California International Marathon TV Coverage Far From “Utopia”

It seems to me that if you want your marathon to be a major event, your local media has to treat it like a major event. When it comes to the California International Marathon in Sacramento, I’ve got some good news and some bad news.

The good news is that the Sacramento Bee‘s coverage was thorough and interesting, helped along by the fact that it boasts enthusiastic and talented runners among its staff. But even without that insight, this morning’s coverage got all the essentials, and the photographers not only provided an excellent gallery, but shots of each runner who crossed the finish line – offering them for sale, in addition to those of the race’s official photographers.

The bad news is that the television coverage was excruciating. Three years ago, KCRA-TV aired five hours of live coverage, with a camera on a cycle tracking the leaders, and Dick Beardsley providing color commentary. They even managed a few in-race interviews with middle-of-the-packers. The coverage had its faults, but at least a considerable effort was made. This year we got a shot of the start and a couple of brainless interviews with spectators as part of the morning news package. The local CW affiliate also provided coverage, but it was so bad it was herniating.

The station checked in with a reporter at the finish line in between segments where people sent in photos of their Christmas tree to see if it was straight or leaning to one side. Eventually, men’s winner Tesfaye Girma-Bekele of Ethiopia crossed the finish line and was met by the reporter, who asked him where he was from. When he told her, she excitedly relayed to the viewers, “He’s from Utopia!”

It didn’t get better.

Second-place finisher Josh Cox looked a little puzzled when she asked him if he had run “the full 27 miles.”

When women’s winner Buzunesh Deba responded “tired” after being asked how she felt, our intrepid reporter opined, “No wonder she’s tired! She just ran 26.62 miles!”

Perhaps next year some enterprising sort will put together a small network of running bloggers to fully cover the race with video, photos and interviews, and circumvent the major media entirely. Hmmmm….