Runners offer bids to be 'elite' for the day

New York, NYC - According to this article by David Monti (Race Results Weekly) the bidding for an auction of a spot at the start of the NYC 1/2 Marathon next weekend has hit $1000! The winner gets a spot amongst the elites at the very start of the race and an invitation to the elite post-race celebration. Not sure what to make of this as my initial reaction was that 1. A place on the starting line with 'pros' should be earned, not bought. 2. It could be a safety issue if an unfit, slow runner congested the already overcrowded area causing an injury or numerous injuries in the stampede of the line 3. In what other professional sport can a recreational athlete pay to play with pros, seems to cheapen the sport in some way. On the other hand, money raised at this 'special auction' was designed to go the NYRR Youth Foundation, which is great, as is the chance for a novice to start a race with professionals. That is cool. Anyway, let us know what you think, read David's full story on LetsRun here http://www.letsrun.com/2010/nychalf0305.php