I’ve been following vaguely along with this year’s season and noticing that so many of the nationally ranked teams - Carmel, The Woodlands, Southlake Carroll, Downers Grove, San Clemente, metro Birmingham schools, all the Jesuits, etc - are incredibly rich. Not as in places where most folks are financially comfortable, but as in some of the wealthiest locales in the entire nation.
It dejects me seeing how much an activity as simple as running can thrive is dictated by a community’s wealth. Yet it makes so much sense. Maybe some places’ running routes are limited, low-quality, and dangerous. Or schools can’t pay entry fees, or students can’t pay to compete or don’t have time due to financial obligations, or there are few good coaches in the area, or injured athletes don’t have good recovery resources or doctors - the list goes on and on. And it keeps going past high school too. Adults who run are usually adults with free time, safer places, and a constant cycle-through of shoes.
One of my happiest moments was seeing my high school win state a few years ago against schools with lots and lots more money. I’d love to hear some stories about programs that didn’t come from the richest towns, but forged a strong running culture against all odds - modern-day McFarlands, in a sense.
And what would you like to see happen to bring down inequality in the running world?