Increasing The Unemployment...Pace!

If the unemployment rate continues to increase, Boston is going to run into (no pun intended) many problems next April. Beyond the typical and predictable problems all states run into (pun intended this time) as they face an ever-growing citizenry of the unemployed, Beantown is at risk of losing the aura and mystique that surrounds its annual Boston Marathon. As the only marathon in this country that requires its participants to have finished a previous marathon in an admittedly swift pace, most runners view the Boston Marathon as a race they can only dream about running. And it is this very elitism that is being threatened by the unfortunate increasing rate at which people are finding themselves unemployed.

You may be asking yourselves, 'Mr. Petes, what do you mean? How can an increasing unemployment rate affect the Boston Marathon?'

Well, dear readers, the answer lies in Reed Albergotti's article, Fast Times For Jobless Runners, published in the Wall Street Journal yesterday. Detailing how, despite the growing unemployment and the ever worsening economy, as a group, runners seem to be thriving, Albergotti notes that "the changing economic landscape could forever alter the way Americans view recreational and competitive athletics, as more people discover the joys of training and competing". More than just discovering the joys of training, it seems that many runners are actually flourishing and are increasing their performance and speeds. With more free time to train and exercise like they hadn't been able to do while employed, "laid-off marathon runners are actually helping push up the level of competition within their age groups". In fact, according to Athlinks.com, a Web site that tracks millions of race results, 4.6% of all marathon finishers have run times that would make them eligible for the once elite Boston Marathon, a 39% increase over 2008. In addition, marathon participation is up 5.1% over 2008 and gym membership is up 18% from last year.

While there is no direct evidence that proves the correlation between the unemployment rate and the number of people qualifying for the Boston Marathon, there is certainly enough to demonstrate the effect of unemployment on the number of people who have turned to, or continue to, exercise as a way to relieve the stress of the world around them. Despite having written a past post about the increasing participation rates in this year's marathons, I'll admit that even I was taken aback by the enormous percentage increases from last year with respect to Boston qualifying, gym memberships and even marathon participation.

And so, to all those that will receive a pink slip in the next few months, cheer up! While your job may no longer be there for you, the many roads, trails and parks in this country are always waiting for you...and for your running shoes!!