Observations and notes from the Olympic Trials
I watched the Olympic Marathon trials last week to see which three runners will represent the USA in Paris this summer. I get asked why I watch a bunch of runners for almost three hours. There isn’t the exciting game winning score that other sports have. I think a person has to be a runner to appreciate the level of training that goes into running a marathon. When I use the term runner I am referring more to a person trying to run a fast time and win an award. The jogger that enters to get a tee shirt is not able to understand how fast the runners are moving for the distance of 26.2 miles. I had one woman comment about a friend of hers that ran a marathon. When she was told the distance was 26.2 miles she commented, “My goodness, that is like running to Austin.” Then she asked, “How many days did it take her?” That is why I think a person running for a fast time and 26.2 miles would understand the effort that was being put forth by the competitors.