Do Plodders Deserve To Run Marathons?

NYTIMES/
The field of marathon runners is growing...by adding slower runners. A debate had developed over how quickly a runner should finish the once-elite event...that is now for the masses.
"Purists believe that running a marathon should be just that — running the entire course at a relatively fast clip. They point out that a six-hour marathoner is simply participating in the event, not racing in it. Slow runners have disrespected the distance, they say, and have ruined the marathon’s mystique."
Said a plodder, “The complainers are just a bunch of ornery, grumpy people who want the marathon all to themselves and don’t want the slower runners. But too bad. The sport is fueled and funded by people like me.”

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As a 12-minute miler, I may not qualify as a true plodder, but I sympathize with older runners and the less than fleet of foot...except for those...who take a break to eat lunch and then finish the "race." They are ridiculous!