Why are distance runners seen as nerdy by society?

I mean yeah I’m not completely clueless and I get that the crowds on Letsrun and at track meets aren’t exactly the best looking or coolest crowd but I think the stigma may be unfairly given.

When an Olympic medalist gets in social media feuds with school kids It makes the entire sport look weak. Of course that specific Olympian is a pathetic person who is weak but it makes us all look bad.

See any non-running thread on these boards for your answer.

They aren't. You just have low self-esteem.

I would say it's because in high school, when most runners split themselves away from the mainstream, it is sort of comprised of nerds, outcasts, and lone wolf types. My high school team was definitely like that. If I ask my coworker at the office something ridiculous like why an evil pharmaceutical company like Devlin Macgregor sent a one armed man to kill Dr. Richard Kimble in the 1993 action thriller The Fugitive, I'm met with silence and a judgmental look. If I ask a running buddy during a long run, I'll probably get an interesting response.

At my HS, fast distance runners were respected as much as fast sprinters. It’s impressive to see someone run a 1:55 or faster, and it’s also impressive to see a sub 9. They’re also more consistent since they don’t have to deal with the possibility of a false start or pulling a hamstring, and even if you have a bad race, a sub 9 guy can hobble in a 9:25 which will always be towards the top of the league except if you’re racing Newbury Park, while if a sprinter has a bad race due to fatigue or a bad start, going from 10.7 to like a 11.5 is a huge difference.

People also know that running fast comes from training hard. We had a sub 11 sprinter who was insanely lazy and wouldn’t show up to half the practices, but his talent carried him. He was respected due to his talent (and he also had a good personality), but we were left to wonder if he’d break 10.5 if he put in work

Because of our nerdy ways both within and outside running. It’s a ridiculously simple activity that we’ve invented truly pointless complexity to layer on it. It’s akin to having expensive specialized gear, contrived technique, and navel gazing journals and message boards for meditation or yoga.

Yeah, I’ve only seen distance runners over analyze their competition. 100m runners look at the others’ times and then see how hard to go.

Have you ever asked them what the point of "being one of the guys" is?

Does it have any "point" other than they enjoy it?

I see people say this a lot here, but to be honest, I only hear people say stuff like this about runners on this site. Never have I interacted with someone in real life who said stuff like this about runners. Normally if people find out that you run they normally see you as dedicated or are impressed by the distances run. I don't know why people that come on this site (a site specifically for people who run) to try and make them feel bad about enjoying their hobby.

Because it’s little different from playing video games beyond ~3 hours/week when any health benefits of cardio top off, unless running is your living.

What makes you think running a lot more has any point?

Probably not anymore. Many of the ones on letsrun are libertarian morons

This only exists in your head. Society doesn’t “have a meme” on you, and do you realize how absolutely retarded you sound?

There are plenty of memes shaming us. Have you never seen the photos where they put a side by side photo of a distance runner and CrossFit guy?

He’s not wrong on the skinny part. Take the greatest grand overlord of distance running Kipchoge. Nobody anywhere in the world desires to look like him. Most women find it unattractive.

When I was a kid I studied hard while other kids f--ked off. In college I studied long, long hours while others smoked dope. In my 20's, I sometimes worked 80-100 hours per week to establish my career. Now, I make more money than the great majority of people. I'm part owner of a multimillion dollar company. I don't drink, smoke or do drugs. I have a family and my kids are smart, hard working and none are drop outs, in jail or on drugs. I'm not fat.

And I run.

Is that nerdy? You bet. And I wouldn't change a thing.

You get a bunch of skinny guys who think running in just tights is OK- they are going to be mocked.

I was also respected for winning some stuff for my school running. I was not popular, but respected.

The one thing that is true that running does not develop the upper body, hence, the solution to that is to combine it with a second sport that does not interfere with it, but also develops your body/mind from a diffrent angle:

- Rock climbing, bouldering

- Judo

- Swimming or surfing

- Tennis, soccer, handball

- Wake boarding

- Bull riding

- golf

pick one that you think is cool and substitute 2-3 runs with it per week.

If you have serious race you can drop it, but doing another sport is good for you...

Your first para has nothing to do with running and doesn’t change the fact that running many hours each week is pointless.