Dec 26, 1999

(commenting on 12/24/99 online column) The poor, alas, will always be with us. But increasingly it looks as if, in contrast to what you wrote, young and fast men might not be. Not only are they decreasing as a percentage of the running population, as you report, but they also seem to be declining in absolute numbers.

Here in the Washington, D.C. area, the average age of the top 10 finishers in many races is closer to 35 than 25, as one would expect. A 45-year-old friend of mine won several races outright this past fall; in one, he was relegated to second by a 41-year-old, and in another, he placed second to a 48-year-old.

Would-be young bucks simply aren't entering races. The obvious solution: Advertise the ever-growing number of 20something women at races! (Scott Douglas, Bethesda, Maryland)

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