WSJ: How Millennials have ended the running boom

Precious Snowflakes wrote:

Is the running boom over? WSJ says so, and it is due to our friends the millennials.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-millennials-ended-the-running-boom-1462473195

Discuss

You're damn right. We decide what is cool and hip - you had your chance - deal with it!

The comments are epic.

Good.

Race fees will come down. Lotteries will go away. Times will get faster. Color runs will be relegated to the dust bin. This is great news!

It's Not All Bad wrote:

Good.

Race fees will come down. Lotteries will go away. Times will get faster. Color runs will be relegated to the dust bin. This is great news!

Actually there will probably be less and less real races and more color runs.

More charity 5Ks with $40 entry fees, finisher medals and inaccurate distances.

Edgar Summersby wrote:

It's Not All Bad wrote:

Good.

Race fees will come down. Lotteries will go away. Times will get faster. Color runs will be relegated to the dust bin. This is great news!

Actually there will probably be less and less real races and more color runs.

More charity 5Ks with $40 entry fees, finisher medals and inaccurate distances.

The color run particpation is cratering. The article called this out. They are moving onto glow in the dark Yoga. Sheep will always get slaughtered.

"A sport traditionally dominated by young adults, running is losing its hold on 18- to 34-year-olds."

Is there a sport that ISN'T traditionally dominated by children and young adults?

W r q wrote:

"A sport traditionally dominated by young adults, running is losing its hold on 18- to 34-year-olds."

Is there a sport that ISN'T traditionally dominated by children and young adults?

Bocce ball, shuffle board, crochet, golf

Miss Joan calls B.S. on this article quote:

Millennials aren’t sedentary. Rather, they’re fueling the proliferation of studios that specialize in everything from cycling, CrossFit and boxing to ballet barre workouts, boot camp and weight training."

Millennials ARE sedentary. Just look around you or go to a Walmart on a Saturday night, preferably the beer aisle. A good 90% are in the obese category. The ones taking those classes she mentions are the few N.Y. city elites that the article's author sees. Most millennials spend their free time hitting the bong, drinking beer, eating Pringles, and playing video games.

Get one story about the benefits of running on Buzzfeed and you will reach us.

Joking aside. I think this is interesting because HS track seems to be growing. I wonder what impact this has on future participation.

It's Not All Bad wrote:

Race fees will come down. Lotteries will go away.

My thoughts exactly. When you look at the bar chart in the WSJ the increase in participation through 2010 perfectly correlates with the increase in race fees. Brooklyn Half has gone from $25 to $75, some Womens Half Marathon takes $175, your average 5k is now at $60.

If anything, millennials are smart not to put up with this BS anymore.

Very interesting comment:

"Christopher La Mendola 20 minutes ago

@MARK SOWA @Patrick Rietschel Though I don't disagree with the observations, I would argue that my generation, the baby-boomers, is the "weakest generation". We're the ones who were handed America by the "greatest generation" and transformed it into the "millennials".

It's hardly their fault that they were given trophies for participating and taught to have a virtually pagan religious belief in the sanctity of the earth. We taught them that it's ok to be non-productive and to still expect to make a living. We taught them that diversity is more important than merit, and that the foundation upon which our country was built was racist and oppressive. We taught them that it is worth sacrificing liberty to achieve equality.

We made the millennials."

check out the author's facebook cover photo https://www.facebook.com/Bachscore/

Millennials need to hit the weights

The running lifestyle is a mistake except for those who are able to compete at a high level. Some dinosaurs can't accept that their way of life isn't as healthy as Kenneth Cooper led them to believe it was.

Boomers need to learn how to get it up...

more info needed wrote:

check out the author's facebook cover photo

https://www.facebook.com/Bachscore/

Another Millennial Journalist looking to make a name for herself by declaring the running boom is over. She doesn't get to declare anything.

Why must every piece of media coverage have bias and forward a narrative? At least we can take solace in the fact she likely makes $30,000 per year and always on the line to be cut since newspapers are in their final days.

Soon she will be freelance, where pennies per word are the going rate for fluff content like her article.

On the millennials' watch, sub 4 high school miles have become so common that no one even notices when they happen. Track remains the second highest participation sport in high schools. International performances are only getting better. The sport of running is doing just fine, and the millennials are doing better with it than my cohort did.

The running boom ended itself. Races have become too big and the race experience has suffered greatly for all participants. Entry fees are too high, mostly due to the fact that races take twice as long to complete with multiple wave starts and tons of walk/joggers. You have to stand around forever in your corral waiting for the start. When the race finally gets underway, it is shoulder to shoulder for midpack runners for half the race. Post race lines for everything are too long. Any millennial who ditched that scene for a yoga class filled with beautiful women is ok in my book.

Interesting that she gives data for running participation, but anecdotes for the other stuff-- no way such a huge drop is explained by studios.

I think it's a combination of excessive race fees, low income for a lot of young people, and hitting the peak of the fat boom. Though I'd also question whether running participation really dropped 9% in a year..