Marathon runners: Are you frowned upon?

You gotta throw in some trail running to have cool stories when being a runner. If I need or want to share running related topics to a general person of society who doesn't care one bit about running then I pull out the trail card. Most people like hiking over running so I talk about some mountain and they can relate to that even though, in the back of my pocket are my road PR's which, I value more and share with other runners of the same interest.

That tough mudder bit makes me want to strangle whoever wrote that.

There have always been people who denigrate distance running. Some probably feel like they should be a lot more active and find that marathoners make them feel guilty about how sedentary they are. Some just find it a boring spectator sport. Others, who knows or cares?

On the other hand, there are people who appreciate the sport and will be impressed by someone who does it. You do know that there are people who work in university admissions offices who run? It's unlikely that one of those people "will not care much for that" if they see it on your application.

I haven't paid much attention to the tough mudder people at all. I imagine that they're hoping to create a product that will rival marathons in terms of participation and reckon that trashing the marathon is a good marketing technique.

I would've thought that admissions at grad school would like to hear about things like running marathons. It shows some of the same attributes you need you be good as a postgrad.

Thanks for the input!

Mystic Runner: Good advice! There are some wild marathons in the midwest that are a mix of running and hiking. So if someone seems interested, I mention those races, esp if they are into travels :o)

However, I usually do not tell pple I do marathons. It will only come out if asked (and pple do ask because I am an ectomorph who runs around campus).

If someone finds out, but is not interested, that is one thing. But some of these experiences were more hostile than disinterested. That is what I really dislike and it makes me feel almost ashamed of my offensive hobby :o(

I also thought the tough mudder was a bit too harsh on its words.

HRE: Yes, I was shocked with my counselor. My friend does rock climbing, and he said the counselor thought his hobby was just dandy. So it is not even sports in general, and it is not only running. It is marathoning! (At least what I sensed when he changed his tone, rolled-eyes, and asked "Let me guess. You run marathons?")

I see what you mean about Tough Mudder targeting marathons since they are in a boom. But, it might not be such a great marketing technique, because they are losing their potential marathon participants! LOL. But yes, rivals, not friends :o)

track chick: It seems he did not mind running, more marathoning. I was surprised, and after that, I hesitate to tell people at all!

I have the opposite reaction from most people. Might be that I am a master runner and are not dealing with college age and post-college age people that much.

When I run across negative opinions about marathons, it seems like it is coming from people who in the back of their mind wish that they could do it but are just not the type (whether body type or have the patience, strength, etc. to train for it) to do it. Knocking on the marathon makes them feel a bit better about the fact that they can't do it.

I do not talk about my running unless asked. It is just too awkward to relate to non-runners or mid to back of the packers. I was once at physical therapy and another guy in the room heard the PT ask me about an upcoming race. The guy asked me if I was trying to qualify for Boston. The truth is that the 40+ age standard is so soft that something really bad would have to happen for me not to qualify. So, I told him I wasn't trying to qualify to avoid having to sound like I am a bad #ss because I can qualify on my worst day.

A lot of peoples' idea of a marathon is their friend who ran a marathon and wouldn't shut up about it, was always tired and injured, tried to get money for their charity, was always yammering on about paces and PRs and so on, never had time to hang out because he/she had to go for a run. It's a stereotype for sure.

keep that in mind next time you meet someone who is excited to tell you about their cross-fit exploits, or a barefoot runner who wants to tell you about their barefoot running. I'm sure you'll get the rolly eyes too.

Precious Roy: Well, we have that in common, not talking about running to non-runners! That is funny about your physical therapy story. Thanks for your comments.

Renner: No, I would not roll my eyes if I were a counselor and asked a student what their hobby was, and they answered that it was rock wall climbing, crossfit, or running. Hope that helps!

Long time runner here and have seen/heard a lot.

Hard core marathoners (those who do a lot of them, more for the experience/t-shirt/medal, etc.) can be really really boring. You say two words to them and end up captive to their latest quest/woe for the next 15-30 minutes.

At the professional level I tend to downplay it. Have had several bosses call me a jogger, and say that they liked to jog too (like 30 years ago maybe). At the same time have been listed in race results/paper etc. enough to be noticed.

Even then I don't bring it up.

But did get introduced to a new manager with reference to running/racing: This here is Flovent who does a lot of running and racing. He is one of the better runners in this community. [deadpan, 3,2,1...]. For his age!

The was was followed by 2 minutes of hoots an hollers at my expense by our "work team." It was kind of an insult.

I suspect all 3 reactions are due to the misperception that you just complete a marathon slowly for the medal and t-shirt, not that you actually race marathons. And I'm guessing that if you're posting on LRC, you're competitive about racing marathons. So just disregard the comments and keep on running. Was it George Sheehan that said something to the effect, After a while, you realize your real competition is against the voice inside of you telling you to quit?