This is part of a larger campaign that they are running, which includes a website called the Running Preservation Society.

I almost don’t know where to start with this ad. But I’ll do my best:

1.This ad strongly implies that the only reason to run a marathon is to race it. But let’s be clear, if the only people who were allowed to do marathons were those for whom it is an elite athletic contest, marathons would be one tenth the size, if that. Running would be on par with lacrosse for number of participants and prestige (no offense to running lacrosse fans). Instead, we’ve got a thriving sport that means more exposure in the media, more new runners every year and because of that strong interest, more potential elites signing up. We’ve got millions of people out having fun outside with their family and friends, maybe raising money for charities and improving their fitness. What the hell is wrong with that?
2.For some of us, truly giving it everything we’ve got means a seven-hour marathon finish. We’re not all built to elite specifications and our personal best varies significantly from one runner to the next. One runner’s seven-hour finish may be the mental equivalent of another’s three-hour finish. Comparing finishing times across runners tells you nothing at all about how much effort was involved in their run.
3.I don’t think Pheidippides intended that anyone replicate his run seeing as how he died. In actual fact, he ran 150 miles (so 123.8 miles longer than a modern marathon) over two days. In all likelihood, he probably didn’t beat the sunset on either of those two days. So basically, by their logic, anyone over at Pearl Izumi who can’t run 150 miles at once is a pussy.
4.I’m going to out on a limb and suggest that more marathon finishers, more running shoe purchasers and more Runner’s World readers fall closer to the “seven-hour finishers” category. Ergo, Pearl Izumi is probably selling more shoes to slow runners than to fast ones. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you (or as my running buddy put it, shooting themselves in the foot). I, for one, would not buy a Pearl Izumi shoe or product on principle. If they don’t think much of me as a runner, I don’t think much of them as a company.
What do you think of these ads? Funny? Stupid? Rage-inducing? Would you buy/not buy Pearl Izumi products based on these ads?