Definition of hobbyjogger

Well, I don’t want to be in the hobbyjogger category, but I am under my own proposed definition. I will strive to be faster than any person on the planet that is walking. It’s not as easy as it sounds, especially being older with a 50 hour per week job, a wife and 2 kids.

I know the term was originally intended to be insulting, but I started this thread more as a result of being very impressed that someone can walk a 19:23 5000M. Even my PRs are considered hobbyjogger on this forum, but I’m not the type of person that posts my race results on social media and wears my medal to brunch after a marathon.

I don’t get it. Being faster than anyone can walk only means you will not be called a “hobby walker “. But I can’t think of any other way than jogging to describe a 19:23 5k.

Is the key term hobby or jogger? If the latter, then I'd say it depends on your age (and sex), but roughly around 7 minute miles for men. Unless, you are over 60, then 8 minute miles. Over 70 add some more, etc. If the former, then anyone who is not a Pro, or on a College or HS team.

I would argue most of the people on this forum are “Hobby Runners” and not “Hobby Joggers.”

There are two parts to this term: 1) Hobby 2) Jogger

There are plenty of competitive runners who have structured training but are not pros. Since they aren’t paid, then running is then technically a hobby for them.

However, I just looked up the definition of jog. “Run at a steady gentle pace, especially on a regular basis as a form of physical exercise.”

So if you are not paid to run and your main motivation is to exercise for health reasons, then you are a hobby jogger. However, I would argue if your main motivation is to be competitive and be the very best you can be, then you are not a jogger—you are a runner.

So most of the people on this forum are Hobby Runners.

I'm 65, still train diligently, and would be touch and go to beat 19:23. I think it's attitude rather than speed. I would call myself a competitive athlete as I train with the goal of racing others in my age group, and competing in Masters Championships.

Someone who is running for a local club or team and competing to try and win a small race, or place well, and who is running 16:30 is a competitive athlete, just not a particularly fast one.

A hobbyjogger is someone who runs for the enjoyment of the activity alone, and is happy to be fit, enjoy the social side, and just complete the race.

Incidentally, there is no way the average person can run a 16:30 5k. That's 5:19 per mile. I doubt if you could take the average American male - age 20-40 years old, you could train much more than 10% of them to run one 5:19 mile, let alone 3.1 of them back to back.

I think this is the perfect answer to the question. Exactly what I was going to say myself

The age grading calculators are the best, most objective way to settle where someone falls on the running spectrum.

below 50% - recreational jogger/walker

50% - 59% - slow runner

60% - 69% - runner

70% - 79%- local race age grouper

80% - 85% - regional race age grouper

86% - 92% sub-elite

93% - 97%- elite

98% and up - World class

The term “hobby jogger” seems like more of a subjective term used to make fun of someone that tells their friends that they are a “runner” while not putting in much work toward improving their times. I’m happy for anyone who gets out there and tries so I don’t like demeaning anyone but I will admit I’ve laughed to myself a few times when someone wears a camelpak and brings Gu to a 5K.

Jobby Hoggers is the correct designation on LRC.

Jogging is a great exercise for most people and enjoying that as a hobby is wonderful, both for the hobby joggers and for the running community as a whole, so using the term pejoratively and trying to define it for the sake of “othering” or looking down on people slower or less fit than you is just a pity.

Bring on your camelbak hydration kits for the local 5K. Jog or just walk if you can’t yet run the whole thing. You’re most welcome and part of the running loving community.

I have always understood 60% to be local, 70% to be regional, 80% to be national, and 90% to be world class. Anything over 80% at least in my age groups will usually win the AG in a good sized marathon and get you into the top 10 of the AG in a world major, so that is far better than regional, and 98% is too stringent for world class -- that is just a hair or two away from a world record = 100%.

I've run an OTQ but will acknowledge that someone running 2:20's is not a hobby jogger, in fact far from it. I'd say a hobby jogger is someone who only runs 3-4 times per week or less. They don't usually run more than 4 or 5 miles or so at one time, usually less. They don't really do any real workouts, just the act of running makes them tired so they don't really have a workout pace since everything is a workout.

If you're running every day or almost every day, and occasionally running more than 6 miles at once, and occasionally doing a workout, then you're not a hobby jogger. This is because you're actually TRAINING and testing your SPEED, you're not just out for a jog as a leisurely hobby.

A hobby jogger wants to run the New York marathon as a bucket list thing.

Some hobbyjoggers have a goal of being a six-star finisher, i.e. they want to run the six Majors, rarely breaking 4 hours in the process.

Those are the percentages that most age grade websites use but I’ve always thought they were a bit soft.

80% of my age group (40-44) would net you #38 in my age group at Boston this year. But I agree that 80% will typically be good for a top 3 in most bigger races, especially the marathons.

I was thinking world class should only be those folks that have legitimate chance of winning an Olympic or World Major, which would be somewhere around 97/98%.

It's just not fast

I don't know anyone IRL (in real life) who describes themselves as a hobby jogger, it seems like an archaic term that is mainly used by posters on these message boards to deride people.

Most people I know that run a lot simply say they like to run and if they ask me about running and I say yeah I run 50 MPW or I'm training for X race they might say oh your a runner too but I've never had anyone call themselves or anyone else a hobby jogger.

Although the level of douchebaggery is lower on this site than many cycling forums it is still fairly high especially amongst many of the most active posters.

In the 80s and early 90s I think jogging was a much more common term as a lot of people outside of those who were very serious about training, ran higher mileage, or were cross-country and track team members) referred to themselves as joggers not runners. Today it seems like runner is a much more generic term applied to those who run a sub 30 10K or a 65 minute 10K.

Unless you're a professional runner you're a hobby jogger. I run, but sure as heck don't get paid for it, so it's just a hobby to me. College athletes on scholarship are kind of a gray area because they're getting paid but in the form of a scholarship.

I wonder, who is the fastest hobby jogger ever?

You!

Somebody posted this definition of hobbyjogger a long time ago that seems about right:

"A runner is someone who optimizes their training to get faster. Hobbyjoggers want to get faster too, but they do it by trying harder on each successive jog, and maybe doing the occasional fartlek workout they read in Runners World."

If you pay to run, as opposed to get paid to run, you are a hobby jogger. You could run a 15:00 flat 5k but if you don't get paid to run you are a hobby jogger no different than the person that takes 30 minutes to do the distance.