Some YouTubers are really committed to the bit opening up their own branded merchandise. They should remember nobody, even their subscribers, watched that junk.
Some youtubers are really into plastering their logo onto everything and then only creating content selling that merch.
Ps: Forgot to mention that it's a very time limited life for a Running YouTuber. You can't realistically maintain constant PBs for that long after the first year or two of serious training and it gets awkward when they significantly miss them. So you've got to branch out into something else but then they've got to go into ever more clickbait.
This is maybe the most damming thing for all the YouTubers in “following their journey.” They basically have that first running honeymoon period where they just get better and better before they start to plateau. Then they can always try a few other races (marathon is of course the go-to because it’s the most generic) and notch some PRs there. But then it starts to look grim.
For the more casual YouTubers this may not be too much of a big deal other than personal pride but for the “more serious runners” you can tell the walls are closing in. I post regularly in that long thread on The Athlete Special and he’s a prime example. I’d love to see him get really serious and make a go at running some PRs but I think the reality is most of these guys just want to make content and craft an image rather than produce results.
Ben Parkes update: DNFed at UTMB again after what seemed to be a decent training block. Instead of addressing this, he put out some video about "the key to great long runs". I'm sorry but this guy has turned into a waster. Seems like a nice enough guy, but has absolutely zero mental toughness.
I find this bloke utterly infuriating. He quit his day job so he could focus on nothing but running, and then proceeds to follow the most lacklustre, uninspired and ineffective training routines that most serious runners with full time jobs can and do fit into their lives.
He wastes an insane amount of money jetting around the world to compete in races that he then drops out off (or even flies all way there and then decides to drop out at the start line - anyone remember the South Africa incident earlier this year?). Wastes money, wastes fuel, wastes time and must have a carbon footprint comparable to the sum of 100 ordinary folk.
Why is his motto "Getting It Done" (which lets face it, is a dumb rip off of Nike's tag line) when he never actually gets it done himself? UTMB? DNF. Berlin Marathon? DNF. Comrades? DNF. Manchester? DNF. UTMB again? DNF again. Over and over.
He banks his entire reputation on a lightning in a bottle race from 5 years ago where he ran 2:25, but has never even come close to emulating that level of success, barely being able to run in the 2:40s anymore, and yet he has the gall to offer training plans on his site for $10 a pop when he can't actually train himself to run a decent race.
And when it all goes wrong? Don't address the real issues like bad training schedule, poor diet or lack of motivation. Just make some vague comments about your mental health being bad (but never actually elaborate on it) and move on, hoping that people continue buying your tacky merch and keep watching whatever "series" you have lined up about a race you'll inevitably not complete.
In his most recent video he says: "running is such a confidence sport - not a lot of people think that. 'It's all about the training' but no, it's about the confidence you feel having good kit on you, your fastest shoes, your best running hat - you can find it all on ben parkes dot com - keeping you cool, looking good, and when it gets tough at the end of the race you just feel good, you're like 'look at me'. stand out proud"
I've never heard bigger BS from someone trying to unashamedly shoehorn sales into one of their running vlogs. Once again making a mockery of the sport.
Kofuzi's rabbit singlet is going head to head with Seth's DGR singlet. Is it possible to one up the big D.
When Seth was on his Siesta, Kofuzi basically became Seth. Daily Livestreams in front of a wall of shoes with the main event of said Livestreams being Kofuzi opening up whatever packages of free gear he had that day. Traveling around the world, mostly in shoe companies dimes but never disclosing that. And on and on.
This post was edited 1 minute after it was posted.
It's time for our periodic update of YouTube Running videos. It's been quite the few weeks.
Kofuzi is unboxing the $500 Adidas shoe on a livestream, and running around the Dolomites with the Believe in the Run Crowd because Adidas apparently needed "media testers" (which is what these influencers are apparently calling themselves now) to run around mountains in their fancy new sun glasses. Presumably Adidas paid for the travel but that is never disclosed.
The Believe in the Run crowd is running around mountains with Kofuzi and endlessly posting video after video about the $500 one time use Adidas shoe. They were somewhat critical of the outsole though, to their credit.
The Doctors of Running crowd is reviewing stability shoes, which is something almost no shoetubers do, and is smart because it gives them a niche.
Ben is Running is celebrating a small PB and top 10 finish at the Vitality 10k. He also seems to have stopped endlessly rubbing cannabinoid cream on his legs. $ must've dried up for that.
Ben Parkes is pivoting to the roads after a bad UTMB.
Philly Bowden is pacing her boyfriend to a 23:15 5k, which is a PR for him. In an innovation in the running influencer world, he posted a parallel video of it to his channel, doubling the revenue.
Spencer Brown/The Athlete Special is posting about how he died on the last lap of his mile time trial. A 36 final 200 on the way to 4:10.
Allie Ostrander qualified for the Golden Trail Series final on the basis of her 9th place finish in Mammoth Lakes. She's excited about that.
And Seth DeMoor has returned from his Siesta, updated us on his successful Pikes Peak double, and had a Livestream where he launched the DeMoor Store, where you can buy American made, fair labor standards singlets, hats, socks, coffee mugs shirts, and water bottles. I think the American made angle is pretty cool. But the colors of the hat I don't like. The singlet, shirts, and socks look great though. It's good to see the guy who started it all back and refreshed.
and the serious runner is making fake videos from the BAA and big pharma ads for people who didn't get into Boston, doing something original and getting far less attention than these guys
Kofuzi's rabbit singlet is going head to head with Seth's DGR singlet. Is it possible to one up the big D.
When Seth was on his Siesta, Kofuzi basically became Seth. Daily Livestreams in front of a wall of shoes with the main event of said Livestreams being Kofuzi opening up whatever packages of free gear he had that day. Traveling around the world, mostly in shoe companies dimes but never disclosing that. And on and on.
Kofuzi is one of the good ones of disclosing things. As for the trip, of course it’s on the companies dime. He’s said so himself saying it’s an adidas or ASICS trip in the past. I think Kofuzi hasn’t yet hit the wall Seth hit because he’s more personable and not creepy like Seth. Still, I’m a bit tired of these shoetubers and I don’t think any of them will have long term success. As for the faster runners they will learn that nobody who watches this stuff cares much about PBs. Most of the shoetubers audience can’t finish UTMB, Comrades, run sub 3 marathon, etc.
One channel that I think is pretty decent is FlobergRuns. He's trying to break 2:40 at Chicago this weekend. He has a wife/kids/job and doesn't take himself too seriously. Obviously not a great runner, but he doesn't train like a dips*** and shows improvement. He does videography professionally, so his videos always look pretty good. I've enjoyed following him and he doesn't piss me off like a lot of these other YT weirdos.
When Seth was on his Siesta, Kofuzi basically became Seth. Daily Livestreams in front of a wall of shoes with the main event of said Livestreams being Kofuzi opening up whatever packages of free gear he had that day. Traveling around the world, mostly in shoe companies dimes but never disclosing that. And on and on.
Kofuzi is one of the good ones of disclosing things. As for the trip, of course it’s on the companies dime. He’s said so himself saying it’s an adidas or ASICS trip in the past. I think Kofuzi hasn’t yet hit the wall Seth hit because he’s more personable and not creepy like Seth. Still, I’m a bit tired of these shoetubers and I don’t think any of them will have long term success. As for the faster runners they will learn that nobody who watches this stuff cares much about PBs. Most of the shoetubers audience can’t finish UTMB, Comrades, run sub 3 marathon, etc.
Kofuzi gives the illusion of disclosing things. As STHNE indicates, he is part of the ShoeTuber Industrial Complex and travels around the world on the dime of shoe companies and then pretends that this does not affect his shoe reviews.
At least Ben Felton of "Ben Is Running" freely admits that he will not film/publish a bad shoe review. If he thinks a shoe is crap, he tells the company that it is crap and so he will not be filming a video about them.
Sage Canaday finished 11th in a 98 mile race during the UTMB festival of races and is pleased with his performance. After all his health issues this was nice to see.
Ben is Running is crossing over into the videos of people eating that I truly don't understand and gave us a culinary tour of the day ending with pasta and coke zero:
And last, but certainly not least, Nick Symmonds is trekking around the hills outside of Eugene looking for a McChicken he apparently lost in low Earth orbit:
Hi, I'm Roger Biebert, and am here to review Nick Symmonds's "I Set a McChicken to Space... Then Ate It!" Lets get into it...
In the realm of gastronomic grandiosity, where culinary exploration collides with the cosmos, one audacious individual has transcended the terrestrial boundaries of epicurean indulgence. Behold, the magnum opus of gustatory adventure, encapsulated in the mesmerizing odyssey titled, "I Sent a McChicken to Space... Then Ate It!"
From the very inception of this gastronomic escapade, Nick Symmonds, a maestro of mirth and mastication, regales the audience with a tantalizing preamble on the McChicken—a delectable sandwich laden with 14 grams of protein, 21 grams of fat, and a caloric crescendo of 400. This prelude serves as a mere appetizer to the cosmic banquet that unfolds.
The mise en scène unfolds with an eccentric concoction of high-altitude hijinks and gastronomic gravitas. A McChicken, tethered to the Earthly realm by a string of technological marvels—a GoPro, a GPS tracker, a flight computer, and a parachute—embarks on a celestial sojourn. A weather balloon, the ethereal chariot of this poultry odyssey, carries the McChicken to stratospheric realms, leaving mere mortals to gaze in awe.
As the balloon ascends, the narrator, a virtuoso of suspense and surprise, maintains an air of jest and jubilation. The audience is treated to a spectacle of whimsy as the McChicken traverses the celestial expanse, a lone voyager in the cosmic sea.
However, the cosmic ballet is not without its tribulations. The descent, an orchestrated dance of parachute and payload, unfolds unpredictably, leading our culinary cosmonaut and his delectable cargo on a terrestrial treasure hunt. The narrative twists and turns, akin to the labyrinthine paths of the Pacific Northwest, as the McChicken eludes capture, hidden amidst the rugged wilderness.
Undeterred by the challenges of earthly terrain, our gastronomic protagonist embarks on a multi-day quest, blending biking, hiking, and even aerial reconnaissance in a valiant pursuit of his McChicken, now nestled in a secluded canyon. The juxtaposition of lush landscapes and the desperate quest for a sandwich induces both awe and amusement.
In its essence, "I Sent a McChicken to Space... Then Ate It!" transcends the mundane confines of a culinary experiment. It is a symphony of adventure, perseverance, and gastronomic ecstasy, leaving the audience not only entertained but also enlightened on the lengths one would go for the love of a McChicken. This cinematic saga, a magnum opus of modern eccentricity, invites us to ponder the cosmic conundrums that arise when gastronomy meets the great unknown.
Through the lens of a seemingly lighthearted experiment, the video imparts a subtle yet resonant message about the value of perseverance, ingenuity, and the unyielding spirit of exploration. It beckons the audience to embrace the unpredictable journey of life, relishing both the triumphs and tribulations that come with pursuing the extraordinary, even if it means reaching for a McChicken amidst the celestial vastness. Beyond the gastronomic antics, a profound lesson lingers: the pursuit of the extraordinary often demands a blend of tenacity, creativity, and an unwavering appetite for the whimsical.
Found it hillarious that a shoetuber got a sponsored MRI scan to determine their injury. Keep hustling king. It makes me wonder how easy it would be to get sponsored stuff for free...
In this shoe review video, a ShoeTuber reviews the Saucony Endorphin Pro 3 carbon-plated super shoe after 300 miles (and puts a positive spin on it, of cours...
Some of Ben’s content is pretty cringy—especially any sponsored content—but generally speaking, I like the guy and wish him a speedy recovery. Any kind of femoral sfx is bad news.
As an aside, watching his injury announcement video made me think about how terrifying it must be get injured when you rely on running+associated YouTube content for your literal livelihood.
Another great effort from The Serious Runner. My only suggestions are to get that to a monetizable length with a longer coffee making/coffee drinking sequence, heartwarming footage of your dog doing dog things like sleeping while you baby talk to her (proving that you are an awesome dog owner), and about 3-4 minutes of stammering and random thoughts such as, "These mesh holes! Wow! Are these like the super massive black hole at the center of our galaxy? I don't know. I don't know. Maybe someone working at Saucony or a cosmologist can post a comment and let me know? OK. OK! Soooooo the carbon plate...did you know that all life on Earth is carbon based?..."
Ps: Forgot to mention that it's a very time limited life for a Running YouTuber. You can't realistically maintain constant PBs for that long after the first year or two of serious training and it gets awkward when they significantly miss them. So you've got to branch out into something else but then they've got to go into ever more clickbait.
This is maybe the most damming thing for all the YouTubers in “following their journey.” They basically have that first running honeymoon period where they just get better and better before they start to plateau. Then they can always try a few other races (marathon is of course the go-to because it’s the most generic) and notch some PRs there. But then it starts to look grim.
For the more casual YouTubers this may not be too much of a big deal other than personal pride but for the “more serious runners” you can tell the walls are closing in. I post regularly in that long thread on The Athlete Special and he’s a prime example. I’d love to see him get really serious and make a go at running some PRs but I think the reality is most of these guys just want to make content and craft an image rather than produce results.
I think they deeply care about results, but youtube money is not that great. They need to be constantly developing and pushing out content. 76k with outside sponsorships for a youtuber is nothing, that's barely livable money, if livable at all. A scifi booktuber I follow has 9x as many subscribers and still has to work a day job.