AOTD, September 3, 2013

Today's Article of the Day: Competitor Group Int'l, the crew that puts on the Rock 'n' Roll race series, recently decided to cut funding for elite athletes. Toni Reavis, road running's uber-announcer, weighs in on the issue, deriding CGI's move but concluding that

[a]fter twenty years-plus of this every-race-a-universe-unto-itself system, without any regulations to control access and eligibility to win money, without a circuit of events that could be molded and sold coherently, any economy of scale that might have taken the sport to the next level was squandered, and results are finally at hand. The public has long since lost interest in the outcome of foot races. 

Competitor Group isn’t to blame for the demise of elite racing (other than for the abrupt nature of the current decision), it is only the cold-eyed messenger.

Ouch.

The really cool thing is that Scott Dickey, President and CEO of Competitor, chose to respond to Reavis in the comments section.

AOTD, August 30, 2013

Okay, so today's Article of the Day isn't an article. It's a video. But for those of you who haven't come across this little gem--and for anyone who needs a shot of motivation--here you go.

Hope to see you all bright and early tomorrow for the Old Wilderness Trail group run!

AOTD, August 29, 2013

Today's article of the day: A nice little bit from Running Times* about the rise of small races (as in races capped at 300 or so registrants and marketed as alternatives to 10,000+ entrant "mega-marathons").

Best take-away stat: Nearly 20 times as many Americans finished a marathon in 2012 as in 1976--25,000 vs. 487,000. Chicago alone had over 37,000 finishers last year, 12,000 more than what the entire country had in 1976.

Best quote: "[My races are] for those of you who don't want to run with 40,000 of your closest friends . . . There's a time and place for a big race, and there's a time and a place to be with yourself and just run," says "Fat Pat" McCloskey, a Pennsylvania race director who markets his events as alternatives to crowded Philadelphia races. His "spring 10-miler," billed as an alternative to the Philadelphia Broad Street 10-Mile Run, had 180 finishers in its first year.

*Note: This article appeared in RT, but the site will indicate runnersworld.com; both publications are produced by Rodale, Inc.

Article of the Day, August 28, 2013

Those who follow our sport at its higher levels will no doubt be interested to know that our own EKU Colonels Men's Cross Country team is going into the season ranked #11 in the nation (between #10 Princeton and #12 Oregon); EKU is ranked #1 in the Southeast Region, ahead of #2 Virginia and #3 NC State. The official preseason rankings were released yesterday by the U. S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA for not-so-short) and have Oklahoma State, Northern Arizona, and Colorado at the top of the list.

Sadly, EKU doesn't have any home meets this season, but they will be participating in the UK Invitational on September 14 . . . Road trip, anyone?