WSJ: American Runners Are Faster Than Ever. Is It Because They’ve Stopped Drinking?

rojo wrote:

This might explain why I sucked back in the day. A very interesting article.

Link:www.wsj.com/sports/world-athletics-cha...

That being said, is this treally true.

Rachel Bachman wrote:

“In the past, only a small minority [of runners] abstained,” Willis wrote. “Now it’s the vast majority.”

The "vast majoriy" of runners don't drink. Or is he referring to getting hammered immediately after the 5th avenue mile.

I will say that when my brother and Matt Downin were living in DC and enjoying the night life, they weren't very good. They both moved away and presumably stopped drinking as much and got A LOT better. Downin won USAs the year Webb ran 3:53.

But I'm supposed to believe drinking is huge, but taking a bunch of edibles has no impact. Here is the last line of the article;

Drug-testing rules ban cannabis use only during competition. So partaking with ample time between races is allowed.

“I’m one of those,” Engels said. “I used to drink and I don’t really like to anymore. I’d rather get high.”

rojo wrote:

This might explain why I sucked back in the day. A very interesting article.

Link:www.wsj.com/sports/world-athletics-cha...

That being said, is this treally true.

Rachel Bachman wrote:

“In the past, only a small minority [of runners] abstained,” Willis wrote. “Now it’s the vast majority.”

The "vast majoriy" of runners don't drink. Or is he referring to getting hammered immediately after the 5th avenue mile.

I will say that when my brother and Matt Downin were living in DC and enjoying the night life, they weren't very good. They both moved away and presumably stopped drinking as much and got A LOT better. Downin won USAs the year Webb ran 3:53.

But I'm supposed to believe drinking is huge, but taking a bunch of edibles has no impact. Here is the last line of the article;

Drug-testing rules ban cannabis use only during competition. So partaking with ample time between races is allowed.

“I’m one of those,” Engels said. “I used to drink and I don’t really like to anymore. I’d rather get high.”

rojo wrote:

This might explain why I sucked back in the day. A very interesting article.

Link:www.wsj.com/sports/world-athletics-cha...

That being said, is this treally true.

Rachel Bachman wrote:

“In the past, only a small minority [of runners] abstained,” Willis wrote. “Now it’s the vast majority.”

The "vast majoriy" of runners don't drink. Or is he referring to getting hammered immediately after the 5th avenue mile.

I will say that when my brother and Matt Downin were living in DC and enjoying the night life, they weren't very good. They both moved away and presumably stopped drinking as much and got A LOT better. Downin won USAs the year Webb ran 3:53.

But I'm supposed to believe drinking is huge, but taking a bunch of edibles has no impact. Here is the last line of the article;

Drug-testing rules ban cannabis use only during competition. So partaking with ample time between races is allowed.

“I’m one of those,” Engels said. “I used to drink and I don’t really like to anymore. I’d rather get high.”

800 dude wrote:

the_real_DanM_from_Massachusetts wrote:

Runners drinking habits are reflecting a society wide cyclical pattern - and that pattern that will eventually show an increase in drinking.

I wouldn't assume that. There are a lot of reasons for the society-wide drop in drinking, but a big part of it is that there is far more widespread awareness of the health consequences of even moderate drinking. It's not just that the research is piling up; runners also wear devices that can quantify what happens to your heart after you drink. It's hard to believe now, but twenty years ago, moderate drinking was actually considered healthier than abstinence. (It's now understood that moderate social drinking is highly correlated with socioeconomic status, which made earlier observational studies unreliable.) Even if broader social trends change, I would expect elites to continue sticking to practices that they think (with good reason) help them to perform better.