I Hate It When So Many Running Events Today Advertise Using The F-word.

Better some Fun Runs than NO races at all. Count your blessings.

Racing IS fun.

Staggering and puking is for chumps.

Life's a race. I'm not sure I want to win it, but I definitely don't want to lose.

The word "Fun" implies easy, like football or baseball. Running is anything but easy - but try telling that to someone who's never run without a ball in their hands...

I can't remember how many conversations I've had with traditional american guys (all football and baseball fans) who were entirely against considering running a sport. My simple response was "You can PLAY football and baseball, like you can PLAY checkers and video games... You can't PLAY running - that's because it's consistantly painful if you do it right."

What's funny is football and baseball (like other team sports) ARE fun - even if you lose. Whereas running... is only fun when you win - or PR. I don't think I've ever seen a 5 hour marathoner finish and claim "that was soo FUN!!!".

Though I don't think the American Mind (ESPN etc) will ever fully understand that a True Sport doesn't require pure strength or speed, but the ability of a person to overcome THEMSELF (i.e. running etc.) to achieve great things. The American Mind is all about "hand eye coordination" and "the 40 yard dash", rather then how much guts someone has at mile 26 (Or I guess we can use Mottram's updated version - who's got the largest balls at the end). Endurance Sports like running, cycling, and swimming(longer) get the shaft in American because they actually require EFFORT to succeed. No elite runner can miss days of running consistantly and still be one of the best (like many basketball, football, or baseball players). But in America, it's not about doing everything you can, it's about doing the LEAST possible to get by.

I read a statistic that stated by 2015 over 75% of America will be obese (unless something changes between now and then). Great, we'll be living in a country of fat-asses who value everything BUT their health. How many of you can relate to me when I say I have trouble finding jeans that actually FIT me (with the waist SMALLER then the length). Go to wal-mart, you'll have no problem finding 36x32, but can you find 32x36? or even 32x34? Probably not!

I will admit to being quite thin - but I also am a marathoner. I don't think I go a few days without getting some sort of comment from some morons in a car about seeing my ribs, or "Nice shorts Fag!" about my RUNNING shorts. I'm secretly waiting for the 80s to return (minus the unique color schemes...) so I can run down the street and not have some idiot with a low IQ scream like a monkey out a window at me about my running attire. 20 years ago I would've been getting compliments! Ha!

Back to topic...

"fun" implies "easy"... So yes, I agree with the original poster!

Go play a game in the NFL and tell me how "easy" it is. Go play a 162 game season for baseball and tell me how "easy" it is. I love running, I love competiting, I love training but to suggest that these other sports are "easy" is stupid.

Running can be fun, you ever run on a cross or track team? I'm in college right now and run for our school and love it, it is very fun. Sure the workouts can suck, races are tough but the teammates I have are great and I love the feeling of finishing a tough workout or passing a few people over the final kilometer knowing that I am helping our team. Bullshitting with the guys on easy long runs also proves to be very enjoyable.

Why do serious runners take offense to the fact that most people who run are in it for recreation or fitness rather than competition? Isn't there anything that you do for fun that other people take seriously? Do you think that the people who take your weekend hobbies seriously look down on the fact that you aren't hardcore about it? For example, I play the guitar. I play for fun. I really only play when I feel like it. There have been times that I've taken it semi-seriously, but I have no ambitions of really going anywhere with it. I'll never put in 5 hour rehearsal sessions like a serious musician. If some music major or professional musician started telling me that playing the guitar isn't supposed to be fun and that it's supposed to be hours of hard work and that I'm supposed to settle for nothing but perfection in my playing, I would think they were a douchebag.

I realize that running is the same way. You have people everywhere on the spectrum. There are serious competitive athletes and you have people who are just trying to avoid a heart attack. Nothing wrong with that. Different people have different goals and different reasons for doing what they are doing. Yes there are fun runs, but there are still many places to compete. I have never been to a track meet or an xc race with the "fun run" atmosphere. Maybe a few local road races have become non-competitive, but you still have many chances to compete as hard as you want.

I love competiting too.

Let me rephrase a few things... The NFL and MLB aren't "easy", but I feel when compared to running, they take less effort (by far). How many times have you heard of some elite distance runner out at the bars partying it up frequently?

It's simple, to be an elite distance runner - it comsumes your life MORE (I'm sure NFL AND MLB players are consumed in their jobs - though how many of those guys actually don't get drunk or chew tobacco products frequently?)

When you are an elite runner, every small thing builds up to one BIG thing. Every little thing matters. I'm sure the same can be said about being a professional in ANY sport, though with running (cycling and swimming), their are MORE little things. The smallest thing can disrupt your entire body. A distance runner gets knee surgury and he's probably never coming back to be elite, whereas, a football player gets knee surgury and he's got a few more professional years left.

I think to say running is fun is a misconception. As noted above, BEFORE an AFTER is fun. Being on a team is fun. Joking with teammates is fun. But do you actually run a cross country 10k over hills in the mud and smile at mile 6? If you are then you're not pushing hard enough (enough said). Do you break down into a victory dance everytime you pass another runner or finish? Probably not. Why? Because you're actually TIRED! Running takes more out of your body mentally and physically - that's a fact. I don't think I've ever seen a professional score a touchdown then pass out when he crosses the line due to exhuastion. The same can be said about someone scoring a home run. They sprint for 15 seconds and it's over. If they're tired after that then WOW! That's out of shape! But to be a professional in these sports do you have to be FULLY pysically fit? NO.

Some of the greatest baseball players are considered "overweight", and yet they're successful ( do you really think Babe Ruth avoided burgers and fries and hardly every drank alcohol???). The same can be said about football. Whereas with running, you can't be overweight. You can hardly drink a pop or you'll suffer cramps on your next run. This is why I say it takes MORE to become an elite RUNNER, then an elite football or baseball player.

I guess I can't be suprised when I get the typical American response that football and baseball are more of a sport then running. You know why America rejects endurance sports? Because THEY ARE DIFFICULT!! Americans want everything the easiest way possible. So sure, of course many people won't agree with me, when you grow up hearing McDonalds is good for you and that football is the greatest game ever (because it's american), the why would you ever believe anything else?... ;)

dude i totally get you on the jeans, i'm a 28 32 and have to either order my stuff or just wear non flatering baggy clothes

Running=Fun wrote:

It's simple, to be an elite distance runner - it comsumes your life MORE (I'm sure NFL AND MLB players are consumed in their jobs - though how many of those guys actually don't get drunk or chew tobacco products frequently?)

When you are an elite runner, every small thing builds up to one BIG thing. Every little thing matters.

well said. i completely agree with both your posts. i think the difference between running and other sports is that even if you're not pro, you can still do them for fun. sure, finishing a marathon is satisfying, but unless you're running way slower than you're capable, it should in now way be "fun" during the process. on the other hand, look at how many people play softball, flag football, and hoops for fun (when i hang up the competitive shoes, i'm going to play some b-ball, even though i suck). you can get satisfaction from one swing of the bat, one play, or one basket. whereas with running, you have to wait until the end to get that feeling of "hell yeah, i did it!" and to get there, regardless of your level, it usually requires enduring a great deal of pain, which is not so fun.

self preservation wrote:

dude i totally get you on the jeans, i'm a 28 32 and have to either order my stuff or just wear non flatering baggy clothes

Dude try wearing a 30 36, I have to special order mine

You really are an ignorant, self-consumed jackass. I agree with all of your points regarding how difficult running is. Completely. And I also agree with you that the typical American sports mind is narrow minded and short sighted. But how is yours any different? All that you're doing is putting running on a pedestal that baseball and football occupy to 95% of the American population. I think that you seriously under estimate how much conditioning work professional baseball and football players put into their bodies. They often workout for upwards of three hours a day in the off season, in addition to drills and skill related practice. During the season, this conditioning is derailed somewhat, but still in excess of one hour per day. If you'd like details, read "Game of Shadows" or "Clearing the Bases" (the later is by Mike Schmidt and goes into great detail about the conditioning practiced by today's baseball players).

Also, from the end of your post, I can tell that you most things American, and while I agree with you again that most Americans want things easy and a quick drive through meal at McDonald's, I still think you're selling others' short. So, tell me, how underachieving are you? Have you failed at everything in your life, or only running? You certainly seem to carry the burden of someone who is out to prove that he is better than everyone has always said.

Finally, I think that you underestimate the talent necessary to become an elite runner. I'm not saying that no inherent talent is necessary to become a professional baseball or football player, but the best performers in those games are often determined by skill development just as much as natural talent. While elite runners *certainly* work hard, they are also naturally talented in a way that 99.9% of the world's population cannot relate to. The natural talent requirement for being a professional baseball or football player is high, but not THAT high.

Good post.

I think many so-called "Fun Runs" are aimed at the general public rather than runners at a higher level and calling it a "Race" is likely to turn those less fit and less serious about running off participating rather than encouraging it. There are a lot of comments on this board about overweight people with a few suggestions that they need to be more active.... surely "Fun Runs" (they can even be walked) can help someone wanting to lose weight become healthier in an enjoyable way without dangerously punishing themselves? Fostering an attitude of enjoying an event without necessarily needing to utterly exhaust yourself is fine under these circumstance. Of course for serious runners this isn't relevant and it is more about times and placings and running your arse off, but not everybody who runs has such lofty ambitions.

In any case winning "Fun Runs" shouldn't be the main focus of any performance-oriented athlete. Use them as guides to training effectiveness and to try different tactics etc, and peak for championship and high level events where the atmosphere is highly tense and serious for all involved.

Three Fifty Seven Point Nine wrote:

Fun.

Damn! I want to race my ass off, with snot and sweat running down my face, stagger and puke at the finish line, on my hands and knees, and aim for a time. But oh no no no...this is a Fun Run. That kind of behaviour is frowned upon and discouraged. "It's not a race you know." (I once got told that while behaving in this apalling manner.)

There are too many Fun Runs these days.

Discuss.

Nobody's stopping you from doing this any where else you would like. You've chosen to enter THEIR event.

The world doesn't exist to serve your needs. If you want an intense puke-your-guts-out event, then organize it and run it. What you will find is that few people show up.

Most road races today are fundraisers or community celebrations where numbers of entrants are far more important that how fast anyone runs.

I don't think there are too many fun runs. There may be too few highly competitive races, but that has more do to with the population and not the attitude of race directors/organizers.

You want competitive races, then get yourself in shape and run unattached in a few college meets. Local road races may have been more competitive back in the 80's, but they were never focussed on the elite runner even back then.

Quit complaining. You sound like a wannabe when you whine about local road races.

"phillie-phan"

You know, we were actually having some pretty good debating going on here, but then of course, you get the Maturity Award for bringing in the name-calling ("ignorant, self-cosumed jackass!")as well as personally attacking me - CONGRATS!!!

Though you've obviously missed my point, and obviously do not understand the sacrafices it takes to become an elite athlete. Sure, other sports work 3+ hours a day (similiar to most elite runners - I workout 3-5 hours daily). I am in now attempting to degrade the sacrafices other sports have to make, I am only trying to say that I FEEL running cosumes more time and effort then football AND baseball. Though MY POINT is when we're NOT working out - what do elite runners do? Surely you won't find us at the local bar or chewing tobacco, or even frequents on the party scene.

Also, I find it humorous that you are quick to assume that I not only have no idea what it takes to become elite, but that I am fact not elite. I guess we all have our different defintions of "elite", what do you consider an elite 5k-10ker? I'm feeling quiet confident that I can meet your standards...

PS: If you consider a M.A in Pyschology, and a contract with Nike underachieving, then please do tell me what you consider "achieving". In my eyes I don't feel I've failed in life - or in running. I think most Letsrun.comers would agree. What do you think?

Oh yeah, and have a great day!

Guess I did miss your point. Congrats on the success.

Next time you want to convey your FEELINGS, though, maybe you could be a bit more respectful to athletes in other sports?

P.S. I find it hard to believe that an elite runner would have such contempt for fun runners. I'm not going to debate your running credentials because that is largely irrelevant to this discussion. That said, if you want more people to appreciate what YOU DO (assuming you're elite, which I'll give you), you should probably encourage fun runs. More people running is more people running, period. Yes, there are different types of running, levels of competition, etc. Most people will never know what it feels like to be an elite runner. No one who runs a 25 minute 5k will ever think like you. Period. But you have to get people running in the first place before you get people to appreciate the competitive sport of running, and fun runs seem like an awful good way to do this.

My responses are CAPITALISED within the quote.

Three Fifty Seven Point Nine wrote:

Fun.

Damn! I want to race my ass off, with snot and sweat running down my face, stagger and puke at the finish line, on my hands and knees, and aim for a time. But oh no no no...this is a Fun Run. That kind of behaviour is frowned upon and discouraged. "It's not a race you know." (I once got told that while behaving in this apalling manner.)

There are too many Fun Runs these days.

Discuss.

I've got to agree that this is a very selfish attitude. This post cries "me me me" which is not the philosophy of most runners. You give us real runners a bad name.