Monday, November 05, 2007
Why Don't Runners Collapse Any More?
I just watched Paula Radcliffe winning the New York Marathon. She just kind of sailed across the line and looked round to see if anybody needed shelves putting up, a roast dinner or some nice decking laid on the patio. What she did not do was collapse. In the old days of black and white TV when dinosaurs roamed the earth, runners used to cross the line and collapse. It was expected. But they don't do that any more, they give press conferences while lifting weights and cycling. So did the black and white guys collapse because they were more unfit or because it was the right thing to do? And does nobody now collapse because it would look uncool? I think we should be told.
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A blog about, among other things, imaginary ideas - What ifs? and Imagine thats. What if photographs looked nothing like what we see with our eyes? Imagine that the Berlin Wall had never come down. What if we were the punchline of an interminable joke? All contributions welcome.
Isotonic tonics.
ReplyDeleteIs that it? I expected something more.
ReplyDeleteMaybe if they collapsed they would receive medical attention. And let's face it, many of them would prefer not to have their vitals checked.
ReplyDeletePretty much, it keeps 'em even, 'tween salt and liquid. Had the chap, on his run from Marathon to the Tholos, honey and water mixed. Well, the collapse may not have happened.......
ReplyDeleteSponsorship.
ReplyDeleteThey do occasionally drop dead. Does that count?
ReplyDeleteYeah -- Tom P. is referring to Ryan Shay. The guy who had a good chance of winning the marathon, but dropped dead during the time trials. Enlarged heart.
ReplyDelete"Better Things for Better Living...Through Chemistry" I imagine.
ReplyDeleteDespite being a monomaniac runner I can't improve on 'isotonic tonics' and insufficient training for the marathon distance (I find being an airhead isn't usually a problem when it comes to running). I often feel like collapsing at the end of training sessions and races but have always had a choice about going through with it or not; coaches encourage you to stay upright, for some reason. Perhaps they were looking to emphasise the breaking of barriers, the redefining of human capabilities (which seems less of an obsession since the methods of getting around the natural barriers became all too apparent). The black-and-whiters also seemed to be immediately surrounded by people which sort of encouraged a swoon. Now it's cooler to look exhausted for about 30 seconds and then jog off, but it absolutely staggers me when the very best don't even do the exhausted bit. Definitely out of the know on that.
ReplyDeleteThis is the kind of Marathon (sorry, Snickers) finish we need - and the kind of Olympics London needs too.
ReplyDelete