Friday, September 24, 2010

Karl's "Rock n' Roll" Blog

I ran 4 miles on monday, felt ok but that was all I had time for. Still not getting up early enough, or maybe its getting to bed early enough.

I ran 6 miles on Thursday and added a few short hills but didn't push it. My calf was tight the rest of the day, not painful just tight. It feels fine today.


The Philadelphia Half Marathon last weekend was a disappointment (I guess mostly for Ryan Hall). Ryan did not do well running close to 64 min and placing 14th. Shalane, on the other hand, was 4th racing quite possibly hte best in the world (Defar) so that was good. I think Shalane's time was 4th fastest US all time (I saw the last 2 miles on an internet replay). Dathan ran 4th in the Great North Run which was won by Gebrselassie. The Philadelphia Half is now the "Rock n' Roll" Philadelphia Half. The Chicago Half in August is now the "Rock n' Roll" Chicago Half. The Lewis & Clark Marathon and Half Marathon will be the "Rock n' Roll" St. Louis Marathon next year.

Is Competitor Group taking over the marathon world? They have at least 20 "Rock n' Roll" races now. Will the increase in "Rock n' Roll" races raise the bar for other marathons to improve, or will it just raise the entry fees of all marathons to stay competitive in the growing market? I have never run a "Rock n' Roll" Marathon. I hear they are a well run event. Readers, what is your take on Competitor Group? And is the increase in "Rock n' Roll" races good or bad for the marathon world? Will it be the "Rock n' Roll" Boston Marathon some day?

5 comments:

Ron said...

At first it was fun. Big hoopla, lots of buzz, fun shirts, but it really means lots of money, too many people, and lots of "bucket Lister: type runners. I am getting to appreciate more and more little hardcore runner type events. Charlottesville 10 miler comes to mind.

robison52 said...

I live in Las Vegas, hence my main marathon each year is the Rock n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon. I find that they are indeed ran well...but now the entry is $145!! Heaven help us if Competitor Group becomes a marathon monopoly then I can forsee $200 entry fees.

Karl Stutelberg said...

I ran the Las Vegas Marathon in 2006 before it was a "Rock n' Roll" event and I'm sure it is not much different now, just 45 bucks more expensive. We had blue man group at the starting line and other bands along the way.

Chuck said...

Glad to hear that your calf is doing fine!

I got home from my run last Sunday just in time to see the finish of the women's race in Philadelphia. Defar's kick was amazing when she decided to drop the hammer on the Kenyan girl. I enjoyed watching Defar's husband yelling encouragement while running on the sidewalk. I was wondering how long he was going to last at that pace!

I have run 55 marathons, but never a "Rock n' Roll" event. Since I have never run any of their races I can not comment about the organization. As far as the price, I just paid $150 for the 2011 Los Angeles Marathon and I paid $185 for the 2007 New York City Marathon. In comparison, I paid $40 a piece for next weekends New Hampshire and Maine Marathons. I really enjoy the large city marathons, but the small city marathons are a lot less stressful. I am looking forward to the New Hampshire Marathon. Last year's race only had 297 finishes. Back in 2006 I finished 6th overall in the Casper Wyoming Marathon! Sounds great, but there was only 105 finishers.

Stutelberg Family said...

WOW Chuck, even with 105 finishers, 6th is amazing!! Good luck next weekend! You will do great!
Andi