‘You Look Great!’ Spectator Tells Runner Who May or May Not Be Having a Stroke
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A spectator at a local marathon yesterday told a struggling runner that he was doing well, Dumb Runner has learned, despite all evidence to the contrary.
“Go!” said Carlo Lorenzini, 54, from his spot around mile 22 of the race. “You look great!”
“Woo woo!” he added.
The comment appeared to be aimed at a runner in his 30s or early 40s who was clearly in distress, according to sources who described the man’s shuffling gait, pained expression, and general aura of misery.
“This (runner) was taking a walk break, and even that was hard for him,” said one source who was standing a few feet from Lorenzini. “Like, he was having trouble keeping his balance.”
Upon hearing the encouragement, the source said, the runner tried, and failed, to raise his arms in a sort of “victory” gesture; in addition, his face appeared to be drooping on one side.
“I’m no doctor,” they said, “but there was a non-zero chance this guy was having a stroke.”
In any case, they added, the runner in question did not look great, or anything close to it.
“[Lorenzini] was either blind or flat-out lying to the guy,” the source said. “Either way, hearing he looked great couldn’t have been helpful to the runner.”
Reached for comment, Lorenzini told Dumb Runner he was a “huge fan” of the satirical website.
“Dumb Runner looks great!” he said. “It’s almost there!”
