Why Are Serious/Semi-Serious Runners Such a Miserable Lot?

Maybe some posters were self absorbed, but that story was just not inspiring like advertised, but was about some guy who first majorly screwed up his life with drugs then supposedly “turned it around” by running a sub elite marathon (that probably didn’t even give him a half decent livelihood), which is hardly inspiring to most people who don’t majorly screw up in the first place.

Probably because they aren’t respected as athletes, and why should they be. On the world stage they’re strictly the B team. They’re also very one dimensional. Most sub 15 minute 5K types can’t bench press their own bodyweight.

Conversely, the mid pack runners are very positive as they’re out there to have fun and get exercise.

Lots of rude older male runners. They're miserable people.

Sour grapes. The fact that you’re on this site and commenting that shows you cars, a lot. What is your 5k PB? Haha.

Nobody gets paid for bench press, but these guys do get paid a lot and have thousands of adoring fans.

The mental gymnastics to say you’re happier being a slow “mid pack” runner has to be the best part of that post hahaha.

I'm a female runner who has also competed successfully in a completely unrelated sport. I'd agree with the premise of the OP. Whilst some runners are very nice, I have never encountered so many oddballs in one setting. Away from the sharp end of the race (I'm not elite but am good enough to sometimes win local 5 and 10ks), many women competitors behind me can be odd, confrontational and jealous. I once finished third in a 10k, and another female competitor, who had finished 3 minutes behind me (her usual performance) came up to me aggressively after the race, along with two of her friends who were even slower, to accuse me of starting too fast and getting in her way and brushing her with my elbows. She couldn't understand any perspective than her own. I think she was annoyed that I was there at all and she thought that if I didn't race locally, she would be getting placed and running faster. It was a very strange mindset which saw no real logic but one that was clearly shared by her friends.

Amongst the male runners, again there seem to be quite a high proportion of those with social problems, 2 who have ended up in jail and another 3 who have narrowly avoided it, a couple who have committed civil fraud, a couple of stalkers and religious converts, and generally rather a lot of people who kind of struggle on the fringes of society in some way. A lot of them do seem to be either single or married or dating women from The Fillipines/Thailand. Of course, again, there are some very nice people.

Compared to my other sport, which is friendly, supportive, social and full of mainly quite mentally robust people, the issues with runners are put into more of a clear perspective.

One more thing that the runners seem to have in common (again with exceptions) is that they are all rather political but always very liberal and woke with little sense of humor and taking anything posted online too seriously. Very intolerant towards alternative not very radical opinions and any female who seems more successful than them professionally or in business as well as in running.

A couple of years ago, I started training with a group on the track even though I race mainly on the roads, and they are much better, supportive, encouraging and calm.

If you are a serious runner, unless you are in an area with many other serious runners you will likely be training alone for hours a day and give up any social life. Also, unfortunately training harder than anyone else to try to compensate for a lack of talent will lead to a cycle of injuries. Even if you don't get hurt, training extra hard usually wont make up for a lack of talent.

I agree with much of what you say, but I think you may be a little unduly suspicious and judgmental toward those who are just a little outside the range of what you and most people would consider normal. I say thank God for the oddballs and nonconformists. They make life more interesting and help us see things from a unique perspective.

You mean middle aged men like Kara, Mary Decker, etc (including the ones who complain on Instagram about how they were denied medals by other women who were doping?)

I have considered meeting up with the local running group for their twice weekly runs/social nights. These are the types of personalities I should expect to encounter over pretzels and beer after a 4 mile run on a weekday evening ? I will avoid them after reading this.

How fortunate for you to possess the knowledge and intuition to recognize people who use strenuous athletic activity in an attempt to conceal their shortcomings.

Tell us more about your "other sport".

I imagine cycling is worse.

It's probably the data that ruins things. Too much comparing with others.

If I had to guess at reasons why, I think you have to be quite obsessive to do well long term. It attracts a certain personality type who probably prefers doing things on their own (slogging out miles, etc). Not so much of a team sport compared to something like soccer, basketball. Also, at the higher levels it may not be particularly healthy or balanced, but that goes for other sports like gymnastics too.

On the whole I've found runners to be a nice group of people though...

Differences between sprinters / MD / LD / field eventers?

Serious runners are seriously weird. I also noticed it.

I’ve noticed especially with the 40-55 age groupers it tends to be a lot of men who don’t have much importance or status in other areas of life. Running gives them one thing they can be better than the average person there age.

It’s called not having your identity tied into a worthless metric like distance running times or bench press for that matter.

You guys here just can’t handle that nobody gives a sh!t about your running. That’s wjy “serious” runners are miserable. You expect people to care and they don’t. Why should they? What is your (or my)running doing for anybody else?

I think the people I run with are great.

There are a**holes everywhere. There are also really good people everywhere. You choose what you surround yourself with, especially when it comes to hobbies.

Of COURSE it attracts oddballs and social misfits. You have to dedicate a huge part of your life to an objectively difficult and even occasionally painful pursuit that you know will never lead to greatness, and that few people care about at all. This is not for normal well adjusted people. That is what I like about it.