http://www.letsrun.com/news/2018/09/meet-drinks-guy-fist-pumping-german-gave-eliud-kipchoge-drinks-world-record-marathon/

For me this is unfairly assisting some runners over others and letting us think it was a level playing field on that day and historically. Obviously, it's sanctioned by the Berlin Marathon for the top 30 A runners; yet, everyone else has to get their drinks off the table. Getting your drink off the table slows you down. Not finding your drink on the table really slows you down. There was an Olympic Marathon where either Frank Shorter's or Bill Rodgers' drink was taken by another runner at the drinks table.

Even in the penultimate answer the drinks guy says that it is 90% runner, 10% coach and 1% drinks guy. And, this drink guy with the WR holder have teamed together before, take the hand offs seriously and plan them.

This aiding the runner is worth many seconds over the course of a marathon. Maybe minutes, especially if one has to look for or misses their bottle and settles for water or forgoes the bottle altogether and becomes dehydrated.

We know the elites are treated differently. It helps to create fast(er) times and WRs that we want to experience vicariously in our lifetime.

You can give us false equivalents like handing a bottle to a 3-5 hour marathoner won't help them run a 2 hour marathon. My questions are more about the B runners and potential B runners not getting the same aid (and the bigger picture).

Historically we are saying that runners today are blowing away past WRs and maybe not giving past runners their due. Runners who used to run in department store shoes and were banned if it was found out that they took money or a prize that was deemed a payment or compensation.

How much elite treatment do we want for the elites? Sports are supposed to be fair competitions or they are not "sporting". Does anything go other than the organizers can't swim, bike or run for them?

PS of course the drinks guy is a triathlete. Ha!

You made exactly the points I was going to. In a mass participation event not everyone will get the top level of service. As you say, being escorted to the front of the race is the best example. From the interview it sounds like there are some runners allowed to prepare their own drinks but not getting it handed out individually, sounds like we are calling there the B runners. So then there will be runners not quite in the B group who have to deal standard race nutrition. It isn't perfect but the alternative is everyone has exactly the same service - no personal nutrition and the greater chance of spills.

At my best I could finish high enough in something like a 10km or half marathon to finish ahead of some of the runners escorted to the start. I had to be pushy and get as close as I could. In my mind that was encouraging and if I kept getting good times I hope I'd of got that preferential treatment, having earned it. As it turned out I over trained and got caught in recurring injuries. But the point is I never begrudged others that helping start.

The OP says it themselves, it is more about avoiding mistakes that slow runners down rather than speeding them up.

As a triathlete, I think it could be like the A triathletes having someone ride along side them on the bike or run with drinks etc. so that the A triathletes can maintain top speeds. At what point do you say that only the A triathletes can do it and others can't. Why not say that everyone in a marathon or triathlon can have what seems to be currently limited to the A athletes.

The A runners are limited to 30 runners that are could be hoping for sub 2:10. The next 30 runners are probably shooting for sub 2:15. .

Big picture is that past marathon records were often set in less than the ideal situations being artificially created for today's world records and participant experience more equal back then.

Could be (but I think you mean that sarcastically). Big difference between someone running alongside you at full stride while handing you your bottle and then cheering you on vs someone who has to break stride to get a drink. One could easily lose time along with the physical and mental contact that was there.

It used to be that reaching the water/drinks first or in the top ten or twenty was a fair advantage earned through "fair play". No one held it against a competitor who got the benefit of a half dozen volunteers trying to hand them a drink because they earned it by being there first or before it got crowded.

Seems like your mind is already made up. Have you ever been in the lead of a race to notice the difference? I have and it's a nice benefit.

Classic Slowtwitch. Real athlete shatters marathon WR, and already two threads from triathletes butthurt that other sports don’t have enough rules.