‘It’s Not You, It’s Us,’ NYC Marathon Tells Rejected Applicant
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A local runner learned recently that she will not be running the New York City Marathon this fall, Dumb Runner has learned, via an email that some have called patronizing and “weirdly personal.”
Chris Gaylor, 38, a nine-time marathon finisher who has tried and failed to gain entry to New York twice before, received the email late last week, sources said.
“It started off normal, like, ‘Thank you for applying, unfortunately you were not selected,’ that sort of thing,” said one source close to Gaylor, who requested anonymity. “Then it got weird.”
“We really think this is for the best,” the email read. “And please know that you didn’t do anything wrong here, Chris.”
“It’s not you; it’s us.”
Those lines only compounded Gaylor’s grief, the source said.
“Why would they say that?” they said. “Why not just stick with the usual boilerplate rejection note?”
Stranger still, Gaylor’s rejection email appears to be unique; no one else rejected by the marathon has reported getting a similarly personal email.
“It’s so messed up,” the source said.
Reached for comment, a New York City Marathon spokesperson told Dumb Runner that Chris was a great person and that there are plenty of marathons out there who would be lucky to have her.
“Honestly, we don’t know what she ever saw in the New York City Marathon,” the spokesperson said. “She deserves better than us.”
