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Hi,<br>
Mr. Lambchops, in the 10 and 1 thread, asked about the differences between running culture in Germany and in North America. It's pretty neat to race in both places, and to experience all the differences between them. We could make an interesting thread out of this, I hope. Please feel free to contribute your own thoughts/comments.<br>
Also, please do not interpret anything as my own desire to attack either system - they both have their own benefits and drawbacks.<br>
So, here it goes!<br><br>
Most of the people I've met over here who are into endurance sport take things rather seriously. I joke with a few of my friends that I was only allowed to us the casual form of address (similar to the 'tu' in French) after I had run my way to respect via a sub-40 minute 10k. While this is not true on the surface, there is a bit of truth to the statement.<br>
Now, I know that my experience is tempered by my having found a fairly serious group, in what others have told me is a fairly atypical part of Germany. That being said, my experiences in a few other places have confirmed what I think are some fairly widespread habits.<br><br>
Germans (for the most part) do not take part in endurance sports for the sake of completion or participation. There is very little praise for those who take part in competition without trying to race. That's not to say that they don't recognize people trying as hard as they can, they just don't take part in the whole 'huggy-huggy-everyone's-a-winner' attitude that is a bit more prevalent in North America. Very few races have medals, even fewer have the mandatory T-Shirts, and if you place in your age group, you can expect a certificate. No race shorter than a half marathon has an aid-station, and a smaller, stand-alone half marathon will likely have one. These are not races designed to make sure that everyone finished with a big smile! That being said, races cost about $5-6, and a charity race is almost unheard of. After the race, everyone showers and has some coffee and cake (which, by the way, you pay for yourself - there's no free food at the end of the run).<br><br>
Contrast that with a North American race - or at least the ones that I'm familiar with. Most races don't charge less than about $15-20 or so, and that's for a 5k. Half-marathons will set you back more, especially if you don't register 2-years in advance. The 5k I did last spring had an aid-station, and a half-marathon will have aid stations every few kms. There are goody-bags, free food at the end, T-shirts, and medals. Extra medals, plaques, or other goodies await the top 3 finishers in every age group. Now, this may be overstating the case, but I think that most races will have a couple of there elements.<br><br>
What am I trying to say?<br><br>
The main figures in the running public in North America - the guys who seem to inspire and offer training programs for the most people - are people like John Stanton, Jeff Galloway, "The Penguin". Yes, there are other people who cause new runners to take up the sport - Prefontaine, Gebresaillasie (sp?), etc., but I would argue that those three would be among the first mentioned if you were to poll marathon finishers at a major North American marathon - especially if you waited until after the 3:30-3:45 crowd have finished.<br><br>
The big guy in Germany, the one whose name gets all the play on the running forums here, is a guy by the name of Greif - Peter Greif. His plans will either kill you or make you faster than you ever believed. He is the diametrical opposite of the three just mentioned. I think that in the last few weeks of his marathon training plan, he has runners do a 35km training run, with the last 20km at marathon pace. That in addition to two other quality workouts over the course of the week. His plans would make Pfitzinger puke! A training plan by Galloway just wouldn't get any play over here, nor would Stanton, and 'The Penguin' wouldn't have any resonance with the running public at all. Why would they listen to someone whose stated goal going into a race is to run slowly? That's what my friends here would ask. The whole point of running is to get faster.<br><br>
I'm not trying to say that one way is better than the other. I tend to fall most into the German camp myself, but that's my own leanings. I wish that the German way of going about having a hobby was a bit more welcoming to newer runners, and sometimes I wish that North Americans would take the whole thing a bit more seriously.<br><br>
Please, feel free to discuss! Any other experiences, opinions, etc. are more than welcome!<br><br>
Bradley
Mr. Lambchops, in the 10 and 1 thread, asked about the differences between running culture in Germany and in North America. It's pretty neat to race in both places, and to experience all the differences between them. We could make an interesting thread out of this, I hope. Please feel free to contribute your own thoughts/comments.<br>
Also, please do not interpret anything as my own desire to attack either system - they both have their own benefits and drawbacks.<br>
So, here it goes!<br><br>
Most of the people I've met over here who are into endurance sport take things rather seriously. I joke with a few of my friends that I was only allowed to us the casual form of address (similar to the 'tu' in French) after I had run my way to respect via a sub-40 minute 10k. While this is not true on the surface, there is a bit of truth to the statement.<br>
Now, I know that my experience is tempered by my having found a fairly serious group, in what others have told me is a fairly atypical part of Germany. That being said, my experiences in a few other places have confirmed what I think are some fairly widespread habits.<br><br>
Germans (for the most part) do not take part in endurance sports for the sake of completion or participation. There is very little praise for those who take part in competition without trying to race. That's not to say that they don't recognize people trying as hard as they can, they just don't take part in the whole 'huggy-huggy-everyone's-a-winner' attitude that is a bit more prevalent in North America. Very few races have medals, even fewer have the mandatory T-Shirts, and if you place in your age group, you can expect a certificate. No race shorter than a half marathon has an aid-station, and a smaller, stand-alone half marathon will likely have one. These are not races designed to make sure that everyone finished with a big smile! That being said, races cost about $5-6, and a charity race is almost unheard of. After the race, everyone showers and has some coffee and cake (which, by the way, you pay for yourself - there's no free food at the end of the run).<br><br>
Contrast that with a North American race - or at least the ones that I'm familiar with. Most races don't charge less than about $15-20 or so, and that's for a 5k. Half-marathons will set you back more, especially if you don't register 2-years in advance. The 5k I did last spring had an aid-station, and a half-marathon will have aid stations every few kms. There are goody-bags, free food at the end, T-shirts, and medals. Extra medals, plaques, or other goodies await the top 3 finishers in every age group. Now, this may be overstating the case, but I think that most races will have a couple of there elements.<br><br>
What am I trying to say?<br><br>
The main figures in the running public in North America - the guys who seem to inspire and offer training programs for the most people - are people like John Stanton, Jeff Galloway, "The Penguin". Yes, there are other people who cause new runners to take up the sport - Prefontaine, Gebresaillasie (sp?), etc., but I would argue that those three would be among the first mentioned if you were to poll marathon finishers at a major North American marathon - especially if you waited until after the 3:30-3:45 crowd have finished.<br><br>
The big guy in Germany, the one whose name gets all the play on the running forums here, is a guy by the name of Greif - Peter Greif. His plans will either kill you or make you faster than you ever believed. He is the diametrical opposite of the three just mentioned. I think that in the last few weeks of his marathon training plan, he has runners do a 35km training run, with the last 20km at marathon pace. That in addition to two other quality workouts over the course of the week. His plans would make Pfitzinger puke! A training plan by Galloway just wouldn't get any play over here, nor would Stanton, and 'The Penguin' wouldn't have any resonance with the running public at all. Why would they listen to someone whose stated goal going into a race is to run slowly? That's what my friends here would ask. The whole point of running is to get faster.<br><br>
I'm not trying to say that one way is better than the other. I tend to fall most into the German camp myself, but that's my own leanings. I wish that the German way of going about having a hobby was a bit more welcoming to newer runners, and sometimes I wish that North Americans would take the whole thing a bit more seriously.<br><br>
Please, feel free to discuss! Any other experiences, opinions, etc. are more than welcome!<br><br>
Bradley