
the race is supposed to be your "test", I mean if it's a Disney marathon
or some type of race along those lines, that's cool by all means grab
some hard cider and giggle it up, I never really considered those races
but more so an illustration of improper semantics.
Ah, Doug Doug Doug, I don't know, I hear were you're coming from, I'm a
pretty flexible guy, I can understand the point you're trying to get
across to my young semi-plastic mind. Obviously there are a lot of
variables that go into why people run in the first place and why they
race, I know it's not the same for everybody. For some it's an outlet,
for some it's for fun, for some it's to be healthy and chemically
balanced, and for some it's for raw competition. I can respect any of
those choices and the ones in-between, to each his own. However, let me
pose this question: Would you giggle your way through a marathon that
was meant to qualify you for Boston? Would you giggle your way through
Boston? Maybe you would just to spite me :-), but overall I think you'd
take it pretty seriously. To me that is an example of race:
http://www.tfd.com/race
Let's be clear though, there are instances where races that aren't
really races, you know giggle races, fun runs, etc., in those types of
events too much macho competition can in the end distract from the "fun"
or the cause; by all means wear a thong and have a good time. :-) If I
ever run in those types of races I'll be sure to have a good time, and
chat and talk along the way, it's appropriate there.
But when it comes down to a "real" race, maybe I'm old fashioned, but I
believe there is a time and place for everything. In my opinion there
is no room for a rebels or beatniks except in the competition sense,
after all you're toeing up to run your heart out, that doesn't mean you
can't have fun in the sense that you enjoy what your doing, but there is
clearly an idea of what is "appropriate behavior" and not, in a race
that counts.
You might still disagree with me, that's cool though, I'll still love
you and will slap you on the ass after a race, in end regardless of why
we all race it's the running that makes us all brothers and sisters in
arms, I can respect that. However, it isn't going to stop me from
exercising my fingers on the keyboard or debating the issue with you.
Maybe one day a flashlight will fall on my head and I'll see the light,
until then I feel I'm being rather sensible.
E**2
Doug Freese
"aeiouy" <aei...@vowels.com> wrote in message
news:M4SdnY0V3ZFhUJXW...@giganews.com...
> I disagree. Everybody has their own reason for entering a race if
> somebody wants to run it for the hell of it as opposed to racing, who
> cares.
>
> Ever run a Susan G. Komen race? Those things are as far from a "real"
> race as you can get but thousands and thousands of people still do
> them.
>
> Also the quote you highlighted was from John Bingham who if you're
> familiar with his style is all about the social aspect of running
You hit the nail on the head!!!!!!! Just like the Komen race, I did a
5k race a month or so back to benefit the needless death of high school
student in a car accident. People were out there walking, skipping in
shower clogs. It was a heart rendering experience.
Aren't most races held to raise money for some cause? I find it very
hard to look down my nose at those people because they use race to
socially bond with a cause. I'll hang up my running shoes the day I
start making value judgments about how hard or easy someone
completes/competes in a race.
This theme reminds me of someone that posted here many years back with
the handle of Indy. He drew a line in the sand that said if you couldn't
run a 3:30 marathon you should not enter and quit running them. After
little sleuthing for his real name, I caught him running a 3:4n and
asked him if he was going to hang up his jock. He and his attitude slid
off into the sunset. Seems his line in the sand matched his attitude -
sound familiar?
-D
Doug Freese
> On 11/22/2009 6:48 AM, Doug Freese wrote:
>> I'm so glad that
>> the running population has not adopted your macho masochistic
>> mantra( ya
>> gotta love alliteration) or we would still have a lot of fat unhappy
>> and
>> unhealthy people sitting home on the sofa.
>
> So because I expect nothing but the best out of people I'm some how
> responsible for those fat unhappy and unhealthy people sitting at home
> on the sofa. That's just plain preposterous m8 => (mate).
The fact that they are off their ass and out there regardless of
competitiveness IMO is most important. You are extrapolating your values
to others - highly selfish/monophonic I might add.
Expect the best from people in their persoanl vaules of life/people and
not ones physical efforts in a silly ass race. How about - "are they
good people?"
> Seriously you train and train just to giggle your way through a race,
> the race is supposed to be your "test", I mean if it's a Disney
> marathon or some type of race along those lines, that's cool by all
> means grab some hard cider and giggle it up, I never really considered
> those races but more so an illustration of improper semantics.
No I don't train to specifically giggle my way through, but I can opt
to do a race to support the race and have a fun time and not care about
time or effort. Not every race needs to be a TEST.
I do 4-5 ultra races a year where I'm quite serious. There are others in
the same races that are using the same race for a long run - just time
on their feet. I use some 50ks as a building block for a longer race and
social event to visit with fellow runners. I'll take a slippery shot and
say road weenies are much more preoccupied with effort or perceived
position in the pecking order. I understand where you are in your
running carrier and some years latter will look back at this discussion
and have a giggle. :)
> Ah, Doug Doug Doug, I don't know, I hear were you're coming from, I'm
> a pretty flexible guy, I can understand the point you're trying to get
> across to my young semi-plastic mind. Obviously there are a lot of
> variables that go into why people run in the first place and why they
> race, I know it's not the same for everybody. For some it's an
> outlet, for some it's for fun, for some it's to be healthy and
> chemically balanced, and for some it's for raw competition. I can
> respect any of those choices and the ones in-between, to each his own.
My point - I respect your desire to max effort whenever you want. I
also respect those that choose to make them a social event. They both
deserve equal respect.
> wever, let me pose this question: Would you giggle your way through a
> marathon that was meant to qualify you for Boston? Would you giggle
> your way through Boston? Maybe you would just to spite me :-), but
> overall I think you'd take it pretty seriously. To me that is an
> example of race:
Ask and answered above. To repeat I am not downplaying those races you
choose max but the attitude that someone that does not have the same
zeal is lesser of a person/runner. I've been to 10 Boston's so I have
experienced the entire gamut. I used to do Vermont City some 5-6 weeks
after Boston and jog/giggle my way through it. I went with a group and
some were running hard while other were hardly running. You don't
always have to be redlining to enjoy a race.
> Let's be clear though, there are instances where races that aren't
> really races, you know giggle races, fun runs, etc., in those types of
> events too much macho competition can in the end distract from the
> "fun" or the cause; by all means wear a thong and have a good time.
> :-) If I ever run in those types of races I'll be sure to have a good
> time, and chat and talk along the way, it's appropriate there.
I think you have made the bend in the road. :)
> You might still disagree with me, that's cool though, I'll still love
> you and will slap you on the ass after a race, in end regardless of
> why we all race it's the running that makes us all brothers and
> sisters in arms, I can respect that. However, it isn't going to stop
> me from exercising my fingers on the keyboard or debating the issue
> with you. Maybe one day a flashlight will fall on my head and I'll see
> the light, until then I feel I'm being rather sensible.
I think we are actually closer in agreement. I hold no ill feelings and
like you, will also use the keyboard to agree or disagree. I enjoy your
youthful zeal but I'll kick you in the ass when I think it's
appropriate. :)
-Doug
P.S. Where I may agree or lean a little in your direction, are races
that are a lottery with no time requirements for entry. I'm not a fan of
someone using a lottery slot with no intent of finishing and depriving
someone else the opportunity to do the entire race.. It may be their
right but I consider this selfish in the other direction - too social.
Bart Mathias
> [...]
> Like I said in your other thread I've got no problem with the slow
> runners it's more so the efforts, I probably should have been more clear
> on that; so I'll happily eat my foot.
I for one will be really impressed when you do a 2:20 marathon with one
foot!
Bart
u j
Edward Edmonds
> The fact that they are off their ass and out there regardless of
> competitiveness IMO is most important. You are extrapolating your values
> to others - highly selfish/monophonic I might add.
You're missing my point Doug, but I'm going to put this to bed for now.
I still love you though, even if you do think I'm selfish.