Debate Over Best Big-City Marathon Gets Ugly
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What began as a casual conversation among friends Sunday quickly grew intense, Dumb Runner has learned, as four local runners debated which big-city marathon is the best, culminating in a brief physical struggle.
The fracas occurred during an otherwise sedate get-together at a local brewpub, said a source, requesting anonymity to avoid getting dragged into the debate.
“The guys were chatting about random stuff, including work, dating, the races they’re training for, which is normal for them,” the source said, noting that all four friends are avid runners. “And then, just after they’d ordered a third round of beers, things went south.”
It was then that one of the friends, identified only as Tyler, mentioned a social media post he’d seen recently, ranking the world’s major marathons.
“That’s crazy,” said another runner, also named Tyler. “Chicago is the best, hands down.”
“Please,” replied the first Tyler. “Chicago barely cracks the top five.”
After that, the source said, “everything went to shit.”
The ensuing exchange became more heated by the moment, moving from phrases like “world-class field” and “pancake flat” to deeply personal insults.
“They were really getting into it,” the source said, “to the point where they both leapt up and went at each other.”
Things cooled off quickly, said the source, in part because the remaining two friends physically intervened and also because a bartender threatened to kick all four friends out if they couldn’t calm down.
The four reportedly went back to their drinks, avoiding any mention of marathons.
Neither Tyler returned repeated calls from Dumb Runner; reached for comment, the bartender said that while the Chicago Marathon is fine, both New York and Boston are clearly superior events.
