Look, I got no beef against people who get "once in a lifetime" chances for races. I'm in for a lottery slot for Escape From Alcatraz this year. I am in awe of anyone who participates in Kona or Boston. I don't put them on a pedestal but its a significant accomplishment to be out there and finish a tough course.
It seems that Katie Holmes, aka Mrs. Tom Cruise, who ran a 5:30 at the NY marathon last year got a 'celebrity exemption' for the Boston Marathon. Her time was a full two hours slower than the qualifiers for her AG.
Its an honor for anyone to toe that line and in the chute before the gun goes off, it doesn't matter if they qualified or not. And doesn't the history of Boston prove with Roberta Gibb, the first woman to finish the race (as a bandit in 1966), that non-qualifiers can have more impact than top Age Groupers.
Julie Moss, didn't qualify for Ironman in 1982, she didn't even consider herself an athlete. She was competing to finish her work on a research thesis on exercise physiology. Granted there was no qualifier in 1982, but this unknown triathlete was the leading female until the fateful last miles when on national tv, she collapsed, got up, staggered, collapsed and was passed at the very end. That moment is a true big bang of triathlon.
I wish Katie Holmes well. I hope she has a great experience at Boston. The Boston Athletic Association knows that she will bring exposure to the race and hopefully more people to endurance sports.
But what about Lance Armstrong? Is he going to Boston? He qualified at the same NY race by 15 minutes.
It seems that Katie Holmes, aka Mrs. Tom Cruise, who ran a 5:30 at the NY marathon last year got a 'celebrity exemption' for the Boston Marathon. Her time was a full two hours slower than the qualifiers for her AG.
Its an honor for anyone to toe that line and in the chute before the gun goes off, it doesn't matter if they qualified or not. And doesn't the history of Boston prove with Roberta Gibb, the first woman to finish the race (as a bandit in 1966), that non-qualifiers can have more impact than top Age Groupers.
Julie Moss, didn't qualify for Ironman in 1982, she didn't even consider herself an athlete. She was competing to finish her work on a research thesis on exercise physiology. Granted there was no qualifier in 1982, but this unknown triathlete was the leading female until the fateful last miles when on national tv, she collapsed, got up, staggered, collapsed and was passed at the very end. That moment is a true big bang of triathlon.
I wish Katie Holmes well. I hope she has a great experience at Boston. The Boston Athletic Association knows that she will bring exposure to the race and hopefully more people to endurance sports.
But what about Lance Armstrong? Is he going to Boston? He qualified at the same NY race by 15 minutes.
5 comments:
She does qualify for women over the age of 80. Maybe there's something we don't know...
Triathlons and other races & tournaments should continue giving celebrity exemptions to people like Katie Holmes as long as she continues to sell tickets and create interest and exposure to the sport.
It costs serious money to put on a quality triathlon or any other race big stage race you can think of. In the case of Boston Marathon it quite possibly could be a couple million dollars, and in exchange for paying that freight, sponsors are allowed to give -- on average -- six spots in the field to whomever they want. That seems only fair. Many of the professional athletes who complain about the celebrity exemptions fail to acknowledge the source of the money they take home on race-day when the event is over, and many of the age groupers fail to acknowledge the financial capital needed to provide the amenities, cool prizes, and the great staff’s who work year round to provide the excellent races.
Both Pro’s and age -groupers should also look at it this way: They aren't losing any money or slots because Katie Homes isn't qualifying for another race and picking up the prize purse. The decision as to when Katie Holmes stops getting celebrity exemptions will rest not with the sponsors but rather with the public and with Holmes and her weirdo husband. When the public stops being intrigued by her efforts, they will stop showing up in record numbers and the sponsors' exemptions will dry up. And if Holmes continues to struggle – as you say she did in New York -- she and her family might decide that the development of her running will be better served by competing in shorter events.
In the meantime, give the public what it wants, and for now, it still wants a crazy dude jumping on the couch.
-Tony-
But I just heard on the news she's not going to run. Maybe they'll give her spot to me :)
Yeah, I think it's total crap. But I did hear the her spokesperson called BS on this news. I hope so, cause it is really not fair for the "regular" people out there trying to qualify (like my sister, whose training her little butt off right now for her chance).
Why do sporting events have to be celebrity anything...? Give me the good old days when every aide station and athlete wasn't there because of sponsorship but because they were great athletes and loved competition...and the volunteers loved the athletes and the sport too.
It's gotten WAY out of hand. (My opinion only!)
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