Hillary Should Have Asked for a Deal Like This

They ran the L.A. Marathon Sunday and the "winner" was a Russian woman who not only picked up $20,000 and a car for winning the women's division, but an additional $100,000 for being the first runner to cross the finish line. She must be some runner to beat all those Kenyan men, and I'm sure she is, except that she was given a 20 minute headstart. A writer for the L.A. Times wasn't pleased with the comment of one of the Marathon's founders:

On a day that made a magnificent experience out of a race that's shunned by world-class runners because of its tough course and small prize purse, William Burke hit the lone discordant note.

Burke, co-founder and president of the City of Los Angeles Marathon, was asked during a KNBC4 interview to comment on the smart race strategy of the elite female runners. They had gotten a head-start of nearly 20 minutes in a battle-of-the-sexes gimmick that paid a $100,000 bonus, and Aryasova capitalized on it to hit the jackpot.

Burke's reply was stunningly stupid.

"You can't keep those women down," he said. "You can't get them back in the kitchen."

He offered no smile or wink to indicate he was attempting to make a joke. Not even a forced chuckle.

Perhaps what was stunningly stupid was to give someone a 20 minute headstart and then proclaim them the "winner" and give them a $100,000 bonus. The Ruskie finished in 2:29.

The first non-woman, Laban Moiben of Kenya, finished in 2:13. For having the fastest time of the day he got $20,000 plus a car. No $100,000 bonus for him and no fawning plaudits from the female LA Times writer who drooled all over the Ruskie.


Hillary Clinton should have asked for a deal like that. Maybe if she had had the political equivalent of a 20 minute head start against her male Kenyan competitor she might have gotten the big prize too.