This is arguably the biggest bummer in joggling history. Michal Kapral, the world’s fastest marathon joggler, has been denied permission to joggle in the NYC marathon due to “security concerns”: World Record Holder Denied Permission to Joggle New York City Marathon.
This is absurd. 3 small millet-stuffed beanbags are now deemed “security threats” under draconian new rules that ban all props. Michal Kapral was planning on breaking his old world record at the NYC marathon and trained very hard for this event. It saddens me both as a joggler and as a native New Yorker that security concerns would come to this.
This isn’t just a setback for Michal Kapral, but a setback for the sport of joggling. Unfortunately, I suspect that there’s more to this than just security concerns. Some people just don’t take joggling seriously, and this may very well include the organizers of the NYC marathon, though they have a long history of supporting our sport.
Let’s hope that the organizers of the NYC marathon rethink their decision before November 1st. It would be terrible if other marathons followed NYC’s example. In the mean time, Kapral is looking for another marathon that is more joggler-friendly to break his old record.
AcroTrekker 