Why do so many runners end up with Peter Pan syndrome?

They're not hurting anyone.

What about the millions of men and women who are obsessed with bodybuilding? It's ultimately pointless, but it makes them happy and it passes the time.

Also... immature running influencers are alright compared to the countless women who prostitute themselves on Instagram.

Are you thinking of Tinman?

I don't think it is any higher amongst runners. Video games for guys and social media for girls have the highest percentage.

People can live 75+ years. Waiting until 30 to start your 9-5 career probably isn't a big deal.

People are downvoting you but this is very true. Go see how someone behaves when them or their friend is caught doping. No one can address it head on, you get some burrito story, people act like children and genuinely believe everyone else does. They went through college focused almost entirely on running. Never interacted much outside of their team. Can't function in the workplace. I believe "extremely naive" is the best way to describe it.

Why are you watching "running influencers"?

I see this on Blogsnark. It's a thing. Some people downvoted OP but I see where he/she's coming from. On Blogsnark (mainly females) they rip on other female Instagram influencers as harshly as guys rip on Centro/TME and others here.

That said I kinda disagree with OP in that distance running CAN help your career goals and ability to land good jobs and get out of adolescence. In interviews it shows you have drive and discipline and that appeals to employers.

In the US, this problem starts with high school coaches who refuse to train kid appropriately out of some fear that "they won't have room to improve in college".

Kids matriculate to college undertrained, begin an overtraining/injury cycle. Luckily, the college system provides full-time treatment options, rehab, trainers, etc., so athletes can band-aid themselves together to run a few good races/respectable PRs that indicate the potential for marathon success.

Kids graduate from college and look forward to the freedom and time that adulthood provides. They continue to overtrain for their marathon, realizing how good they had it in college with teammates to train with daily and full-time support system, all while balancing the beginning of a career and the social opportunities of young adulthood. They blow up in their first marathon, blame the race on poor nutrition, and decide to drop back down in distance.

Without the college structure and teammates to help keep the speed in place, the attempts at lower distance PRs come up short, leading to the desire to go back to the marathon distance. This cycle repeats, runner ages, and those PRs set at age 21-23 turn into unreachable goals, but the runner doesn't accept this, and the Peter Pan Sydnrome is born.

It’s a difficult lesson that few make a decent living doing what everyone wants to do. We’d all like to make a living playing our favorite sport, or being a photographer, or talking about clothing, or whatever.

Sooner or later life teaches us we can make a living being good at something that no one really wants to do. Do even 1/100 of accountants, dentists, or nurses do it because it is fun?

Running is a very individual sport, not really surprising that these people are self centered, egoistic, chasing a self fulfilling dream.

You also have the option to not follow them.

That's a fair point. That is also why there's always countdowns to the weekend--even people in great jobs look forward to the weekends. Boomers on FB post about their retirement plans and vacas and younger people are envious.

I'm 39 and while I actually enjoy my job finally and it pays well, it's a grind and I am hoping the next 25 years goes fast so I can hit retirement and travel the US.

Some people are fortunate enough to truly love their job and never take time off b/c they see it as a vocation and not just $$$.

it is youtube influencing that attracts this type, not running

This is true. The people that give life advice and tell kids to "follow their passion" are being very disingenuous. You need to do something you are good at, and if you are good at something people will pay you to do it. You can then make THAT your passion or at the very least you can do something that funds your passion (hiking, sky diving, photography, cooking, running, etc...)

Ugh, I know. It's like they're trying to enjoy their lives. Can you believe this crap??

I understand wanting to keep doing your hobby at a high level, but there's some guys who keep the dream alive WAAAYY too long and are scraping by in their late 20's, working as a running shoe salesman and training with the hopes of having a major breakthrough all because they ran sub-15 in college. I feel like a lot of those guys are going to look back and think what a waste of time those years were. If you're going to try to keep the dream alive, at least find a way to make a decent living that also allows you to keep running, so you actually have a nice life once that dream is dead. Be a coach, work for a running brand, open up your own running store, not just invest all your time and energy into your sh!tty running "career."

I don't get why everything has to be so extreme. It's totally possible to work 40 hours a week in a cubicle job making a real salary with good benefits and train for 8-12 hours a week.

Your 20s is the most critical time to be putting money away in your 401k/IRA, as well as your HSA since the money will compound for years tax free when you're least likely to take it out. And start building up a social security earnings record as well. I'd bet that every year of skipping out on "real life" in your 20s could easily cost you 2-3 years of extra work in your later years. Do you really want to be grinding it out in your 60s and even into your 70s? I get that everyone wants to enjoy their 20s but I've worked with guys in their late 60s/early 70s and it wasn't a pretty scene.

But to answer the OPs question, a lot of influences/"pro" atheletes are trust fund babies. See Seth James Demoor as an example - a 2:22 marathoner living in a million dollar house off a channel with 160k subs? Get real. Lots of these types out there especially in CO.

I guess it depends on the level of success you are having but... I think looking back on your 20's having spent them training like hell, racing the circuit in Europe, hitting various meets around the USA, competing vs some truly world class athletes... I can't imagine thinking that is a waste of time.

Now if you are just winning local road races and collecting trophies and gift certificates, you might need to re-evaluate your priorities.