Kona Lottery

My buddy D__ just clued me into something that won't affect me one way or the other, but is creating a small furor in the long-course triathlon community: the change (described here) to the Kona lottery entries. When the Ironman was established, the organizers desired that the race always be open to regular people. I guess some of the early finishers must have been just that -- when I last looked (which was a while back, so my memory may be spotty) top finishes were in the 11-hour range before Dave Scott showed up. They've satisfied that desire by holding a lottery every year, as well as opening a few spots for special cases -- e.g., if one of the Chilean coal miners wanted to run, $10 says he'd be permitted to do so without qualifying.

I personally decline to enter the lottery. No moral issues, but I'd kind of like to qualify. The reality is, however, I never will.

The new approach is to permit 12x IM finishers to run without qualifying, and also to run a (presumably smaller) lottery with preference given to those who have tried several times to get in through the lottery but failed. This has a few obvious impacts:

(1) it guarantees some people entries, as there are surprisingly many 12X and greater finishers out there;
(2) it decreases the non-IM-triathletes who get in purely on lottery slots (so decreases the "can he beat the clock getting out of the water" drama);
(3) it encourages spending on race entry fees of up to $1000 (IM NYC 2012 -- price discrimination has found its way to IM racing) many times over, and disincentivizes "wasting" a race on an unbranded event.

Competition-policy concerns aside, I like the change. Because I could see going to Kona having earned my entry, though not having qualified. But there's the fallacy, because I ain't running 12 Ironmans. 12 140.6s is possible (7 to go). But when I can run the Chesapeakeman for $195 plus one $55 hotel room the night before -- or even go exotic and run the Israman -- I have a hard time seeing myself as an Ironman-brand loyalist.

Chicago (marathon)

Marathon mom is getting all the attention but the real story remains the weather. No matter what weekend in October they pick the Chicago marathon has had highs in the 70s three of the past four years and tragic highs in the 80s two of those years. Not sure what to do about it, but its not good.

This was the first year that I didn't either run a stretch (or all of it) nor cheer from the corners at either end of Wellington as the race goes north and then south. I slept in and then watched most of the second half. I wish the understandable fascination with Ryan Hall would just go away. He may be the fastest American born marathoner in a generation, but he isn't going to win any majors with or without a coach and will be lucky if he finishes in the top 8 in the Olympics.

The real story is Moses Mosup. He set a course record in his second marathon ever. He destroyed his rival after the other guy foolishly tried a break away at mile 19. He would be finished around 2:04 if he had eased up the last two miles because of heat and a dumb failure to hydrate at a couple of points. He can probably run a 2:02 in better conditions. He looks unbeatable for the foreseeable future.

All of which inspired me to finally get out there for a real recovery run in the late afternoon. Felt good but then I didn't have to run 26.2 and/or give birth in the heat of the day.

Kona

IM World Championships on now in Kona. Early in the run Craig Alexander -- 2x winner, and the best runner in professional IM racing -- is about to catch Chris Lieto, who is the best cyclist in the sport, proving once again that this is a runner's sport. The big surprise is that Chrissie Wellington does not appear to be in the hunt; she's ~25' down on leader Julie Dibens. In her past appearances, Wellington has simply dominated the women's field, with three championship wins and god-knows-how-many race wins. But she's a runner, too, so it's not over.

This is so much cooler than football.

Bankruptcy's Per Se Rule

I wonder if there are any thoughts on this proposition:

"Bankruptcy states a per se rule that reflects the following proposition: the number of instances in which there is broader economic benefit to be derived from competition policy considerations, and the magnitude of those benefits, taken together are insufficient to warrant the harm to the constituents of the bankruptcy estate from the loss of the assets."

Here's the idea: bankruptcy does not concern itself with economic efficiency, preferring instead the preservation of value to the constituents of the estate. That obviously reflects an implicit policy decision that the broad efficiency benefits from competition policy are insufficient to overcome the localized value preservation that bankruptcy champions.

Hiring

We're looking for as many as six new hires this year. (Yeah, right. I put the over-under at four.) I like the hiring season. It's fun meeting lateral candidates from around the country who come with different experiences and different reasons for considering a move. It's a great way to learn about the unspoken realities of the market in which we compete. (Wow, that school looks really good -- why is s/he looking to move?) I spend time with colleagues I don't know well, because we're on different floors or different hallways, but gather for job talks and office meetings. I read articles on topics that would not attract my attention otherwise. It's also a great time to eat well.

But its not doing much for my running. I haven't been out since a great long run on Sunday. I hope I can get my track work in on Friday. This year's Marine Corps will be an experiment in minimalism: can I threaten a PR on 25 miles a week? Time will tell.

A Real Inspirational Story

Back on my Feet is a great group with branches in many cities and these guys are terrific. http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/10/04/homeless-runners-to-compete-in-chicago-marathon/ I will be cheering them on this Sunday morning.

Mysterious Foot Ailment

Toward the end of the Hamptons race, the top of my right foot felt like someone was hitting it with a hammer. It was the only part of me that hurt the next day. Then weirdly enough, it went away and I got the same feeling on the top of my left foot which continues to bother me one week later. So no running for me so far just some light low impact elliptical work and a little biking. I want to pace a couple guys from my running group for the Chicago Marathon but don't want to oput myself on the blocks for the rest of the fall. Annoying.