Why do Letsrunners want running to be more popular, but hate hobby joggers?

DuckSoup wrote:

The effect is magnified when I see people not just tricked out, but wearing makeup, hair not in a pony-tail but flowing in the wind, and jewelry. And this is not just for girls - I'll see guys running with more product in their hair than I use to go to out or to work! I can't imagine sweat infused with product feels good dripping in your eyes.

This is hardly restricted to hobby joggers... watch closely when the Olympics comes up.

Can't those fata55 slow hobbymuffins just quit clogging up our races and instead pay good money to watch us skinnylegged fast elitists run around the track?

That is what would make me happy.

SloPhoton wrote:

I'll also be out there at your local 5K or 10K (or whatever) and I will run as fast as I can in order to better my (pathetic) P.R.

This attitude is why I would call you a runner, not a jogger (hobby or otherwise). It's also why you should get some respect for what you do and puts you ahead of the "I'm a finisher" crowd.

Say I ran a 15 min 5k...."You only race 3 miles that's crap anyone can do that. You see our neighbor mrs crabtree over there she completed a whole marathon!"

I can understand the hate towards hobby joggers, from some of the well written responses here. I can understand why it is disappointing that people don’t know the difference between my 2:45 marathon and their friend from work’s 4:45 marathon. But in the long run, who cares? You can look at a lot of things in life like that. For example

- the guy down the street just got a raise at work, but he shouldnt be allowed to celebrate it or be congratulated for it, because he still makes half as much money as me.

- the guy down the street just bought a new car, but he shouldn’t be allowed to celebrate it or be congratulated for it, because his new car is still half the value of my car

- the guy down the street just got married to the woman of his dreams, but he shouldn’t be allowed to celebrate it or be congratulated for it, because his wife is not even close to as hot or smart as my wife is

- the guy down the street just celebrated the birth of his first child, but don’t congratulate him, because his kid is ugly, and mine are super cute and smart.

In the long run, who cares. The 4:45 marathon guy will probably talk about his marathon with friends and co-workers for weeks, talking about how he ran 30 mpw to train for it, how he ran those super long 10 milers on Sundays, how it was the hardest thing hes ever done in his life. He might be considered a local hero, and everyone thinks hes the worlds greatest athlete. While I’m sitting here being humble with my 2:45, semi-disappointed in it. Like someone said earlier, its just the reality of the situation. Any of them.

Has anyone here run a marathon just so you could say "yes" to all the people who ask if you've run a marathon?

Hopkinton wrote:

A Critical Look wrote:

Why do Letsrunners want running to be more popular, but hate hobby joggers

Good question. But the deeper question is: why do LRers post hate so often? -- whether it's directed toward hobby runners, Kenyans on scholarships, Galen Rupp, people of color, Ryan Hall, Mexicans, Alan Webb, or blah, blah, blahbitty blah.

Probably because that is what demonrats do, and this site is over-run by them.

not a beer leaguer wrote:

asdfasdf wrote:

Do the guys playing beer league softball/football/hockey dilute what it means to be an MLB/NFL/NHL player? Or how about competitive non-pro leagues filled with reasonably athletic weekend warriors who do practice and train?

I think this is the point that the emerging elite, almost elite, subelite, wannabe/neverwillbe elite runners miss. When you denigrate hobby runners you are no better than "that guy" in the beer league softball game who treats every game like it's the 7th game of the world series. Sorry, you're the best softball player in the league but you're closer to the skill of your teammates then you are to the Major Leagues. And stop screaming at the guy playing right field when he drops the fly ball.

This is dead on! Those 15:00 5000 guys need to realize they'll be hobby joggers someday. I have first hand knowledge of this.

I guess its easier to look down at others than to look inside and realize you're closer to a 4:30 marathon than to a 2:03.

Same mentality that has the blue collar guy voting for the billionaire thats going to cut taxes for the 1% instead of supporting the guy that might help him. We see people vote against their own interst all the time.

I think this problem is kinda like when your favorite band that you've listened to for a couple of years finally hits it big and now every HS kid is wearing their T-shirt.

Wow, I haven't even looked at this thread since I started it. I can't believe it got 90 responses.

While I have nothing against hobby joggers (heck, I pretty much became one after I dropped out of college) I think that the reason for most of the bashing of them is that people on here want the extremely competitive side of the sport to be much more visible than it currently is. Unfortunately, hobby joggers are the only part of our sport that the general public really notices outside of an Olympic year.

sc runner wrote:

While I have nothing against hobby joggers (heck, I pretty much became one after I dropped out of college) I think that the reason for most of the bashing of them is that people on here want the extremely competitive side of the sport to be much more visible than it currently is. Unfortunately, hobby joggers are the only part of our sport that the general public really notices outside of an Olympic year.

I agree with you and I think that if the hobby joggers were "brought into" the sport as the fan base it would be more popular.

Someone mentioned that they 5 hour marathoner thinks he/she's supoerior to the 17 HSer. I agree and I think that's bad.

I had one guy tell one of my runners that ANYONE who breaks 21:00 for 5K is good- nad he meant men. He had no clue that the person he wsa talking to was the 7th runner on a girls team who ALL broke 21:00 in XC, they all went under 20 in road races.

I don't think a majority, or even a large percentage, of the 5 hour marathoners think they are better than the 17 min 5K runner. By and large they know enough about running to respect the faster but shorter races.

It's the 85% of the public that's never attempted either that thinks a 5 hour marathon means more than a 17 minute 5K.

The public know nothing of running because they are generally fat TV addicts. And because running isn't on TV, they have no clue. Now they might see Oprah talking about running her marathon and think it is some sort of amazing feat, when in reality any body without too much joint pain or excess weight can "run" a 5 hour marathon. I had an old boss with a big frame and about 40 extra lbs that pushed out a 5:05 or so. The guy was an absolutely horrible runner and didn't take it seriously, he just wanted to say he had run a marathon. I find these people pretty annoying, but they don't impede me in any way, so they don't matter much.

The whole bucket list/marathon angle is pretty dumb when you think about it. It really doesn't mean much to just finish one of these in 12 min/mile or worse pace unless you have some physical reason that would cause you to go that slow (illness or impediment). It's kind of like getting a college degree, but never really trying to learn anything and settling for straight Bs and Cs. Okay I guess but what's the point?

The world is filled with these sorts of people. However I do think they are still much better than those who do nothing at all, and there are plenty of them too.