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There's really no winning here. Had Sam's school prevented her from competing, there would probably be a comment addressing liability and blaming the litigiousness of US culture. Sam's behavior is not an indictment of American society or her parents. In the article, her parents care deeply for her. They were extremely concerned about her health, and only allowed her to run again once doctors deemed her fainting benign. I agree that allowing her to run is a little dangerous, but it's important to compare it to other risks we accept in high school sports. It's not worse than say... pole vaulting. On average, pole vaulting kills one high schooler every year in the US. Dozens suffer traumatic brain injuries. Football casualties are even worse. Distance running is quite tame in comparison, even if one is predisposed to fainting. Now if you're wondering why someone would subject themselves to fainting, you should also wonder why anyone competes in athletics at all. It seems crazy to spend so much time training and suffering just for a silly medal. I ran competitively in high school and college, and I agree. It is crazy. That's why you see this sort of behavior in top athletes. There is a huge selection effect. You do not get to the top 0.01% without the right combination of genes, training, and borderline-monomania. Well-balanced people don't win races. I once asked my high school coach what the best personality for distance running was. He grinned and replied, "Sadomasochist. You have to enjoy pain and enjoy inflicting it on others." He was only half-joking. So take it easy on Sam's parents and US culture. Both seem quite interested in letting her pursue her desires as safely as is feasible. ---
Side note: If you're curious just how competitive my running was, my high school PRs were: Mile: 4:18. 2 mile: 9:07. 5k: 15:09. I also ran a 3k in 8:32, which was (for high school) the 11th-fastest time in the US that year. I was captain of my high school's XC team, which was the best in Washington state[1].In high school, 3-4 hours of each day was lost to training. By college, it was almost a full-time job. I was running 100+ miles a week. It wasn't long before I was constantly fighting overuse injuries, so I quit competing. NCAA Division I is a meat grinder. Despite all that, I still enjoy running today. 1. http://www.jcrawford.net/boys4a02.html |