The Only Way Is Essaex - General running

Radicchio

22/04/2012 at 19:10

Since I'm enjoying a dose of the old chickenpox, I happened to watch my first episode of this fine show last night (out of pure exhaustion and drugged up to the eye-balls).

Turns out that three of the cast were going to do the VLM. The two ladies look in reasonable condition. The guy looks rather less so. In the scene I saw, he was running with his friend who was clearly quite strong, but was wearing a garment that most resembled Borat's mankini. His friend warns him that 26 miles will be hard for him and asks him how long his furthest run has been: 10 miles, he answers.

He finished in just over 6 hours. Whilst he was 18 stone 6 weeks ago and has raised some money for charity, I just don't understand people who go into these events so undertrained, just so that they can say that they've done the London marathon. No doubt they were miserable for much of the way round. Really, why are they taking a space that someone else could have, and why are they undertraining in a fashion that will in all likelihood put more stress on the medical services on the day?

A 24 year old with no medical condition surely shouldn't be aiming for a sub-seven hour time for a marathon?

sevendaughters

22/04/2012 at 19:39

I think you've severely underplayed the charity aspect. Likelihood is that he raised more alone than 100 people did. Sure you can carp about his level of fitness but I say fair play to the lad, he did it and a lot of good has been done. Not everyone is Haile Gebreselassie.

Envious plodder

22/04/2012 at 20:03

I think fair play to him too. I am sure a year ago he would never even consider doing a marathon and it may encourage others to enter that never considered it before. I think this is a good thing.

the dude abides

22/04/2012 at 20:08

the charity aspect is not insignificant but one could argue that these people could just as easily raise the money in a million other ways..charity dinners etc.

i guess it depends how we view the VLM. is it primarily a running race, where priority should be given to serious elite/club runners or is it primarily a participatory fundraising event, like say Race4Life??

at one point during the race, the beeb were interviewing a 60yo liverpudlian bloke. after 1 minute of patronising chat they asked him which charity he was running for. he said he wasn't. interview over.

sevendaughters

22/04/2012 at 21:11

Club runners have countless marathons but the London Marathon is the iconic one that everyone knows. It's not really a race for 95% of the field at all and would be pointless to view it as such. Given the profile of the race and the 'challenge' aspect of it, it provides a way to beat the Christmas/NY foodfest whilst raising a few quid in a way that the sponsor wouldn't have to get involved to the extent of a charity dinner.

If I'm honest, I think any ill-feeling is down to the idea that Arg from TOWIE will get more plaudits for his half-baked marathon than any of us will get for 100 days training toward a 10K PB.

cougie

pirate

22/04/2012 at 22:34

Not sure that celebs always raise more money than 100 'normal' people. The fundraising record is a vast amount and he's not a celebrity. I've also seen the justgiving pages for a few celebs and they hadn't raised as much as the typical charity place demands.

Was that bloke really 18 stone a few weeks back ? I thought he looked pretty normal size at the start.

And yeah that's pretty much walking pace isnt it ?

sevendaughters

22/04/2012 at 22:54

Alright so he raised £3500. But that's by the by. London Marathon has always been about the everyman, the plodder who takes 8 hours but does it for charity, have some perspective guys. There's a marathon happening once a week more-or-less, if you want a PB go there instead!

xine267

23/04/2012 at 08:14

My friend saw Arg around Mile 17 (with his camera crew, of course), she said that he looked ok at that point but the crew told him to slow down, act out of breath and in pain, then pretend to catch sight of someone in the crowd and run faster.
I actually felt sorry for him after I heard that! Even if he wasn't suffering at Mile 17, the pain would be coming - couldn't they have just waited a mile or so to film his breakdown?

Catalin Bond

23/04/2012 at 09:29

xine267 wrote (see)

My friend saw Arg around Mile 17 (with his camera crew, of course), she said that he looked ok at that point but the crew told him to slow down, act out of breath and in pain, then pretend to catch sight of someone in the crowd and run faster. I actually felt sorry for him after I heard that! Even if he wasn't suffering at Mile 17, the pain would be coming - couldn't they have just waited a mile or so to film his breakdown?

Jeez... so the show is so scripted they even tell him how to run a marathon!

I've watched the odd epsiode of TOWIE and found it too full of people bitching and arguing.

As for the OP - I think people enjoy the challenge, and being able to say that they've done a marathon. As for doing enough training, I guess people want to do the marathon, but don't really want to change their lifestyle. I can kinda sympathise with this. I run regularly but I'm not particularly quick, and I know the best way that I could imprive would be to put more miles in (I maxed at about 40 miles per week for a marathon). However, I want to fit running round my life and not my life around running. (and I'm not saying people who do 50+ miles per week don't have a life, more that the more running you do the more you have to prioritise it, and not do something else in order to fit it in.)

xine267

23/04/2012 at 10:37

I know! If someone said that to me at Mile 17, they would have got a Lucozade bottle upside the head

Gazza81

23/04/2012 at 10:52

I was "lucky" enough to be standing right next to those TOWIE goons around the 21.5 mile mark in Limehouse (I was there first!). There were about 10 of them and they were all fake-tanned up, dolled up to the nines, looking like they were about to go clubbing. That Joey Essex fella looked like a weird space-age astronaut! Their film crew were telling passers-by to "keep it down" do that they could record their footage. Its the London Marathon for Christs sake! When that Arg fella finally turned up, he was blubbing like a little baby. Of course, Im now thinking he was probably told to do that by the producers! Muppets, the lot of them!

WiB

23/04/2012 at 10:55

Just think how much oxygen they were theiving from more deserving people!

Loon.

23/04/2012 at 11:00

A woman summed up VLM for me yesterday, and for me confirms that VLM is, and should remain, an open event that people can enjoy as either a serious race or a fun event (not FUN RUNNERS though I hasten to say). I was stopping to high five and say hello to spectators on route and interacting with the crowd, sometimes stopping completely to high five little toddlers expectantly holding their hands out. the joy and excitement on their faces at being part of the event and a runner actually acknowledging them said it all. After I'd stopped and high fived a couple of really young children the mum stopped me and said "thankyou for entering into the spirit of the day". I don't think it could have been summed up better than that for me

I have to say I didn't expect him to get round, fair play to him. would sack his personal trainer though

Running Bench

23/04/2012 at 11:27

I thought the BBC coverage was summed up nicely by the focus Nell got for her sub-3 run. Not taking away from it, it was very good!

However there was a chap just behind her who must have been close to 70 and running a sub-3 as well! No mention of him!!

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