A lesson for quitter Radcliffe

Robert Bruce said:

Jenkins triumphs in adversity

Britain's Marc Jenkins ended the Olympics triathlon to a hero's
welcome despite finishing last in Athens.
A collison midway through the cycling leg left the Welshman with a
broken wheel, ending any chance he had.

But the 28-year-old put the bike on his shoulder and ran two
kilometres to the next wheel station, finishing the race to cheers from the
British fans.

Apparently there was a big screen at the finish and every time they cut to
him running with the bike the crowd stood up and cheered. Very good
attitude.

I don't think one could exactly call Paula Radcliffe a quitter. If you have
never been in the situation where you just *can't* carry on then you can
have no idea what she went through.

Did you see the article on the Australian rower who also conked out (for
want of a better term) three quarters of the way through a race? The
conditions must have been really severe.

...d

Looks like Paula is a bit unhinged - may be unfair to judge her until we know
if she's actually lost her marbles. All this incoherent mumbling about 'letting
my fans down' etc.... And as my wife pointed out (keen cyclist and onetime
European team champion in handball) she chooses her races carefully and sets
record times in colder climates on courses which suit her. Hot weather Olympics
are another story - you can cope or you can't. She couldn't. In fact maybe
that's why a lot of the African athletes do well - it's 'cool' for them!

=== Andy Evans ===
Visit our Website:- http://www.artsandmedia.com
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Nice uninformed comment about Paula - well done, Robert! For whatever reason
she was in great physical distress and couldn't carry on. Marc Jenkins was
the victim of an unfortunate accident which did not leave him in physical
distress. Chapeau indeed to him for finishing the race - but his situation
was not at all the same as Paula's.

Gavin

"Robert Bruce" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics_2004/triathlon/3601208.stm

or

http://tinyurl.com/5s3xk

Jenkins triumphs in adversity

Britain's Marc Jenkins ended the Olympics triathlon to a hero's
welcome despite finishing last in Athens.
A collison midway through the cycling leg left the Welshman with a
broken wheel, ending any chance he had.

But the 28-year-old put the bike on his shoulder and ran two
kilometres to the next wheel station, finishing the race to cheers from

the

Quoted message said:

British fans.

"My initial thought was that I couldn't continue, but it's the
Olympics and I wanted to finish," he said.

"Someone went into the back of my wheel and the quick-release handle
on their wheel took out five or six of my spokes.

"I couldn't even run with the bike at my side because the wheel
wouldn't turn round, so I had to put it on my shoulders.

"My legs are paying for it now. I'm very disappointed at the moment,
really upset."

New Zealand enjoyed a one-two finish, with Hamish Carter taking

gold,

Quoted message said:

Bevan Docherty silver, while Switzerland's Sven Riederer claimed third.

--
Rob

Please keep conversations in the newsgroup so that all may contribute and
benefit.

in message <[email hidden]>, Robert Bruce
([email hidden]'😉 wrote:

[scythe]

When you've run a marathon in Greece in the middle of summer, come back
and talk about 'quitters'.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

'graveyards are full of indispensable people'

mae <[email hidden]> wedi ysgrifennu:

Quoted message said:

Nice uninformed comment about Paula - well done, Robert!

Uninformed certainly. No less informed than anyone else outside of her
immediate circle, though.

Quoted message said:

For whatever
reason she was in great physical distress and couldn't carry on.

I don't buy that at all. If she had completely bonked out she would be in no
physical state to run tonight (Friday). My opinion is that she was put in a
situation that she had not psychologically prepared for and gave up because
of that. She could have jogged in tenth or twentieth, but she had prepared
for many months on the premise that she would come third at the very worst.
When she saw the bronze medal position slowy pulling away from her and felt
weakness in her legs she knew she wouldn't get what she had come for and
folded.

--
Rob

Please keep conversations in the newsgroup so that all may contribute
and benefit.

IIRC Boris Becker once took an early exit at Wmbldn[1]. FLJS interviewed
him in hushed tones, as though the end of civilisation was nigh. "I don't
understand.", said Becker. "Nobody died."

Likewise with the Radcliffe.

1 - (c) Harry Carpenter

--

Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
http://www.bhpc.org.uk/
===========================================================

Dave Larrington said:

IIRC Boris Becker once took an early exit at Wmbldn[1]. FLJS interviewed
him in hushed tones, as though the end of civilisation was nigh. "I
don't
understand.", said Becker. "Nobody died."

Jamie Staff's comments on his disqualification the other night were
similar, something to the effect of, "It's only a bike race."

Colin

mae <[email hidden]> wedi ysgrifennu:

Quoted message said:

When you've run a marathon in Greece in the middle of summer, come
back and talk about 'quitters'.

What's that got to do with anything? I'm not a professional long distance
runner.

AFAIK, many did manage to finish the race, so it wasn't impossible or
anything.

--
Rob

Please keep conversations in the newsgroup so that all may contribute
and benefit.

In fact maybe

Quoted message said:

that's why a lot of the African athletes do well - it's 'cool' for them!

One of the Ethiopians said that the conditions were too hot for a marathon!!

Robert Bruce said:

What's that got to do with anything? I'm not a professional long distance
runner.

So you admit to ignorance about what she was going through?

Quoted message said:

AFAIK, many did manage to finish the race, so it wasn't impossible or
anything.

Were they running the race from the front, pushing hard for a medal, or
perhaps would their goal have just been finishing at all? You're
assuming all the competitiors had the same goals, which is often not true.

Sometimes I'll struggle through against adversity and sometimes I'll
just think [censored] and give up. It isn't even consistent for
individuals, let alone a large field.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

On Fri, 27 Aug 2004 11:12:43 +0100, Peter Clinch <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Robert Bruce said:

What's that got to do with anything? I'm not a professional long
distance
runner.

So you admit to ignorance about what she was going through?

Quoted message said:

AFAIK, many did manage to finish the race, so it wasn't impossible or
anything.

Were they running the race from the front, pushing hard for a medal, or
perhaps would their goal have just been finishing at all? You're
assuming all the competitiors had the same goals, which is often not
true.

And, it's worth noting that 16 runners didn't finish.

Quoted message said:

Sometimes I'll struggle through against adversity and sometimes I'll
just think [censored] and give up. It isn't even consistent for
individuals, let alone a large field.

Yep.

Colin

Quoted message said:

I don't think one could exactly call Paula Radcliffe a quitter. If you
have
never been in the situation where you just *can't* carry on then you can
have no idea what she went through.

Did you see the article on the Australian rower who also conked out (for
want of a better term) three quarters of the way through a race? The
conditions must have been really severe.

Although the Australian rower did exactly the same thing 2 years ago in the
World Championships. In that race, the Aussies were leading at the time -
and finished 4th after she "blew up" and stopped rowing.

Richard Bullock said:

Quoted message said:

I don't think one could exactly call Paula Radcliffe a quitter. If you
have
never been in the situation where you just *can't* carry on then you can
have no idea what she went through.

Did you see the article on the Australian rower who also conked out (for
want of a better term) three quarters of the way through a race? The
conditions must have been really severe.

Although the Australian rower did exactly the same thing 2 years ago in the
World Championships. In that race, the Aussies were leading at the time -
and finished 4th after she "blew up" and stopped rowing.

And Chris Newton didn't finish the points race.
But for some reason we didn't see him on every front page the next day
nor constant coverage and comment since.

i wonder why.

John B

mae <[email hidden]> wedi ysgrifennu:

Quoted message said:

So you admit to ignorance about what she was going through?

I've already freely admitted that elsewhere in the thread ;-)

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

AFAIK, many did manage to finish the race, so it wasn't impossible or
anything.

Were they running the race from the front, pushing hard for a medal,
or perhaps would their goal have just been finishing at all? You're
assuming all the competitiors had the same goals, which is often not
true.

But giving up because you know you're not going to get a medal (which, as
I've said elsewhere, is what I believe she did) shows an amount of
disrespect for the sport and for the other competitors. I don't want to
overplay that because the situation was obviously psychologically much more
complex, but it's still there.

--
Rob

Please keep conversations in the newsgroup so that all may contribute
and benefit.

Robert Bruce said:

But giving up because you know you're not going to get a medal (which, as
I've said elsewhere, is what I believe she did) shows an amount of
disrespect for the sport and for the other competitors.

But since your belief is apropos of a spot of remote TV coverage backed
up with a large slice of uninformed speculation, for you to witter on
about disrespect is just a lot pathetic.
Running a couple of miles in stifling heat when you're already in a daze
is not just /disrespectful/ of yourself, it's bloody stupid. And do we
presume that Denise Lewis is a quitter who doesn't respect the other
heptathletes, or would it be better to assume you've got a bee in your
bonnet and are using unfair comparisons to kick people when they're down?

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

mae <[email hidden]> wedi ysgrifennu:

Quoted message said:

But since your belief is apropos of a spot of remote TV coverage
backed up with a large slice of uninformed speculation, for you to
witter on about disrespect is just a lot pathetic.
Running a couple of miles in stifling heat when you're already in a
daze is not just /disrespectful/ of yourself, it's bloody stupid.
And do we presume that Denise Lewis is a quitter who doesn't respect
the other heptathletes, or would it be better to assume you've got a
bee in your bonnet and are using unfair comparisons to kick people
when they're down?

Pete.

OK. This is the kind of stuff that turns into flame wars that waste
everyone's time. We've had too much of that lately. It's also marginally OT.

I admit it: The original subject line was a throwaway comment and way over
the top. Then in traditional usenet style I decided to defend myself rather
than back down gracefully.

I'd like to apologise now and stop before I start correcting people's
grammar and/or spelling.

--
Rob

Please keep conversations in the newsgroup so that all may contribute
and benefit.

Robert Bruce said:

But giving up because you know you're not going to get a medal (which, as
I've said elsewhere, is what I believe she did) shows an amount of
disrespect for the sport and for the other competitors.

Whereas I'm sure that in the same situation, you would have continued
to the death.

Now take your ego elsewhere.
--

Cheers,

Al

JohnB said:

And Chris Newton didn't finish the points race.
But for some reason we didn't see him on every front page the next day
nor constant coverage and comment since.

i wonder why.

Because he didn't get the same build-up?
--

Cheers,

Al

I had an unsuccessful job interview once.

The chairman of the interview panel spoke to me afterwards and stated
the panel thought I was a 'quitter'.

Yeah right!...

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.