Scott vs Dean

I just have one comment about Dean vs. Scott Jurek or w/e.... Dean's college major and his career before becoming a runner at the age of 30 was .... Marketing! That's all it takes. If Dean wasn't a good marketer most runners wouldn't even know who he was. You cannot fault someone that is able to take something that he does and make money off of it.

I'm fine with the marketing comment, but I think you are putting too much emphasis on money.
Dean was successful in business, and very wealthy, long before he had any notable success or fame as a runner.
So the motivation of the marketing may be ego, it may be charities he supports, it may be to promote running and fitness, it may just be an attempt to have a positive impact on the world.
There are easier ways to make money, and Dean had already shown he was good at it. When you're not winning and getting sponsors, ultra-running is an expensive hobby.

http://runtrails.blogspot.com/2007/07/what-scott-jurek-really-thinks-abo...

So This is a link to someone elses transcript of Scott's comments.

If you look up and down in the sport of running there is only one time the general american public looks at running and that's every 4 years during the Olympics. My college (University of Arkansas) has one of the best Track and Field programs in the nation including Cross Country, and we fill up the stadium to watch teams not even come close to winning championships in Football and Basketball. It's not always about the level of competition it's about what people like.

I could see how Scott can get upset when he's the premiere runner in the World and he's watching an award for Distance running going to a guy who has only won two events, someone that isn't even an Elite runner in the sport of distance running.

It's a little bizarre when most people in the world (including me) don't know the names of the best 5k, 10k, half-marathon, marathon and any distance runners, yet I have Dean's book sitting at home on my shelf. But the thing that's great to me is Dean is someone that helped me get interested in running and even with all the media attention he gets and is taking away from the really great runners, the fact that he is able to enspire and help people makes a huge difference.

I think it's a bad thing that running athletes are not popular people as Scott Jurek rightfully should be, but I don't think he should be upset when someone else is honored and they accept it. It's a real tough thing to just take a compliment, but that's what you should do.

It's an interesting debate. It should be obvious why long distance running doesn't get much media coverage as other sports. It's not gripping television. (Yeah, you can counter that argument with Nascar ;) Having a charismatic celebrity like Dean brings the sport into the spotlike.

I don't have a problem with the title that Dean has be granted. It's not an easy choice. How do you define, "America's Best Distance Runner." On one hand, you've got a guy who's winning the most ultras, and on the other you've got a guy who's running the most distance, and breaking records. I gotta side with the Dean choice, because I think he's breaking barriers on what a human can achieve. Media exposure? C'mon, we all would like to be paid to do what we love, and that's what Dean has. I found that the fact that he's marketed himself to be inspirational. Travel/entry/time off work ain't cheap.

Part of the appeal of Dean as an athlete, mirrors the appeal of ultra-running. If you're not fast, go long. Talk to them about a 10k, and they ask "How fast were you?" Talk about a marathon, and they're more apt to ask "Whoa, how long did that take?" To win, we start being limited with our mortal, average bodies. To go long distances, we're limited by our will, and commitment to the sport. If you're at a cocktail party, and someone says "Hey, I just won 4 100 milers", and someone else says "I just ran 350 miles straight", who's story do you want to hear first?

Jurek and DK are athletes, competitive people who perform amazing tasks for a living. A rivalry is to be expected. Now I must admit I am not a fan of DK, I am more in the Jurek camp (I just think the man is amazing)but on that note I can not begrudge DK for making a living at ultra running. Lets face it, there really isn't a lot of money in ultra racing. Its more about the accomplishment of finishing what you set out to do and if someone like DK can make money (squeezing blood from that turnip) then we should let him do it. Love the accomplishments, love the torture we all put ourselves through and by all mean let the professionals try to make their living any way they can. Just my humble opinion.

Well, baldwyn,
> I think he's breaking barriers on what a human can achieve.
Dean Karnazes is out there on the edge, but he's not stretching the barriers more than a lot of other people, including Scott Jurek.
The events Dean Karnazes chooses may be part of his appeal, but that can't be a very big part of it. How come so few people know who Yiannis Kouros is? What about Sam Thompson?
Yiannis Kouros has run over 500 miles in one race on numerous occasions. I don't think anyone ever seriously kept track of how many times he went more than 350 miles before sleeping. Then of course, Yiannis Kouros, like the other ultra-marathoners in these 6-day races, after a brief rest, got up and ran hundreds of miles more.
Sam Thompson ran 51 marathons in 50 states in 50 days the same year DK did 50/50/50, and finished before him.
DK planned to run 300 miles, but quit at 262 miles. Then Pam Reed went out and ran 300 miles.
(I've seen where Dean ran his 262 miles and where Pam ran her 300 miles, so I know the comparison is not really fair.)
Then DK made a plan, trained, and ran 350 miles. But as I pointed out, it probably isn't something no one else has done.
I don't think Dean gets as much press as he does because of the events he chooses to run. I think a lot of the reasons he gets more coverage are things that never get reported.
Letters and pictures he sends, the way he talks to people, knowing what to say to whom, and how to say it, these are things that get him more media attention for doing things no more impressive than what others are doing in relative obscurity.

So does Scott Jurek have a right to be angry with the coverage the media gives Dean?

Should Scott go to Dean and ask him to help market other ultra runners?

Should Scott care what Outside Magazine says?

If I have a coworker that goes out and runs his first 5k should I jump in the conversation and brag and say "oh yeah well I just won my 5k!"(which I haven't) or should I let them have their moment?

Scott didn't seem to be angry at all.
And as I was trying to say, the interviewer was practically asking him to complain. It's not like he jumped in front of Dean at a press conference.

> So does Scott Jurek have a right to be angry with the coverage the media gives Dean?
Yes, I think Scott Jurek has a right to be angry with the coverage the media gives Dean Karnazes.

> Should Scott go to Dean and ask him to help market other ultra runners?
That's a different, personal matter. It may not be a bad idea. But it may not be something Scott wants to do.
If Scott doesn't like Dean doing something for himself, he may not like him doing it for other runners.

> Should Scott care what Outside Magazine says?
Scott has a right to be teed off if they fail as journalists to report the truth. Outside Magazine has influence in the world that can make a significant difference not only in how Scott Jurek is perceived, but in how well he can make a living.
If he cares about sponsors then he should care what Outside Magazine says.