- [performing their first robbery in Bolivia]
Butch Cassidy: [spanish] Manos a… Manos, um…
[Butch pulls out a card that helps him remember his words]
Butch Cassidy: Manos arriba!
Sundance Kid: They got ’em up! Skip on down.
Butch Cassidy: Arriba!
Sundance Kid: Skip on down!
Butch Cassidy: Todos ustedes “arrismense” a la pared.
Sundance Kid: They’re against the wall already!
Butch Cassidy: Donde… Ah, you’re so damn smart, You read it!
I got a bit of heat for my no-arms-in-the-air-unless-you-win statement. BW’s I didn’t mind as it was of the everyone’s-a-winner/kumbaya school that I find grating. But I was left to think from a comment by BoboLink on the upcoming races post. She said,
- I will add my voice as a middle of the packer, of the league you may not be interested in. I do race, but I only race against myself — having no possible chance of racing against a field of 5000 competitors of which I am in the middle. But I race hard, and I push myself hard, and when I reach a goal that I have trained long and hard for, sacrificed for, and just nearly threw up achieving, I like to celebrate. I put my arms in the air the first time I ran a half, and will the first time I run a marathon. I put my arms in the air the first time I broke a 9min mile, and will when I finally break 8.
I think the biggest thing about this is that the arms in the air are not for others to see or comment on, they are just my own personal expression of joy and accomplishment. And sometimes it isn’t an arm in the air, but a fist pump, or a “Yes!” when looking at my watch, but either way it is a celebration that I do feel that I have personally earned — only for myself of course.
Was I being too dogmatic/elitist/bad? What’s the harm? TK did it at the NYC HM, and I think she’s great.
No. You win the race, you put your arms up. You don’t, you don’t. In the end, as I said, it would be patronizing of me to say it’s OK for someone mid-pack to do something when it would be frowned at up front.
Still, I accept that using it as a pejorative to define a type of runner was inappropriate since there are in fact runners who do it in whom I’m interested. Mea culpa. I’ll have to come up with a different way of putting it. Maybe just stick to the old racer/runner dichotomy.
9 comments
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April 5, 2010 at 8:48 pm
bobolink221
Thanks for the time taken on my comment! I wasn’t offended, just explaining why I sometimes did the arms-in-the-air move. But, to be honest, I had absolutely no idea it was frowned upon up front. Now that I think about it, it makes sense. If the winner puts his arms up, it would be weird to do it when crossing the finish line a few minutes after him.
In the middle of the pack it is almost the thing to do: the people running around me do it constantly, and it is in so many of the pictures I see. If I had known that it was a gesture considered reserved for the actual winner, I would never have used it. I may be sticking with the fist pump from now on (I assume that’s Ok 🙂 )
April 5, 2010 at 9:03 pm
joegarland
Fist-pump is very good, a more subtle, personal “Yeah.” Believe me, we’re all ecstatic about reaching the finish and getting across the thing so we can stop.
Also, a tip about Central Park. Always wave to the Cat.
April 6, 2010 at 12:55 am
Ny wolve
At the end of a long race, I feel like one of those Tour de France riders after an uphill finish on a mountain stage – just thankful to be done and spent. A fist pump is nice, but I always seem to forget or to time it right for the race pic. Mainly I am just happy it is done.
April 6, 2010 at 9:31 am
Flo
If I didn’t have such jiggly batwings, I’d probably do it, but my race photos are bad enough. I don’t really give a rats ass whether others put their arms up or not, never even thought about it.
April 6, 2010 at 5:26 pm
Runnermatt
Yeah, I think you are being too dogmatic. My only issue with hands in the air (or any celebration) is whether it is planned. If so, it’s lame no matter who is doing it.
I’ve won exactly 3 races in my life sans hands. In HS/college, the ultimate in cool was the nonchalant “brushing the finish banner down” and I think I’ve unwittingly stuck with that. Besides, I was taught that anything more means you had too much left in the tank.
April 10, 2010 at 7:05 am
threlkeld
When I win a race I like to put my hands in my shorts.
April 11, 2010 at 1:52 pm
Race Result: Second 53 year old! « RunWestchester
[…] is a really nice guy, took exception to my recent arms-up post, even after I walked back from it a bit. He apparently responded with a rant about me. As JT put it, he “spewed venom.” […]
April 21, 2010 at 2:03 am
cg9m
well, i’ll add one more comment (observation), tho i think this really is a dead horse.
when i ran my 1st CP race- probly ’03- i remember being dumbfounded upon receiving a medal at the finish. remarkable as it may seem, up until then, the only people i had ever seen receive medals at the end of races were the top 3 finishers (not even age group awardees.) i’ve since come to terms w/the medals as “keepsakes.” and i think most of them currently reside at the bottom of my son’s toy boxes.
April 26, 2010 at 3:50 pm
bobolink221
After volunteering at Sunday’s More Half Marathon I have another term for you, instead of “arms-up” folk, one I think very few runners could possibly feel offended by. How about the ” “Runs” with an umbrella when it’s raining” folk?
Apparently they do exist. Shocking, I know.