should there be a universal time limit for marathons? (Page 7)

Don't know if there is a consensus.

I vote for "leave it up to the RD."

No universal cutoff, with cutoff times to be determined by the race directors of individual marathons based on race logistics.

Kind of like it is now.

If I were RD, I'd keep it open for as long as it was economically feasible to provide support services. Again, that's probably what most RDs do now.

The other side of this sword is to be inclusive of all customers for whom it is economically feasible. As much as you might like to inclued a 9-hour marathoner, the marginal cost to you may be higher than the marginal benefit provided by that customer (i.e., another 1% gain in participants versus a 10% increase in costs to provide traffic control, timing services, etc. for that additional hour)

But isn't this a similar attitude to the guy that wants to cut it off at 5-hours? Being for a cutoff time, just so it's longer than what I can do, include me but exclude anyone slower?

For some people, 5 hours is a casual hike.

Marathon is about distance, not about time. Cover the distance in one sitting, and you can call yourself a marathoner. Go faster and you can call yourself a x:xx marathoner.

Wow!  I just read this thread - or most of it.  Like someone else said It does sound like SlowTwitch.  Ruling people out of all marathons because they are "too slow".  I understand and fully support having qualifying times for some races like Boston but eliminating a whole group of people from doing any marathons just doesn't sound right to me.  Gosh, I ran my first Half Mary yesterday and according to some of you my accomplishment is nothing to be proud of because I am "too slow".  It is very disappointing to see people on BT with such elitist attitudes.  How does having slower runners in "your race" diminish your achievement or affect you at all?

This is like that thing about everything in the world being covered with microscopic bugs and being grossed out by it.  It may be true, but who cares?  What practical application does this extreme example have.  The races are the way they are.  In most cases the RD is going to have, as was stated before, the race set up to accommodate people until the $$$ reward no longer justifies the expense.  

Todd, you can provide extreme examples to poke holes in the way things are done now all you want.  Equally so, you could provide an example of how you think it should be done and I could poke holes in it too.  No one system is ever going to make everyone happy.  That's why there isn't one. 

Excluding the pros this is a recreational activity, right?  "THE MARATHON"  as everyone calls it has changed over the years.  Even the distance has changed, although not recently.  Like anything, it needs to adapt if races are going to survive and attract participants.  Anyone who feels that someone who takes longer than _____ to complete that race is not "really" a marathoner might as well get used to that feeling because it would be a death sentence to some races to impose a universal time limit. 

Personally I think it is a major accomplishment that a race like the Chicago Marathon I recently watched is able to successfully meld a very exciting professional race along with a great race experience for age groupers from beginners to elite.  THAT's the part of endurance sports that really appeals to me.  The way they are so inclusive while at the same time allowing each athlete to perform to their peak.  I can't grab my clubs and go play with Tiger and Phil, and I can't get in my Wrangler and go drive at Daytona, and forget about pro team sports.  But I can get on my trusty old Schwinn and/or Reeboks and go rub elbows with the best of the best at an endurance event.

Sweet!

Every race I've done has had cut-offs, even sprints. But it's not done from an elitist pointofview, it's logistics, like scout said. But, please, don't make the cut-off for a marathon 5 hours. I expected to break 4:45 at my first, but cramping at mile 15 sent me duck-waddling the last 11 miles. To finish in 5:40 was an accomplishment. RD know their events. They make the decisions to cut off some and maybe lose money, but they know their towns.

BTW, is it really about egos when most of the time people look at you like you've gone completely insane for running a marathon or even doing a sprint tri?