Why are so many formerly competitive runners huge and fat now?

They come to the realization that other things in life are more important than running.

Eating anything you want as much as you want whenever you want for years and not gaining a pound. Then you stop running but you don't stop eatimg.

Define fat?

People called Bob Kennedy fat when a post retirement pic of him was shown and he’s not fat.

At what body fat level would you consider a guy fat?

Alan

My guess is that through all of those years of training and racing they've developed eating habits that include eating a large amount of food and the ability to get away with eating sweets often. A lot of times this forms a psychological dependency and once they quit running they can't stop eating the way they did when they were training. Add to that fact that they probably exercise less overall and their eating habits deteriorate accordingly.

More important than staying healthy?

I feel like the people that do this weren't true runners, they just did it for a while because they were good at it, and once they stopped being decent at it they quit and stopped exercise.

The people that are truly great, it runs so deep that it's a part of their life style, and they never really stop. They are still running in their old age. I bet it's tough to find too many olympic qualifying distance runners that are now fat, but there are plenty of 2:20+ guys that 15-20 years later are fat.

I’m not one of the fatties, but when you get in the real world and have a family you realize spending 2 hours exercising (running or other alternatives) means you lose 2 hours of family time or money making time. After already working 8-10 hours a day. I know some people who hate their families (wives and babies) so they try to spend as little time with them as possible. Those will end in divorce and the men will wonder why.

I also think society respects chubby men more than fit men (e.g. this dad bod phase). Somehow a chubby guy with flabby arms and stomach gets more arousal and attention from women than a six pack man. So there’s less motivation to work out for aesthetic reasons as a man. It’s better to focus on your career, make money, and put on the weight that comes with it.

CindySalsa wrote:

They come to the realization that other things in life are more important than running.

And that's fine, but shouldn't your health always be a priority? Even if running were permanently taken out of my life for whatever reason, I'd still find a way to exercise and watch what I ate to keep from becoming a giant disgusting slob.

Runningart2004 wrote:

Define fat?

People called Bob Kennedy fat when a post retirement pic of him was shown and he’s not fat.

At what body fat level would you consider a guy fat?

Alan

Found one!

Letting yourself go is inexcusable. Don't tell me it is hard to jog 40min a day?

Just guessing that the OP is in his late teens / early 20s, is single, and has no kids. When you are in our mid 40s, married, have kids and a career please return to this forum. Most people that try to continue to train like they did in college when they have all of those other factors typically are thrice divorced, have a warrant for non payment of child support / alimony, live in a van down by the river and shower at the YMCA. And quite honestly, the dad bod that hobby jogs the local 5k is likely to live longer than the skeleton that is obsessively trying to maintain his running streak and has run a half dozen marathons in the past year.

I stopped running and weigh 25-30 lbs more than my racing weight but still I’m skinny. Genetics and not much of an appetite is my guess.

sbeefyk2 wrote:

I also think society respects chubby men more than fit men (e.g. this dad bod phase). Somehow a chubby guy with flabby arms and stomach gets more arousal and attention from women than a six pack man.

Two reasons for this really :

1) A lot of men with those bodies are usually meat-headed gym rat bros that are the worst and/or stupidest people to be around.

2) Majority of women (and men) in America are overweight (or obese) to begin with, and, well, birds of a feather and all that...

More important than staying healthy? wrote:

More important than staying healthy?

I feel like the people that do this weren't true runners, they just did it for a while because they were good at it, and once they stopped being decent at it they quit and stopped exercise.

The people that are truly great, it runs so deep that it's a part of their life style, and they never really stop. They are still running in their old age. I bet it's tough to find too many olympic qualifying distance runners that are now fat, but there are plenty of 2:20+ guys that 15-20 years later are fat.

I am 50 years old and I am 10 pounds lighter than I was in my prime. I probably consume about 2000 calories instead of the 6000 that I used to. That is the trick. You don't need to continue to run. The OP is correct that any amount of biking or walking or mowing the lawn coupled with calorie restriction does not take time away from family. It also prolongs life which actually adds total time that you can spend with family.

I think the mistake you're making is thinking that former runners are all special. Most people get fat as they age. It's typical, even if it is unhealthy. Former runners are the same. Some stay trim and fit, most don't, just like the general population.

I understand why you just assume that is s a group they would be more likely to dedicate themselves to fitness, just from a selection bias. However, I think there are a couple reasons why this turns out to not be the case:

- most didnt start at 14 years old with fitness in mind, they were attracted to the competitive nature, so it really isnt any different than looking at former college football players or former college golf players

- while some may be interested in fitness as they get older and stop competing, the most obvious form of exercise is their former sport, so it is hard to transition to being a fitness jogger. Many fall into the trap of trying to run too hard while not training and either burn out on exercising or fall into a spiral of injuring themselves, so they eventually just give up

I try to caution all NCAA runners I know as they finish their senior year to learn that 2nd lesson, in the hope that they can transition successfully to fitness jogging if they're done competing.

The fastest guy on my college track team used to tell us he'd never run a step again after graduation. I think he's kept that promise, because he passed 250 pounds some time ago, and it won't surprise me at all if he hits 300 someday.

joedirt wrote:

Just guessing that the OP is in his late teens / early 20s, is single, and has no kids. When you are in our mid 40s, married, have kids and a career please return to this forum. Most people that try to continue to train like they did in college when they have all of those other factors typically are thrice divorced, have a warrant for non payment of child support / alimony, live in a van down by the river and shower at the YMCA. And quite honestly, the dad bod that hobby jogs the local 5k is likely to live longer than the skeleton that is obsessively trying to maintain his running streak and has run a half dozen marathons in the past year.

^This^!

And appreciate the humor and had a good laugh.

But I knew an excellent club runner , (by no means pro) who had a very secure job and was in his late 30s.

So I guess he thought he still had a few or more good races in him.

To the point, he missed one of his oldest child’s early years birthday party because he had to get in a long run that day .

I remember thinking this guy just doesn’t get it . And I didn’t even have a family yet .

Your 25:55 five miler will be forgotten in a week , needless to say 20-30 years from whenever.

“Many gardens to cultivate.”

For many competitive runners, especially high level ones, health and fitness never were a priority. They were trying to run as fast as possible, and leanness was just a means to that end. Once their competitive goals were either met or not met, they get fat because they never cared about being healthy to begin with; they were just trying to run as fast as possible.

CindySalsa wrote:

They come to the realization that other things in life are more important than running.

Like what?