Most runners are uninteresting/uninformed people

I concur with your observations.

It is my experience that runners don't really know about the pros at all, aside from a select few from each team.

it lends it itself to running lifestyle to be single minded. no surprise

I'm the opposite as are most of my teammates both past and present.

100% disagree. And from the comments on these boards that range from politics to economics to music to philosophy to history, I think your comment is ridiculously unfounded.

i would venture to say the people starting threads about the subjects you mentioned are a small percentage of running community. I'm not speaking for every single runner on the planet. In my opinion, the more time people spend around runners the less they speak about art, music, history, politics, pop culture etc. For a sport that is known for attracting introverts, most runners are exceedingly uncreative people.

...most people are exceedingly uncreative.

fast but what else? wrote:

Many male runners are very socially backward in terms of their views regarding women and homosexuals.

This is a sport that is dominated by white (usually) upper middle class males. Just look at this message board.

Any strong opinions expressed by women or gays are largely met with scorn and outrage.

Like how dare a woman challenge the stable, even keeled long held beliefs of this male dominated sport.

lol

krispy kremlin_._._ wrote:

100% disagree. And from the comments on these boards that range from politics to economics to music to philosophy to history, I think your comment is ridiculously unfounded.

Fixed the title of the thread to reflect reality.

What's a "homosexual"?

A few possible explanations:

1) As an earlier poster said 'serious' competitive running tends to be a single-minded pursuit, not leaving much time or mental space for other interests.

2) The runners you knew in HS and college may simply not have developed those other cultural interests or social maturity. If you were to meet that HS runner 'today' at 30 or 35 they'd might be much different.

3) People who are very good at something sometimes have a tendency to look down on people who are not good at the same thing. Sometimes that extends to people people in general. If you're a college athlete you've probably be pampered and told you're the best, so those notions of superiority are fed and at the same time, these athletes are isolated from the concerns and struggles of 'normal' college students, as well as non-college educated folk.

4) A group where the posters are 95% white or 90% male can lead to will lead to some truly retrograde discourse, especially about women and minorities. It's a situation that calls out for a moderated discussion board, but at the point it's probably too late to put the atavistic genie back in the bottle.

I completely disagree with the OP's observation. As a member of an adult large running team of men and women, my experience is very different from the OP's.

You say "fast but what else?" but you fail to realise that distance runners are not fast.

The same could be said for entrepreneurs, artists, or any one with a large goal in their life.

To accomplish anything in life requires sacrifices, and setting any big goal will make you fairly myopic. Especially one like running where all these factors outside of training itself influence your success, like nutrition, sleep, and rest. I find that society praises certain sacrifices, like sacrifices to have children, start a business, get a degree. But it eschews others like becoming a really good runner, getting really good at a video game, etc. Society deems these pursuits "selfish."

Essentially society praises sacrifices that strongly benefit society. I don't think people realize this when they get judgmental about others who live a lifestyle even slightly outside the norm.

Partly agreed. There are some big tools, but not necessarily a majority.

I think you'd have the same reaction to serious athletes in any sport and most likely other fields as well. Deciding to be as good at something as you possibly can requires a focus on that thing that seems unbalanced to others. How many professional baseball, football or basketball players, or even those playing that sport in Division I, do you think you'd consider interesting and informed?

Piano_Man87 wrote:

The same could be said for entrepreneurs, artists, or any one with a large goal in their life.

To accomplish anything in life requires sacrifices, and setting any big goal will make you fairly myopic. Especially one like running where all these factors outside of training itself influence your success, like nutrition, sleep, and rest. I find that society praises certain sacrifices, like sacrifices to have children, start a business, get a degree. But it eschews others like becoming a really good runner, getting really good at a video game, etc. Society deems these pursuits "selfish."

Essentially society praises sacrifices that strongly benefit society. I don't think people realize this when they get judgmental about others who live a lifestyle even slightly outside the norm.

Nice. I was thinking about the same. How many artists out there know absolutely nothing about sports or politics or current affairs?

Also, if you are a runner and are hanging out with other runners, I think it is natural that you are going to spend a LOT of time talking about running. If those same runners were with a group of non runners they would probably talk about other subjects.

On somewhat of a tangent, when dating, I downplay my interest and involvement as a runner. Other than occasionally providing something to do on a low-key "date", it gives no help in impressing women whatsoever, and signals "geek" to many. My other sport (rock climbing) is almost opposite of this.

BOO HOO, it's all the fault of those evil white, upper-middle class males. Go join the My Little Pony advocate group on campus if you want to meet "interesting" people.