Did you know that in the United States in 2005 the average marathon time of both men and women was just a little bit over 4:45? To put this into perspective, that means that the average marathon runner in 2005 could only qualify to run the Boston Marathon this year if they were over 65-years-old (women) or 75-years or older for the men.
From the Marathobguide.com “In keeping with historic trends, the fastest average age-group were men aged 40-44, with a mean finishing time of 4:21:46” To qualify for Boston a male runner in my age-group (40-44) would have to run a 3:20 qualifying time last year. That is an hour faster than the national average in that same age group in the year 2005 (the most recent numbers I could find).
My fastest marathon time so far is just about 4 hours. For the last ten years I’ve have worked very hard to try to break the 50 minute mark at the local Bolder Boulder 10K. I’m pretty close and I think that one of these years I’ll smash that barrier. But I know that I will never run a 3:20 marathon. I was not lucky enough to draw that endurance card from the genetic talent pool when I was born.
I’m pointing out this fact simply because I want to be very clear about the Boston Marathon. It is not a race that most runners (no matter how hard we try, or how much weight we lose) will ever be able to qualify to run.
The Boston Marathon is for the running elite.
Did you also know that recently scientists have found a very strong genetic component to obesity? The old notion that obese people are fat because they are somehow lazy and weak willed is melting under scientific scrutiny. It really isn’t that simple as those who have tried to lose substantial weight can easily testify.
For these two reasons the argument that all Jacob had to do to run the race was lose 100 or more pounds, and qualify like the rest of us does not make much sense to me.
In fact, given the current rules I don’t think that Jacob, like me, could ever qualify for Boston. (Prove me wrong Dude;-)
Does this make his run legal?
No.
Does this make his run a bit more understandable and inspirational?
You bet.
And so while in 1967 Kathrine Switzer was technically registered under K. V. Switzer (as many of you have rightly pointed out) to my mind she was as much of a Bandit as Jacob. She broke the rules (stated and unstated) and the raced without the proper qualifications. In her case, she was born with the incorrect (female) genetic chromosomes.
It didn’t matter that she wore race #261 on her chest. To the race officials, that on numerous occasions tried to shove her from the course, she was as much of a bandit as Jacob. And that’s why I wrote, “We need more Kathrine Switzer in the world today willing to bend/break the rules to show us the way.”