Marathon course record falls in a near-perfect weather window
The pacers held; the chasers did not.
A small group of practitioners has been arguing for this approach for years. They are doing their best not to look smug.
The shift did not happen overnight. It accumulated in quiet decisions, small wins, and a handful of unglamorous fixes that no one tweeted about.
The institutional response has been measured, which in this context is a polite way of saying slow.
Skeptics point to the long history of premature declarations. Their caution is earned, and worth keeping close at hand.
The decision-makers involved insist nothing is settled, which is exactly what decision-makers say when something is starting to settle.
Critics raise familiar objections, and some of them land. The honest answer is that the tradeoffs are real and worth naming.
