I would venture to guess that the majority of the readers of this column also fall into that category. Although I have not ever been a track and field participant, I am an avid road racer, and I do feel a certain sense of kinship to track and field. Each time I attend a meet, I positively marvel at the power and strength with which these athletes run. I would love to be able to run just one 45 second quarter-mile, just to know what it feels like. I cringe a little every time the sport of track and field is publicly denigrated.
Road running is a participant oriented rather then spectator sport.
I don't know the answer to these questions, but I do think that road runners would do well to support track and field. It probably would not have much of an effect on road running, which is healthy in it own right, but I do think local track and field events deserve our support. For the sport of track and field to truly succeed on a major level, it needs support from the general public, not just runners. There are several reasons why the public perception of track and field has suffered in recent years. Let's list a few of those reasons, and speculate as to whether there is anything that can be done to repair the image of the sport.