How many runners here are basically just interested in their own results and not how the professional runners perform

I am interested in your results. What up homeboy?

I have a calf strain. I watch it like I would watch any other sport but it sort of hits closer. London marathon was a gas to watch.

Tons. Almost every runner I know doesn't care about watching races or even results outside of national championships, olympics, worlds, and maybe world marathon majors. Even amongst competitive runners, few care about more than their own and their friends results. Ask your buddies at the running club who holds the 5k/10k wr if you don't believe me. Despite running being one of the most participant heavy sports for adults, its one of the least watched.

On this site? Probably most watch or follow some pro running.

Of all runners? Most don't.

I'm the same as you. Maybe if I had run in high school or college, but I played another sport. I watch track during the Olympics and that's about it.

There’s an overemphasis on times versus competing when watching pros race. It creates unrealistic expectations that aren’t sustainable. This seems to be the biggest reason for me why this sport is so difficult to follow; it’s just a bunch of random, really fast people trying to accomplish individual time and world team goals. Only a few of them care about actually beating one another.

It's great to watch competitions at any level, high school, collegiate, elite. Whether time trials, records, championships, training. They're all over YouTube. Excited stuff.

I participate and spectate. It’s easy to do both, and they are mutually reinforcing. Spectating inspires me to participate, and participating gives me a deeper appreciation for what the elites are able to do when I’m spectating.

Ha! I'm an over 40 old guy running 19 minute 5ks. I couldn't care less about my own performance... my faster days are behind me, which is fine.

I still enjoy following the sport, much more now than when I was competitive.

no runner under the age of 50 has any interest in any runner other than themself.

Pro and champs-level college is the only level where "racing" is even possible. Everywhere else, the places are a foregone conclusion before it even starts. Several seconds of difference between the ability of each runner, they separate early and stay separate. Only a few spots in the finishing order get contested in the end.

I suppose this is why mass start XC is popular. But if you run a 16m 5k, then face it, you're not racing the 15m runners. Not even the 15:30 runners, unless you have a great day and run a 15:30 yourself, and that is not a matter of racing at all. And if you race the other 16 flat runners in your little pack, you might beat them, but also might slack off and fail to run that PR that would get the best score.

I certainly care about my times more than a “pro” runner.

Pro runner…… lol

Watch...this can be elusive. Basically a few of the big domestic marathons have an "easy" way to watch the race and even then 300 of the 500 posts on that race are one complaint or another about the coverage, eg wheel chair, no sound, no filming the 4th American, etc. Then we have "link" h*ll chasing, and surfing around to find something the works setting your VPN to Paraguay, pay walled meets that some get, and other won't due to cost or on principle. Meets like last years world where some considered themselves lucky to have an overpriced hotel in Albany, and most of us didn't bother. I'm interested in my own running, I'm interested in the results of some pro's, our sport goes out of it's way to make it difficult, illegal and unappealing to try to watch what's out there though.

Someone I met yesterday asked if I was a sports fan. I said not so much the mainstream ones, but Track and Field.

"Huh? What's that?"

You know, the running on a track you see during the Olympics, and shotput and what have you. OH...