MARCH
MADNESS
MARCH
MADNESSThis column always appears about a month after it is written. So this edition dates back to late March-early April, the time of the year for "March Madness" as the NCAA Basketball Tournament is commonly called. What a magnificent sports event! In the realm of spectator sports, nothing compares. The bowl games? No contest. The Super Bowl? Ho hum. The world Series? Not even close. If you're going to waste some time watching TV sports, save it for the NCAA Tourney.
What excitement and drama! And the television coverage and commentary are superb. Oh sure, not all games are first rate, but what about that UTEP-Kansas game? How about Georgia Tech-USC? And can you ever remember a better game than the Duke-Kentucky matchup?
So what does this have to do with running? Well, basketball players run a lot, don't they? It's up and down the floor, back and forth, stop and start. In a fast-paced game it's sort of like a frantic fartlek run coupled with a ball, an elaborate set of rules and referees with whistles thrown in. How many miles do those players run a game anyway? They must be in pretty good shape. And just think of the wear and tear on the arches, ankles and knees! No wonder most professional basketball players don't last much beyond the age of 30.
Alas, our sport of road racing is seldom on TV. But let's face it, maybe the absence is justified. The TV coverage of several marathons has been remarkable from a technical standpoint. But the event itself is almost devoid of excitement and the constant commentary can only be described as sappy. Well, what could you say to accompany a three-hour telecast that ranks in drama somewhere between golf and sailing?
The focus of the telecasts is always on the leader or lead pack, the first woman and several oddities such as the fellow who carried a tray with a wine bottle and glasses through the New York City Marathon. Then there's always the oldest runner and someone who is physically impaired. Criticism of any of these participants is certainly not intended. Far from it. But to focus attention in such a way somehow misses the real character of the event. Anyone who was running the marathon would have a completely different experience than the one depicted in the television coverage.
Criticisms are easy. Ideas on how to improve the TV coverage are much more difficult. But unless someone somehow comes up with a very different approach to telecasting major running events, they will seldom be on TV because the viewing audience is going to be minute. Cable network ESPN has a monthly running program with a road race highlighted. Here the race is taped and then edited to a condensed version. The result is no better and the drama (if any) of the live event is totally lost. In short: there are better things to watch.
Every once in a while friends ask if they can come along to a 10K to see what one is like. Well, OK. Fine. But what can they see? A bunch of people stand around in shorts until someone fires a gun in the air. Then in a few minutes all of the runners disappear from view down the road. About 30 to 60 minutes later, they return one by one while somebody calls out the time. Whoopee! Later those same friends will ask what runners get out of doing this sort of thing. Well... It's difficult to explain. Road racing is something you have to do to appreciate.
It's not to say there isn't drama. Quite the contrary. But the drama is subtle and has to do with the interaction between the participant and those nearby, with the nature and length of the course, and with the participant's performance relative to those of his or her past. Putting in a first-rate performance will provide a glowing high far greater than that provided by watching any basketball game on TV. But somehow, none of this comes through to an observer. And it's difficult to explain. Road racing is simply not a spectator sport and never will be. Frequent participation is the key to understanding and enjoyment.
Personally, I'd much rather race than watch any sporting event, but every spring comes "March Madness" and if you've got the time, watching it can be first-rate entertainment.
May 1992
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