Runner's World defense of hobby jogging: Can we all just agree to stop using "Jogger" as an insult?

"the gatekeepers seem unworthy" should be "deem unworthy".

Does a professional writer not read over their piece?

They criticize runners who take their craft seriously, while neglecting their own...

If you aren't an Olympian or earning your living through competitive racing, you are a hobby jogger. The term implies a caste system for what is a hobby for ALL but a tiny handful of runners in the world. You, fellow poster, YOU ARE A HOBBY JOGGER.

Givetallugot wrote:

LRCisTerrible wrote:

The RW writer is right.

Serious question. Can you elaborate? What specifically were they right about? Can you provide example? Under what circumstances do “hobby joggers” feel insulted? Do they specifically feel insulted when they hop on Letsrun and the community doesn’t take them seriously? If that is the case, I don’t know why they should feel insulted. There are so many threads on here where “serious runners” are giving “hobby joggers” advice on how to get better. I feel like hobby joggers are just mad that they aren’t getting as many likes or kudos on their social media. The hobby joggers want to me recognized and applauded more. Is that it?

Do you post about your runs on social media?

Did you own vibrams at one time?

Have you completed a color run?

Have you completed a virtual 5k?

Have you done any race for the T-shirt/medal?

Have you worn a race medal anywhere except to your car after the race? (excluding Olympic medals)

If you answered yes to one or more of the above questions you are in fact a hobby jogger.

Didn't Runner's World used to have boards where everybody had to play nice and not insult each other?

Didn't those boards suck and get shut down?

Unless your interested in women's diet/fashion don't pay attention to a women's diet/fashion magazine.

Friggin' hobbyjoggers

The origin of the hobby jogger vs actual runner distinction can be directly traced back to High School.

Every other sports team has cuts. Therefore, someone claiming they are on the basketball team/soccer/whatever team has at least shown a level of skill high enough to get them to ride the bench on said team. However, those wearing XC team shirts around may compete on the varsity team that will win the state meet or may duff around with a 27 min 5k which 90% of the student body could beat them with no training at the turkey trot that fall.

So here you have 7 guys working their ass off at the highest level of the sport but getting laid absolutely never. And they are going "we are elite athletes in our field...why are we getting no credit, hell the football team is 2-10, they cant even make district playoffs"..."it must be all these gosh darn hobby joggers are diluting the team down to average losers"

Rhodium Nights wrote:

johnny5 wrote:

Was just coming here to post this.

LOL.

Bernard Lagat is also not a hobby jogger.

He’s a Kenyan runner but an American yogger.

So the origin story about ridiculing slower runners as hobby joggers goes back to you not getting laid in high school?

There are two kinds of people, insecure and not insecure. Insecure people, because they feel inferior, care about differentiating themselves as being superior. They attempt to elevate themselves by bringing others down through name calling etc. Confident well adjusted people don't name call. Confident people don't need validation from others; they don't need people to distinguish "what they do" from "what others do". Only the insecure care about being differentiated as a "runner" and will try to diminish others by calling them "joggers". People of all types of running abilities (including pro athletes) can be insecure.

There is no such thing as a runner vs. a jogger; there are just insecure people who need to attempt to insult others to try and feel better about how small they feel inside. Pity them.

Like some others here, I call myself a hobby jogger as well as a runner. It's a true description. Also, it's doing my part in making jog/jogger/jogging more acceptable, and not letting the snobs (like the old Runnersworld editors) dictate language.

One could just as easily make the broad claim that hobby joggers are insecure pansies. If we are just going to judge people in real life by how they troll message boards.

Just like non athletic shock jocks make a career out of talking about how much the QB on their NFL team sucks. In the real world you may get one or two over the top try hards at the front of a local 5k and one or two insecure joggers who have the need to bring down anyone who is better than them. For the most people just roll their eyes and move on. But in the game of click throughs there is a need to take those small minorities and write about it like it's a massive social issue.

Found another insecure hobby jogger. People troll on the internet to pass time at boring jobs. Some times saying stuff they don't actually feel or believe for real. Just to get a rise out of people like you.

two kinds of people wrote:

There are two kinds of people, insecure and not insecure. Insecure people, because they feel inferior, care about differentiating themselves as being superior. They attempt to elevate themselves by bringing others down through name calling etc. Confident well adjusted people don't name call. Confident people don't need validation from others; they don't need people to distinguish "what they do" from "what others do". Only the insecure care about being differentiated as a "runner" and will try to diminish others by calling them "joggers". People of all types of running abilities (including pro athletes) can be insecure.

There is no such thing as a runner vs. a jogger; there are just insecure people who need to attempt to insult others to try and feel better about how small they feel inside. Pity them.

You don’t understand business and the concept of target markets. There is a reason why a majority of the posters on this website have no interest in reading Runners World magazines. There is certain running gear/products that are targeted to different classes of runners. Differentiating between runners and hobby joggers matters.

Race directors also need to know their target market to help make decisions on how to conduct the race and what to spend money on. Do they want to pour money into big shiny medals for the hobby joggers or do they want to pay for course certification? This is just one example. I’m not a race director.

Runner10287 wrote:

People troll on the internet to pass time at boring jobs. Some times saying stuff they don't actually feel or believe for real. Just to get a rise out of people like you.

Maybe it's time for you to find a less boring job so that you will spend less time trolling on LRC.

What's up, my jogga?

sierra nevada pale ale wrote:

You also don’t hear professional runners crapping all over so called hobby joggers. It’s the never will be, and never were, so called serious runners that post here.

Correct. The people that use the term "hobby jogger" in a derogatory way are, in fact, slightly faster hobby joggers themselves.

JBP wrote:

Do you post about your runs on social media?

Did you own vibrams at one time?

Have you completed a color run?

Have you completed a virtual 5k?

Have you done any race for the T-shirt/medal?

Have you worn a race medal anywhere except to your car after the race? (excluding Olympic medals)

If you answered yes to one or more of the above questions you are in fact a hobby jogger.

This should clear up any confusion. Nice work JBP

Anchor Man wrote:

Rhodium Nights wrote:

LOL.

Bernard Lagat is also not a hobby jogger.

He’s a Kenyan runner but an American yogger.

He has run great times since becoming an American citizen over a decade ago.

By the letter of the law, he is an American runner.

If it's no big deal to call a runner a jogger, then perhaps RW should start referring to elite runners as elite joggers. Let's see how that goes for them.