I might have followed along as a spectator, but I was involved with the event by supporting someone near the back of the pack. I consequently didn’t care about the coverage, although it was nice a day later to hear iRF & Billy’s interviews with Courtney. The same will be true for me at Hardrock--I’ll be observing the front runners and everyone else while working an aid station. My point is, don’t confuse the coverage as an authentic substitute for running, volunteering, or pacing/crewing. It’s a great adjunct and community/fan-builder for people who can’t be at the event, but nothing beats the real thing of being there. And, the hype of the race up front overshadows the individuals’ dramas unfolding from mid to back of the pack.
Oh completely agree, I hope one day I’ll have the privilege of going to WSER (or even better, competing!)
Love the article btw! Sports media in general always focuses on the professionals, largely because they know that a large volume of people will likely read/watch/listen to whatever’s made about them and they’re business’ of volume. Of course trail running has gone that way too, but you make a good point about mid/back of the packers (and its always a common complaint on livestreams) - how do you think trail running media could sustainably highlight the stories of those outside the front of the pack, and whose role should it be to do that?
Thanks Matt. Well, I think iRF and certain people like AJW do a good job highlighting interesting characters, such as the oldest man and woman in a marquee race like WS, and other notables doing extraordinary things such as Pam Reed. Trail Runner also tries to write features about interesting non-pros. (I'm actually working on one now for them, leading into HR.) I guess my point with my comment was to say that sitting at home, following a livestream, it's easy to get so caught up in the top 10's race that the fullness of the human experience unfolding throughout the pack gets missed. That's kind of inevitable. But an ultra is about so much more than the race among the top 10.
I might have followed along as a spectator, but I was involved with the event by supporting someone near the back of the pack. I consequently didn’t care about the coverage, although it was nice a day later to hear iRF & Billy’s interviews with Courtney. The same will be true for me at Hardrock--I’ll be observing the front runners and everyone else while working an aid station. My point is, don’t confuse the coverage as an authentic substitute for running, volunteering, or pacing/crewing. It’s a great adjunct and community/fan-builder for people who can’t be at the event, but nothing beats the real thing of being there. And, the hype of the race up front overshadows the individuals’ dramas unfolding from mid to back of the pack.
https://sarahrunning.substack.com/p/lessons-from-crewing-and-pacing-an
Oh completely agree, I hope one day I’ll have the privilege of going to WSER (or even better, competing!)
Love the article btw! Sports media in general always focuses on the professionals, largely because they know that a large volume of people will likely read/watch/listen to whatever’s made about them and they’re business’ of volume. Of course trail running has gone that way too, but you make a good point about mid/back of the packers (and its always a common complaint on livestreams) - how do you think trail running media could sustainably highlight the stories of those outside the front of the pack, and whose role should it be to do that?
Thanks Matt. Well, I think iRF and certain people like AJW do a good job highlighting interesting characters, such as the oldest man and woman in a marquee race like WS, and other notables doing extraordinary things such as Pam Reed. Trail Runner also tries to write features about interesting non-pros. (I'm actually working on one now for them, leading into HR.) I guess my point with my comment was to say that sitting at home, following a livestream, it's easy to get so caught up in the top 10's race that the fullness of the human experience unfolding throughout the pack gets missed. That's kind of inevitable. But an ultra is about so much more than the race among the top 10.