Tag Archive | "Mary Wittenberg"

Mary Wittenberg – NYRR President

NYRR Prez Wittenberg Blames Media for Cancellation of NYC Marathon

Mike Vaccaro, of the New York Post, has published part of a letter that New York Road Runners president Mary Wittenberg sent to the 47,000 runners who were supposed to run ING New York City Marathon this weekend.

In the letter, Wittenberg seems to blame the media as one of the main contributing factors as to why the race was cancelled.

“It became increasingly apparent that the people of our … area were still struggling to recover,” the letter reads, in part. “That struggle, fueled by the resulting extensive and growing media coverage antagonistic to the marathon and its participants, created conditions that raised concern for the safety of both those working to produce the event and its participants.”

Vaccaro didn’t take too kindly to Wittenberg suggesting the media’s antagonistic coverage was a reason for cancelling the marathon and he didn’t hold back in his column on his opinion of Wittenberg:

Antagonistic to the marathon and its participants? No, the media — and 99 percent of this city — were antagonistic to the NYRR and its tone-deaf co-conspirators. And you damn well believe we would be again. And will be. Until Wittenberg — the deafest of the tone-deaf — is gone.

Ouch!  Is Vaccaro’s interpretation of Wittenberg’s statement accurate or do you think she meant something totally different or that it was misconstrued?

Do you agree that Mary Wittenberg should be fired as president of the New York Road Runners?

Read more of Varraro’s article HERE

Posted in Marathon, RunningComments (1)

Runners Respond on Twitter to Cancelation of NYC Marathon

As we posted minutes ago, Mayor Bloomberg and NYRR president Mary Wittenberg have canceled the 2012 ING New York City Marathon just hours before the race was to take place on Sunday, November 4, 2012.

Many believe it would have been the right call 60 hours ago, but Bloomberg reassured everyone the race would go on and runners from all over the world hopped on planes to travel to NYC to run the historic race.

Now many angered runners are lashing out at the decision by Bloomberg to cancel the race after so many traveled to the city upon his word that the race would go on. Runners have lost thousands of dollars in airline tickets and hotel rooms.

Here is what some runners are saying on our Twitter feed (pro and con) when we asked them for their thoughts:

New York City Marathon Canceled – 2012

Storified by Joshua Holmes · Fri, Nov 02 2012 16:05:11

Feel Bad for #Sandy Victims and also for these #NYCM runners that have been jerked around by Bloomberg and @INGNYCMarathon – BAD!!Joshua Holmes
@runitfast sitting in New York now with friends and family with bibs and all. Not a bad call but a horrible one 36 hours out.Jared Friesen
@runitfast we left so much to come here. No way to cancel as race was on.here now from across Atlantic, money gone, no raceHedzer
@bayou Checked into the hotel, heard the news 10 minutes later. Understand the decision….but not this late in the game #RIF129Rob Bedini
Feel sad for everyone already there/in route. RT @runitfast: ING NYC Marathon Cancelled Less Than 48 Hrs Before Start http://po.st/GoSiDhLisa Gonzales
@runitfast it’s never to late to do the right thing.jayne cunningham
Everyone who showed up for @ingnycmarathon should volunteer to help with relief efforts… and get their registration refunded. @runitfastFrancis L.
@runitfast Absolutely the right call. Should have been done on Tuesday or Wednesday. Everybody loses now.Mark Shipley
@runitfast cancellation should have been made much earlier in the weel!Tom Rossi
@runitfast they had all the information needed to cancel it 3 days ago, they should have made the decision then, now is a shaft.Fred McElwaine
@runitfast It’s sad that it was cancelled but for the best. Caused so much controversy & im sure the locals weren’t pleased.Mel Ward
@lttlegrlbigwrld @runitfast exactly. They should have cancelled it on Monday. I’d be pissed if i went all that way for it to be cancelled.Mel Ward
@runitfast i feel bad for the runners that made the trip. that is expensive and all their training completed for no race? volunteeri guesselizabeth v rehmer
@runitfast Would you run an event where a mile from the start line lies the bodies of victims? #NYCMJorge
@runitfast #shocked ! That they didn’t canx on mon/tues & that they left it so late! Right decision tho.I’ve deferred to 2013 #injury #luckyRuggedRadnage
@runitfast other marathons should let nyc bibs run free.Earache
@runitfast I sure hope that’s wrong. Just checked into hotel!Rob Bedini
@runitfast Absolutely the right call. Should have been done on Tuesday or Wednesday. Everybody loses now.Mark Shipley
@runitfast They waited too long. Most people are already there and have lost lots of $$ in plane tickets.meghan
@runitfast @ingnycmarathon agreed. On a train to get my packet, thanks guys.Matthew Fantazier
@runitfast feel terrible for people who actually traveled there for the race. Should have cancelled earlier.Christin
@runitfast @ingnycmarathon Agree! plain stupid to first confirm and then cancelAndrea Maramotti
@runitfast @nyrr Thank you for cancelling the @INGNYCMarathon. How about we organize a 40,000+ person clean-up effort in Staten Island?Jordan Kurzweil
@runitfast hope ING and NYRR donate all the clean water to people that need it.Lee Anne Hooley
@runitfast The human race is more important then any 26.2 Those there or on their way should lend a hand. #volunteernycLee Beebe
@runitfast I really feel for the organizers, too…what a roller coaster.James Meredith
@runitfast cancellation should have been made much earlier in the weel!Tom Rossi
Quel nightmare. RT @runitfast ING NYC Marathon Cancelled Less Than 48 Hours Before Start http://dlvr.it/2QX1tPJennifer Yun
@runitfast I love all you runners but I don’t think you understand how bad us New Yorkers are affected.Joshua Hull
@runitfast I would be livid if I was just now arriving in NYC.Sam Ganow
Unless you live in NYC…you don’t get an opinion. Have to believe its the right call. RT @ShareFitness: @runitfast your kidding right???Tom Loftus
@runitfast They should have cancelled it sooner. A lot sooner.Francis L.
@runitfast this is a freaking joke! Bloomberg got bullied by media. Terribly unfortunate!E.B.
@runitfast Mixed feelings, but waiting til last minute to decide was so, SO wrong.Christy Bowers
@runitfast I think they are right to cancel this year. There just hasn’t been enough time to help the people of NYC yetLAURABONNETT
@runitfast are people seriously that selfish?Sarah Beth Houser
@runitfast I love all you runners but I don’t think you understand how bad us New Yorkers are affected.Joshua Hull
@QwietSt0rm What about the people that paid to fly out there and had hotel rooms? @INGNYCMarathon @runitfastDapper Diner
@runitfast I’m sympathetic to all those affected. Bummed that I put in the time. Disappointed in the timing of the decision. We march on.Brian Harrington
@QwietSt0rm What about the people that paid to fly out there and had hotel rooms? @INGNYCMarathon @runitfastDapper Diner
@runitfast @ingnycmarathon Looks like there will be loads of volunteers in NYC with too much energy and nothing to do.ashley hook
@runitfast sad shame for all those missing out on the NYC marathon. But they should keep in mind some people are missing out on their homes!Keletso Nyathi
@runitfast the giants steelers game better be cancelled too thenHoles & Poles Runner
@TheSouthernWife @runitfast If runners stay and help, it would make their trip more than worth it.ashley hook
I agree @runitfast ! It was a better call 2 days ago to cancel #NYCM. Speshly if you bought travel insurance.Andrew Nelson
@runitfast not a bad call, terribly late thoughRomaRoadRunnersClub
@runitfast: no hate here: but Bloomberg has not had a good week…go ahead and run NYC as a flash marathon!Tim Crow
@runitfast YES!!!! Bloomberg manipulated & got manipulated – nothing but a politicianE.B.
@runitfast should have been cancelled days agoSearch4SolidFooting
@runitfast This was a no- brainer; I’m sure that corporate sponsors applied a lot of pressure to run it. Poor leadership from Bloomberg…Larry Gill
@runitfast re #NYCMarathon #runitsafe #rebuild the #rerun will be an awesome & emotional event! Good call guys…Kinetic
@runitfast I know several Brits who flew out today before the announcement, in fact, they are still in the air – so probs don’t know yet!Rebecca Saunders
@runitfast This was the right call. However deferrals should be fully paid for nect year. This came late, those there already need refunds.Mark Superman Cato
@runitfast right call. Poorly planned. I feel bad for Sandy victims and runners. Hope runners can find alternate marathon.Travis Forbes

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2012 ING New York City Marathon on National TV

2012 ING New York City Marathon on National TV

Hurricane Sandy came close to making the 2012 ING New York City Marathon not take place, but Mayor Bloomberg has spoken and it will go on as planned.

This will also be the first year since 1993 that the marathon will be aired nationally on television.

The NYC Marathon will air on ESPN 2 on Sunday, November 4, 2012 from 9am – 12:30pm ET.

ESPN’s Darren Rovell also got this interesting tidbit out of NYRR CEO Mary Wittenberg:

We’ve had names on bibs for five or six years. What we’ve done this year is tell the uniform and shoe companies not to give athletes who are similar in height the same outfits or shoe colors. We also know the picture will be clearer than ever before because it will be in HD for the first time. It will pop like a painting with the runners and all the fall colors.

Tune in on Sunday to watch one of the most popular marathons in the world take place live.

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Leah Thorvilson Little Rock Marathon Winner

I.A.A.F. Gives Women Marathoners the Middle Finger

The International Association of Athletics Federations (I.A.A.F.) has given the middle finger to women marathoners all across the world.

Per the New York Times the IAAF will no longer recognize records that women marathoners set when sharing road courses with male marathoners.

The world governing body for track and field decided in late August that records in women’s road racing will count only if they are set in women’s-only events, to nullify the benefits of pacesetting by faster male runners, a dynamic that can exist in some marathons, half-marathons and 10-kilometer races where men and women are in the same field.

How silly is this ruling? Very….for example:

What was understood to be the women’s world marathon record — the 2 hours 15 minutes 25 seconds that (Paula) Radcliffe ran over 26.2 miles at the 2003 London Marathon, in a mixed race with male pacesetters for elite women — is now out of consideration. So is the 2:17:18 she ran at the Chicago Marathon, another mixed race, in 2002.

What is now the record — yet only the third-fastest race that Radcliffe has run — is the 2:17:42 that she ran in London in 2005. In that race, elite women started 45 minutes ahead of the men’s field, racing and finishing separately, now a common practice in major marathons.

It gets even sillier!  The IAAF now calls Radcliffe’s 2:15:25 a ‘World Best.’  So it is no longer the ‘World Record’ but is now a ‘World Best.’

“I also think it is a little unfair to set it like that retroactively,” Radcliffe told Runner’s World.

AUDIO LINK to Radcliffe talking about the IAAF decision.

World Best? That sounds like a cheesy saying off a button from a party store that you give your boss or mother of your kids.

Mary Wittenberg (assumed to be a female), RD of the New York City Marathon and on the IAAF’s road racing commission, had this to say about the new rule:

“The I.A.A.F. wanted to show that women can stand on their own two feet, that they don’t need guys to help them get to world records,” Wittenberg said. “There’s definitely a difference. Women run faster with men as pacers, about a two-minute differential on average.”

The Big Lead’s Sam Eifling, in his blog post on the rule change, put it this way:

And then there was this joint statement by the Association of International Marathons (with 300 member marathons) and the World Marathon Majors (representing the Boston, New York, Chicago, London and Berlin marathons): “The current situation where the fastest time is not now recognized as a record is confusing and unfair and does not respect the history of our sport.”

“It’s a move that could only have been made by an organization that doesn’t know its public relations ass from its elbow,” is how Philip Hersh wrote it in the Chicago Tribune, a family newspaper.

But one of the few charms of road running is that it often allows women and men on the same field, at the same moment. And elite women distance runners tend to hold up relatively well against men. The current women’s world record in the mile, for instance, is about where the men’s world record was 94 years ago. In the marathon, Radcliffe’s times would have beaten the men’s record as recently as 1958.

Professional marathoner Sarah Stanley had this to say about it when I asked her about the ruling:

“The new ruling is absurd. A world record is a world record regardless if it is run in mixed company. Have we reverted back a few century’s? We shouldn’t separate women from the men in races. It is a equal opportunity sport and elite men and women need our support.”

It’s a dumb ruling and to apply it retroactively by take records away from women who have already celebrated setting world records…years ago is even dumber.

When will the IAAF rule that no record can be set at a race where elite runners have specialized sports and nutrition drinks laid out at aid tables for them before the race?  That seems like more of an unfair advantage than women running with male pacesetters.  Shouldn’t all the runners at a marathon have to drink the same water and sports drink on the course?

I mean if we are going to start dissecting marathoning just for the sake of creating controversy.

[image: Leah Thorvilson]

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