Ένα απόσπασμα από το άρθρο: "His versatility amazes other runners, including Jurek, who today is a friend. Jornet has been able to run the very short mountain races like a vertical kilometer race that’s over in a couple of hours, Jurek says — and then, he adds, Jornet can turn around and win the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run in California’s Sierra mountains, arguably the world’s most prestigious ultrarun. (Jurek himself won the Western States seven consecutive times between 1999 and 2005.) It’s a little like an Olympic-champion sprinter winning the Boston Marathon."...

Έχει ενδιαφέρον να διαβάσετε την αντίδραση των περισσότερων αναγνωστών/σχολιαστών του άρθρου, ειδικά αυτών που έχουν ελάχιστη ή καθόλου σχέση με το αντικείμενο που είναι και πολλοί αφού μιλάμε για ένα Μέσο όχι ειδικού/αθλητικού Τύπου...

Διαβάστε για παράδειγμα τρεις διαφορετικές απόψεις, τρεις διαφορετικές προσεγγίσεις...

Αυτήν

...what a huge waste of time. I'm a person who adores the outdoors and likes to do many endeavors that include camping, climbing, running etc. I also ran marathons and now find that all that time spent running alone and not spent with my kids, my friends, my family, bettering the world in other ways, was a huge huge waste--not to mention likely detrimental to my joints. I think its great people decide to do these "extreme' events for their own reasons but to highlight them in the NYT as "inspirational"? Seriously? I'd rather read about someone curing cancer , building a business, pulling children out of poverty. 

Αυτήν

As a 63 year old living on the family farm, I've often thought the same thing over the years. I'm either working on the farm repairing buildings, machinery, cutting wood, splitting wood, updating the farmhouse, etc. When I'm not doing those things (which I thoroughly enjoy), I'm volunteering in the community with educational projects or helping raise funds for various activities (besides spending time with the family). Don't get me wrong. I'm no saint by any means. I don't begrudge others who spend their time bicycling or running, and in my geographic area there are many, many people who do spend their weekends bicycling or running the country roads. There's even a state public trail that intersects the farm for bicyclists, horses, and runners. Yet, when I see them I know I couldn't be a long distance runner, bicyclist, etc. I always have to have something concrete to show for my efforts - whether it's a better running tractor or mower, stacks of wood, cleared fence rows, more money for scholarships, etc.

Και αυτήν...

"After over sixty years of life, and reflecting on the diffuse values, meanings, facts that make up our universe and the ideas that inhabit us, I think that the human community is composed of such varying and different types for a reason. Some use their intellect to solve problems in biophysics; some tackle problems in carpentry to build homes for others; some need to soar to heights of musical composition; others run for office in an attempt to better conditions in society, and some train, endlessly, in a swimming pool or on the heights in the snow. One reason that value lies in all these endeavors is that inspiration from any provides fuel for all. I was a long-distance runner 40 years ago. No great shakes; just a good college and law-school athlete. I was a historian, a pianist, a real estate developer. And this article, about a sport I hadn't heard of, inspires me. It made me admire what a human being can do, what he can conceive of. The way to work to prevent genocide is not only to volunteer for Elie Wiesel, or Amnesty International. Every person who engages life in a profitable, constructive, humane way contributes to the sum of good will that fuels human progress. Every person finds his talent, his calling, in his own way. His own personal way. For so long as he does no harm to the community writ large, he serves us all. To excel in anything is one of the most wondrous things a person can attain."

Διαβάστε όλο το άρθρο, αλλά και τα σχόλια, έχουν εξαιρετικό ενδιαφέρον!