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RE: May as well ... 2014
I agree with you in some respects but, for me, these are two very different books, albeit sharing strands of wild- running DNA.
Whalley is a zealot, an anarchic crusader with a double-edged political/ socio-economic axe to grind. Askwith is a more considered, gentle soul. I subscribe to his 'ages of running' view and agree that each age is equally valid in it's own right. Unlike Boff I have no problem with the Tough Mudder crowd raking in a not-so-small fortune. Fools and their money are easily parted and there are plenty of less healthy ways to spend your hard-earned. I do see the value, to me, in side-stepping mass-participation events. There is something of the rat-race in running nose-to-tail amidst an endless ribbon of similar runners. That feeling has grown as I've racked up the road races, hence my 'So Long And Thanks For All The Fish' post last year. I love to read about local races for local people in BB's and Glaconman's diaries. I want to take part in them, even though I fear I would trail way back, snorting and spluttering like an old carthorse. It's the unique atmosphere, the less-contrived experience that I crave.
Where I whole-heartedly agree with you is in recognising the standard at which these men run and how that sharpens their angles. The BGR is BIG potatoes. To slip a mischievous grain of sand into Mr Whalley's Walshes, these boys are the free-running equivalent of sub 3 marathoners. This in no way invalidates their views; a lot of what they have to say resonates with me. But I do feel they see the city marathon as a bit Old Hat, whereas for many - most? - mere mortals the 26.2 remains the pinnacle of running ambition. Perhaps unintentionally, they have each in their way belittled the earnest endeavours of club runners the world over.
Another view is that we're talking about several very different sports. It's all a question of viewpoint and degree. Glaconman's buddies might chuckle at what we Sussex men call hills, whereas the Moyleman and the Stinger are beyond many Sunday shufflers' reach.
So long as what gets us all out there continues to do so, long may it bring us pleasure.
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May as well ... 2014
