Last year I was a spectator at the Chicago Marathon. It was a life changing event for me; but not in a positive - I'm going to run a marathon way. It was more like a - I hate marathons and those who run them - kind of a way. It seems that everyone loves, and has some sort of respect for people who run marathons. I admit at some point in my life I would have had some admiration for people who could run 26 miles and change without stopping to take a leak, but NO MORE. Let me say that marathons are lame. They are jam packed with people littering. When I see a 26.2 bumper sticker on a car, I think "That guy is a litter bug." What is it about running that makes it impossible to throw away your trash? For being such a driven runner, you sure are lazy about throwing shit away. The Chicago Marathon course was LINED with trash cans; did anyone stop to throw out their Jolly Rancher wrappers - hell no. They were racing; they couldn't possibly take a few seconds to be a decent human. I watched the Chicago Marathon for quite a while to see if anyone would take the time to throw something away, which no one did.. NOT ONE PERSON. Another point here, this was approximately 2 hours after the Kenyans had already won the race. These were not people competing for anything other than a personal goal. Are you really keeping your personal best time down to the second? You're a freak if you do. Here's another hint, build in some time to your personal goal to throw your shit away.
All this said, I am interested in participating in a triathlon. Solely for the fact that I need to get off my ass and have some reason to get me to the gym. I will not however, participate in an event that endorses the one time use of a paper cup that is littered on the ground. Therefore, I am participating in a one man triathlon at my gym. I will never win a triathlon in my life time, so the only time that matters is my personal best. I can achieve this all by myself without the litter or the stupid bumper stickers. Also I will not have a medal or trophy to vainly display for everyone to see. (Although this blog kind of ruins this argument for me, as I am letting everyone know what I am doing. Sorry about that.)
So this blog will be me telling my story of my one man triathlon and how others don't need sanctioned events where littering is tolerated. This is my anti-society triathlon and probably the motivation I need to actually train and complete a sprint triathlon.
That picture pretty much says it all. I agree that people that run should have enough respect for the city/town they are visiting for the run AND the environment to find a trash can. What is also frustrating about the littering is when the run goes through a neighborhood. The neighborhood peeps are outside with water and signs and cheering them on as they drop their trash in front of their house. Very Poor Taste.. But there are a few that do hit the trash can. Maybe not in Chicago but elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteANYWAY - GOOD LUCK!! What an awesome goal!! I wish I had your same drive and desire. Keep us all POSTED! Go Rusty GO!!