Does anyone here follow or know anyone who follows pro running without ever having participated in running before?

The only people I know who ever followed it at all were school runners (HS or college level). The fat ladies that show up at the half marathon in tutus have no idea that professional running exists. The main barrier to it becoming a mainstream spectator sport are all the other entertainment options that people prefer, and I doubt that will be overcome. The powers that be (whoever they are) would be better off focusing on the small core audience.

track nice very club wrote:

An exception to this I can think of is some of my non-runner friends got into watching the T&F during the olympics, so it was cool to share it with them. Outside of the olympics, they have no interest.

What do you think are the barriers to T&F becoming a mainstream spectator sport?

Very few of my running friends follow pro runners. T&F has two huge barriers.

1. Most events are boring, even to recreational runners. In the 1500, 5000, 10000, and marathon, runners mostly run in a pack to the last lap or few miles... boring. In the 200 and 400, it's hard to tell who is winning until the runners are out of the final turn. In the field events, there is no sense of how high the bar is in the high jump or pole vault. In the throws, you see the implement land near a line... is it 60 meters? 70 meters? There's really no sense of how far that is on TV.

2. And even more important, there is no continuity and no overall team winner because there is no team scoring at the pro level. In football, soccer, baseball, and basketball, there is continuity from one play to the next and there is an eventual winner.

3. There's seldom a shift in momentum or the intervention of luck to make the outcome more exciting. In other individual sports... golf and tennis... momentum can shift. A ball can hit the lip of a sand trap and either roll to the hole or back into the trap. In tennis, the ball can hit the top of the net and either fall over or back. A player can slip. A ball can either kiss the line or be another mm to the side and out of play. Luck can play a role in track, but it's rare.

4. There is no outside participation to make the outcome more uncertain and thus more exciting. There are no coaches making 4th and 1 decisions to kick or go for it. There are no referees to give out penalty kicks or make iffy calls on pass interference. The closest track comes to this is false starts in the 100m, which adds a level of excitement to the 100m and the short hurdles that isn't present in other events.

T&F will never have the audience of other sports. It's just too boring. Heck, I've been a runner for 40 years and I only follow the Olympics, the Trials, and a few other events.

Like golf, it's an individual sport. Either you like it or you really don't care. Admittedly, a traditional T & F meet is tedious to watch.

Im a total hobby jogger in my mid 30s. My first race was a Disney half marathon in 2016 at age 30, which I ran in Jordans and bball shorts. I then caught the big and do marathons and other road races trying to “qualify for Boston.” Does that count as never competing lol

I started following the sport very closely, starting at the 2016 Rio Olympics (a few months after I started my own hobbby jogging). I’ve attended several events live (Milrose, Atlanta trials, etc.) and pay for various streaming services.

me

Running was my life in high school. I was obsessed with running and following professional runners. But after college I lost interest. I don't run anymore because I find it boring now. I play pickup basketball for exercise. I've gone to a few professional track meets which I find much more exciting than on TV. For some reason it's so boring to watch on TV, maybe because you're not surrounded by the audience. Even for the Olympics, I'll watch the sprints but for anything above the mile, I'll only watch the highlights because it's too long and boring.

That's silly. Of course. Millions here in Los Angeles train daily for one sport and follow many other sports.

Add my name to the list as someone who never ran but follows the sport. (I did Taekwondo and Karate in high school… no team sports or track). I run now to stay healthy, but not in a competitive way. (And I’ll jog a marathon for charities ever now and then).

I think the barrier to getting people excited about the sport is that the reporting/coverage is TERRIBLE. Look at how one Netflix series about car racing elevated formula one. The commentators don’t know how to tell a back story, don’t build up hype, rivalries, …etc and a lot of times don’t even seem to understand the race tactics. And it’s hard enough to watch a marathon, let alone follow a marathon when then can’t even figure out a split screen to show both races. And then break for ads right when someone makes a move.

This is about 30 years ago. I was in Las Vegas (my brother lives there) and I was talking to this very wealthy guy in his 50's or so. He LOVED track and field. He said he thought they (we) were the best athletes on the planet and he enjoyed watching the athleticism. He never participated, said he never could, he just didn't have the athletic ability and dedication.

I think many Americans are brainwashed into thinking baseball, football and basketball are the only truly athletic sports and they don't give other sports a chance.

When you think about it- every sport is boring to watch if you don't understand it. Most people watching a football game can't stay focused the whole time, but that's fine, you can still get the gist of the game and not miss parts of it.

A race takes the kind of focus most Americans haven't been conditioned to have.

The only people I know like this are coaches.

The question could be: How many runners who never ran track watch T&F events?

T&F will never be a mainstream spectator sport. It was watched at the Olympics but who is watching the Olympics anymore?

I am general population and follow Bekele, Rudisha, Kipchoge, Van Neikerk etc. though I’m not much of an Instagram person in the first place and usually follow news and videos about them and many other runners, distance or sprint.

The Olympics is like the FIFA World Cup and draws a disproportionately large audience that only become interested once every four years and then forget about the sport for four years.

fisky wrote:

3. There's seldom a shift in momentum or the intervention of luck to make the outcome more exciting. In other individual sports... golf and tennis... momentum can shift. A ball can hit the lip of a sand trap and either roll to the hole or back into the trap. In tennis, the ball can hit the top of the net and either fall over or back. A player can slip. A ball can either kiss the line or be another mm to the side and out of play. Luck can play a role in track, but it's rare.

I am not sure if I call it "luck", but clipping a hurdle late in the race could change a runner's fortune rather quickly. Just ask Shamir Little, Angelo Tayler Lolo Jones, Gail Devers, Henry Marsh for starters.

To answer OP's questions, first, there are millions of people in Japan who follow marathon and ekiden even though they have never run outside of their PE classes. Track racing is less popular, but with young runners like Ryuji Miura and Nozomi Tanaka, that could change.

There are also millions of people (tens, if not hundreds of millions in the world) who follow tennis and golf, although they have never played them.

T&F has a lot of problem as a spectator sport. Someone mentioned F1 above. Every driver there shows up for every race, and every race is consequential. T&F has only ONE consequential meet in a year (Oly or WC). Why would spectators take a DL meet seriously, if runners themselves treat it as a tune-up for the "real thing"? Running fast or finishing high in a DL meet has no relevance for how one does in WC or Olympics. For casual spectators, that's like a pre-season game in team sports. Indoor meets are even less organized than DL. Even in tennis (where only four tournaments in a year attract casual viewers), how you play on the tour affects your seeding in the Grand Slam.

Sadly, reliable and easily accessible betting odds on individual runners in specific races (on a site like Bovada) would bring in loads of non-runners and new "fans."

I know some people that "follow running" that never really trained for running. Maybe some of them went out for track in high school and showed up at some practices and ran in a few track meets. They really did not train that seriously (never did any off season workouts, did not practice hard) and their high school days were long ago,

They do not follow running so much but they casually follow certain individual runners. It is hard to follow the sport of running as there is really not that much to follow except for the individual runners. Its also difficult to follow individual runners as they do not compete on a regular basis. (sprinters compete more often than distance runners). There is no set schedule of tournaments or events like tennis, golf or team sports, when you know in advance that the special athlete/team you are trying to follow will be participating.

I know many non-runners that were very interested in certain runners, but primarily for non-running reasons. Many people were interested in SC Richardson and whether or not she was going to be able to compete after using marijuana. A few others wanted to know how A. Tuliamuk was going to do after having a baby.

Follow might mean trying to watch races and/or checking race results, sometimes reading stories/interviews about runners (if/when those ever appear) but more likely viewing social media.

Many many people that have never trained to run have attended a one day running competition such as a track meet or road race. They might follow each event, or individuals in certain events.

I have friends that will watch some races with me over some drinks but they won't actively follow the sport on their own. Running is a niche sport, it's boring and it's hard work to be a runner.

My suggestion is maybe incorporate gambling into it? Idk lol like draft a team of athletes over all the events in track and field so that no one can throw. Like fantasy. But other than that I don't really see any was of making it more appetizing.

When my friends watch a marathon or a track meet with me, the common points that come up regularly:

- “Why are there pacers?”

This irks a lot of people that don’t follow the sport. He/she is in the race but not really.

- “When are they racing next?”

My answer is always that I don’t know. As someone brought up, continuity is a big deal.

Without Letsrun among a few other niche sources, I would have no idea what was happening, why, and when. If I did not have a few former pro friends, I would have completely lost track of the sport.

My uncle has made the trip to Drake Relays every year that he can for decades, before I was ever a runner. He was never a runner.

I don't follow pro running except for what I read on LR forum threads. I usually don't post on those threads because I don't feel like I know enough about it.