WSJ: How Millennials have ended the running boom

JoanSamuelZen wrote:

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.

Where do you live? Most millennials I know are not sedentary, they're just not competitive. I was surprised how many of my younger friends casually jog but none seems to care about racing or such. They'd rather entertain themselves with more intense workouts.

I feel the opposite as you do, most millennials I know are in better shape than my generation at their age. They're definitely more fit nowadays, at least appearance-wise.

on the contraire, its not "all" millennials that are sedimentary. sure many of us are, but what ive noticed is that most of us born between 1990-1998 are quiet active, probably just as much as any other generation because we were still raised on 90s tech with limited gaming and what not. its the kids born in 1999 onward that grew up with complete access to smart phones and high tech computers who are mostly sedimentary.

also, another big reason is this entire fat acceptance movement. screw those people honesty! i dont understand how they can be happy with having more then 16% fat on themselves, its not healthy and it encourages laziness...

You can divide millenials into three sets: sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous. Igneous run. Metamorphic do crossfit and classpass.

What a STUPID article.

This has nothing to do with laziness. NOTHING.

There are plenty of millennials working out in my BOX. Those folks know exactly what they want. They want to get the maximum return for what they invest (big ROI if you will). Their ROI is a formula of

B+R=W x N x C

(BUFF + RIPPED[/] = weight lifting, nutrition and conditioning (e.g. CrossFit style sprint repeats).

In the end, they end up looking great, nice skin, heavy muscles, great overall PACKAGE. And then they have a great selfie picture for tinder and they get all the ***** while their runner friends stay home on the weekends.

I am an Xer and I was coming here to post this article. Glad it was already posted.

I hate that the Millennials are missing out on outdoor exercise, but I don't blame them for the dropping rates of participation. It's the damn Boomers running these races like cash cows who are at fault. You can't expect things to stay popular when you make it so damn hard to make it a regular, ongoing way of life. I am a working professional and I make a very good income, but I probably run 5 or so races a year at most. It's not like I can't afford it, but at a certain point I'd rather just go run long with a buddy or alone than pay $75 to line up for some crappy 10-miler. I don't care about a stupid shirt/medal/food/beer/band/etc. I just want to race.

Anyway, I agree with the gent who commented on the WSJ website: the Boomers created the millennials. Deal with them.

JoanSamuelZen wrote:

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.

So...your ideas about millennials are based on the young people who hang out at Wal Mart on Saturday nights? I think you're working from a biased sample, here.

LOL, I'm 26, and I can just imagine how many Generation X and Baby Boomer runners are fuming over this article (and with good reason).

The line that was spot on from the article, IMO, was "Millennials are more interested in overall health and new experiences than in identifying with a particular activity." Competition, or anything that requires real adversity to succeed, is almost looked down upon by 20-somethings. Our generation is all about the path of least resistance, which is why the HIIT movement has gotten so popular.

Interestingly, I turned to running when I was 24 because, in a lot of ways, I think I was just craving something real. Everything in this generation, from exercise to the way we meet people, is so watered down. I've been 1000x happier and more fulfilled ever since I started building up my mileage on the roads. I wonder if any other 20-somethings have felt the same way.

JoanSamuelZen wrote:

Millennials ARE sedentary. Just look around you or go to a Walmart on a Saturday night, preferably the beer aisle

Stop talking out of your ass, grandpa. Who goes to Wal Mart, let alone on a Saturday?

Millennials aren't currently any fatter or more sedentary than any other strata of society so don't make it a generational issue.

For every perceived turd millennial there are as many engaging (to various degrees, obviously) in this fitness crazy. I'll never wear a Fitbit. But anything that makes people be even marginally more active, or aware of their bodies/well-being, is an improvement.

One million Millenials wrote:

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!

One million Millenilas [sic] against 350 million other Americans? Millenials can can't even spell Millennials.

doot doot wrote:

Millennials aren't currently any fatter or more sedentary than any other strata of society so don't make it a generational issue.

So, now millennials must compare themselves to the older-slower, and younger-slower, generations to make their performances look better than they really are.

Her figure counts the total number of finishes as opposed to the total number of finishers (i.e. someone who finished 5 races is counted 5 times). I'd like to see an analysis of the annual number of unique finishers (where the person who finished 5 races is counted as one person who raced this year). This would give us an actual metric for the number of people who run.

My sense is that younger people run just as much, but they run fewer competitions. My younger friends tend to pick a handful of races per year while my older friends tend to jump into every race. By the author's methods, this would lead to the conclusion that there are fewer young runners. In my mind, the 22-year-old who shows up at the local marathon and runs 2:4X every year is just as much a runner as the 35-year-old who shows up to every local 5K and runs 20 minutes. Different strokes, but both are taking the sport seriously in their own way, even if one is racing once while the other is racing 30 times.

As you mention, races are expensive these days. Older people I know tend to just treat this as a part of the cost of the hobby. Younger people I know tend to thinks "why would I pay $30 to run 3.1 miles when I can walk out my front door and run as far as I want for free?"

Strata of society wrote:

doot doot wrote:

Millennials aren't currently any fatter or more sedentary than any other strata of society so don't make it a generational issue.

So, now millennials must compare themselves to the older-slower, and younger-slower, generations to make their performances look better than they really are.

Christ. 😒

This article and discussion is making me realize that there is a potential market for cheap races with no goody bags and a time limit.

Millennials prefer paying exorbitant fees for rock climbing

Yawn.

Even if the number of races available gets cut in half, I will still have 12 races to choose from within a 30 minute drive from my house on any given weekend.

The Wizard of Menlo Park wrote:

From the article:

"Young adults grew up in an era of de-emphasized athletic competition and have expressed a greater fear of failure than older generations...."

In addition to their other failings, it's also clear the millenials will never produce a Thomas Edison.

It's not so much a fear of failure, its a fear of risk. Millennials want a guarantee. They were raised on the "guarantee" that going to college would result in a job of their choice and would make them respected members of society. When they found out that there was no guarantee - i.e., they would have to compete with their peers - they sought refuge and comfort in areas which do not require competition.

Most of the race fees in New York City, for example, are asinine.

Wanna jump in a Mother's Day 5K?

The schmucks at NYC Runs, who started out as a necessary and welcome alternative to NYRRC will charge you...

$50 for race day registration!

Schmucks.

Funniest thing about NYC Runs is they market themselves as all friendly and benevolent when they're just as mendacious as anyone, more than most.

Jersey and Staten Island still have some decent races in the old, affordable style but they're a minority.

A rock climbing gym is $50/month and offers a huge diversity of movement in a weatherproof, pleasant social setting. How many overcrowded 5Ks where you get to pummel thousands of hobbywalkers do you get for the same $$? I do both, but is rock climbing not an intrinsically expensive sport. It is actually as cheap or cheaper than running on $/hour basis.

DemographicExpert wrote:

Millennials prefer paying exorbitant fees for rock climbing

Y'all say what you want about Millennials, but if you read the comment section, it is the Boomers who are putting the fork in distance running. Millennials like to do a variety of exercises. Good for them. I probably would too if I didn't like running. I run because I love to run, not really for exercise. The exercise thing is great, though.

If I didn't love to run, I would probably mix it up as much as possible.

But back to my main point above: look at what the older Boomers are saying about running. They are saying it is terrible for your body, unhealthy, crippling, etc. That is what is going to turn people away from the sport.