pro runners and narcissism

" i'm starting to believe that the pure obsession involved in a pro-distance runner's lifestyle makes them the most self-absorbed of all."

lol

Running is different than other pro sports because it is so individual. The guys with shoe sponsors and making $ from the sport reached the top level solely on their own work ethic and individual accomplishments (ie didn't rely on a good QB or excellent passing point guard etc...). In this way of course they will be narcissistic because they reached a level that thousands of other runners can't reach, even the All Americans at NCAA. If you're reading their blogs you most definetly see a lot of 'I' and 'me,' but that comes naturally with the sport because it is solely on the individual to put in the work and do the training.

When these pro runners come off as egotistical it certainly doesn't help their image, but laid back guys like Solinsky and Wheating get more support from the fan base because they are down to earth.

Of course these guys do change with more fame, faster times, and more cash. Check out a recent FloTrack interview with Solinsky. He talks about how now he gets more attention in airports and buses and people asking for autographs. And he says he enjoys it. He also points out being "noticed" by the African distance runners. Yes these pro runners certainly like the attention and to an extent it does go to their heads.

fjksllsieoppps wrote:

runner's like solinsky and wheating (rarities, i believe) seem to have a "go with the flow/i'm lucky to be here" attitude that i believe benefits them.

Wheating maybe, Solinsky no way.

So they're obsessed with performing well at their job, believe they could be better at their job, and are upset when they don't perform as well as they could? Oh and they are focused on a self-serving activity that benefits only them?

You could be describing literally MILLIONS of people. How many career focused corporate ladder climbers are vain, focused solely on benefiting themselves, and get upset when their rise to the top is interrupted? Did you really think this was some kind of unique characteristic of elite distance runners?

edumacator wrote:

So they're obsessed with performing well at their job, believe they could be better at their job, and are upset when they don't perform as well as they could? Oh and they are focused on a self-serving activity that benefits only them?

You could be describing literally MILLIONS of people. How many career focused corporate ladder climbers are vain, focused solely on benefiting themselves, and get upset when their rise to the top is interrupted? Did you really think this was some kind of unique characteristic of elite distance runners?

i certainly don't deny that NPD occurs quite often and in all trades, but aside from perhaps uber urban-business arenas, an activity like distance running seems to harbor narcissism a lot more than others. and even though the trait is not specific to distance runners, does it make them any more virtuous?

Jim Ryun is another exception. Love those stories of him working on the farm full time hurling bails of hay, and training. Great salt of the earth kinda guy. no internet, no advise. a pure runner, and man.

I feel like this thread was started once before and even the first couple of replies look identical. But I will possibly waste time with a response anyway:

As an elite D1 runner, I already started to feel this way by age 22. That I was spending so much energy and focus on an activity that seemed to contribute very little, if anything, to the common good. Not that I'm a saint or anything, but I really wanted to spend my energy on contributing something substantial to society.

Regardless, I don't fault anyone for chasing their dreams. Being elite in any sport requires (and results in) a fair amount of narcisism for many reasons. To run that fast, you sort of have to self-delude. How else can you convince your body to do what it shouldn't, but to inflate your head so much that your mind can dominate your body and make it do the impossible.

Y'all will never reach an elite level, thinking elites are narcistic. That is far from the truth. The higher you go, the less narcistic you have to become. It's no longer just about you. It's about the people around you, and not just directly around you but much further. Anyone who thinks you have to be narcistic in this sport will leave it as a lonely person. Life is all about relationships and the experience.

Bill Rodgers fan wrote:

Y'all will never reach an elite level, thinking elites are narcistic. That is far from the truth. The higher you go, the less narcistic you have to become. It's no longer just about you. It's about the people around you, and not just directly around you but much further. Anyone who thinks you have to be narcistic in this sport will leave it as a lonely person. Life is all about relationships and the experience.

care to support your claims? i have a feeling that your understanding of narcissism is bleak.

The greatest American distance runner of the last two decades is one of the kindest, most down to Earth and humble guys around. But apparently you have never Meb.

fjksllsieoppps wrote:

care to support your claims? i have a feeling that your understanding of narcissism is bleak.

Ask an elite who their agent is, their coach, their training partners, their sponsors, the people they work with at their sponsor's company, their doctors, their massage therapist, their PT, their acupuncturist, strength trainer, their family, the local running club, local magazine, national magazine, the people who read the newspapers, the people/runners they've befriended at races around the world, the people they've spoken to at expos, the hands they've shaked, the autographs they've signed..... the list goes on. Ask Bill Rodgers, Frank Shorter, and Joan Benoit Samuelson how they got to where they are. They didn't do it alone.

I think that there are times in certain professions, that require a complete focus, mental and physical, in order to obtain an extraordinarily difficult goal. Most of the greatest theorists and inventors experienced this. Many athletes excelling in certain sports (running and tennis) require this too.

Bill Rodgers fan wrote:

fjksllsieoppps wrote:

care to support your claims? i have a feeling that your understanding of narcissism is bleak.

Ask an elite who their agent is, their coach, their training partners, their sponsors, the people they work with at their sponsor's company, their doctors, their massage therapist, their PT, their acupuncturist, strength trainer, their family, the local running club, local magazine, national magazine, the people who read the newspapers, the people/runners they've befriended at races around the world, the people they've spoken to at expos, the hands they've shaked, the autographs they've signed..... the list goes on. Ask Bill Rodgers, Frank Shorter, and Joan Benoit Samuelson how they got to where they are. They didn't do it alone.

Now I am certain that you have no clue what narcissism is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You're a funny one.

I have done extensive research on this topic and have revealed that research in pother threads. I don't have time to rehash all of it. I will say that running is not a healthy endeavor. It can and it will consume your very being. I would love to elaborate on this topic at a more convenient time.

You're surprised that most public utterances from professional distance runners involve themselves and their careers? What else would anyone want to hear them talk about?

Distance runners are all about control. This is the one aspect of their life they feel they can control, therefore they are very protective of their running. Its why they wake up in the morning. Over time it becomes addictive and a hindrance on one's life.

THEANTIRUNNER wrote:

Distance runners are all about control. This is the one aspect of their life they feel they can control, therefore they are very protective of their running. Its why they wake up in the morning. Over time it becomes addictive and a hindrance on one's life.

Wouldn't professional runners be "exhibit A" for people whose lives haven't been screwed up by running? I have never met anyone that has had their lives screwed up by running, or any other athletic pursuit.

Just because you haven't met them does not mean they do not exist. I'll admit they are people who are mostly the B and C list runners who can't accept that they aren't the real deal. Then the running stops and they don't know what to do. The professional runners are making a living but they are still possessed.

Just because someone screws around for a few years after college, winning local/regional road races and running 13:5x and 29:xx doesn't mean they have ruined their lives. I am guessing that most people like that are just trying to do the best they can do at something they love while they still have the chance. I'm sure that there are a few people in the world that have let running screw their lives up, but I seriously doubt that this is a huge problem. Most of them probably go on to law school or medical school or get a job or whatever and are none the worse for the wear. I'm sure some of them tell themselves that maybe they are a potential Carlos Lopesesque late bloomer, but overrating one's abilities/potential is hardly unique to distance runners.

Possessed? Because they think about their job a lot? I'd imagine that most people think about their job a lot. Go to a law school and talk to some people who study 16 hours a day and then say that runners are possessed.