I see alot of running influencers who vlog themselves mid race, mid workout, mid everything, and its actually very cringey. I get it, you want content for your video, but have you ever seen anybody do this mid race in highschool or college? Why are people smiling and recording themselves? Its a race, not a social gathering. You are there to push yourself past limits, not record your tik tok recap of your marathon.
I see alot of running influencers who vlog themselves mid race, mid workout, mid everything, and it’s actually very cringey. I get it, you want content for your video, but have you ever seen anybody do this mid race in highschool or college? Why are people smiling and recording themselves? It’s a race, not a social gathering. You are there to push yourself past limits, not record your tik tok recap of your marathon.
Road races (especially marathons) have been long parades for a few decades now. It’s just now people have the ability to film it.
Nah. I think you're giving them too much credit. A lot of these dudes are annoying clowns but as somebody else said: people have been paying for the privilege of walking a 6.5 hour marathon for a long time before matty choi's dumb ass showed up.
The naysayers think this point has been discussed to death, but here you are, pushing past your limits.
Ill gladly talk about it until people realize its stupid to vlog yourself in a race. Go ahead, post a link to your niche micro-celebrity youtube channel so we can watch a 20 minute recap of your super elite sub 3 hour marathon ! (2:59:59)
Doesn't sound like you're pushing past limits if you're paying that much attention to the mid-race habits of BOP funrunners. Maybe try focusing more on running fast and a little less on clout farming for the LRC socials? It's a race, after all.
It is interesting how in running, most of the big influencers are very average runners. But the golf influencers are mostly very high level golfers who just fell short of a pro career. Paige Spirinac played Div. 1 golf and was on the lower level Cactus tour. Driver off the Deck king Carter Smith is trying to play his way into PGA Q school. So, it is interesting that with running, people want to see someone who is like a normal mid pack runner, but with golf, the influencers really have to be able to hit the ball.
Doesn't sound like you're pushing past limits if you're paying that much attention to the mid-race habits of BOP funrunners. Maybe try focusing more on running fast and a little less on clout farming for the LRC socials? It's a race, after all.
I see alot of running influencers who vlog themselves mid race, mid workout, mid everything, and its actually very cringey. I get it, you want content for your video, but have you ever seen anybody do this mid race in highschool or college? Why are people smiling and recording themselves? Its a race, not a social gathering. You are there to push yourself past limits, not record your tik tok recap of your marathon.
This is a symptom of the intersection of advanced technology and capitalism. - The running notebook turned into strava and instagram. - The insatiable appetite of peoples wants has caused them to attempt to monetize their entire life. Even leisure.
Unless you can find a way to reverse technology, replace capitalism, or change our collective conscious, running influencers are here to stay. Either figure out a way to ignore them, or if you are weird i guess you could enjoy them?
i used to think running influencers were idiots then my mom started getting into running. 65 years old, just trying to be healthy, can't name a single "PRO" runner and doesn't care/relate. Then I realized there are 50x more of my mom out there than of nerdy 2:29 'thon guys. So in reality the influencers, who are more like typical runners are a lot more relatable and useful to the industry than some 112 pound kenyan that can't speak english and runs a 2 hour 'thon.
i used to think running influencers were idiots then my mom started getting into running. 65 years old, just trying to be healthy, can't name a single "PRO" runner and doesn't care/relate. Then I realized there are 50x more of my mom out there than of nerdy 2:29 'thon guys. So in reality the influencers, who are more like typical runners are a lot more relatable and useful to the industry than some 112 pound kenyan that can't speak english and runs a 2 hour 'thon.
Yeah what he said! What are you some kind of commonist!
What's captured on media and showcased across the internet (as well as what is supported and pushed by the running brands/events) can alter perception of what is valued.
So an Influencer with a family, full time job, and who runs a 2:59 marathon and VLOGs about it (as well as shoe reviews and product) is super relatable to the masses. They can be faster than the average runner and start offering running tips and even coaching advice (As well as shoe recommendations). But also inspiration and little motivational quips. People generally love this and it will get a lot of views and engagement on social media.
A sponsored pro runner is now expected to compete with this (posting high quality videos on social media), but they are simply not going to be as relatable because they are too fast and too serious about the sport (in some regard). They also can't do shoe reviews for a bunch of brands because they are tied to a single sponsor on longer term contracts. They often race longer distance races like marathons less frequently than the influencer...who can do Boston and London on back to back weekends and be called a "hero" for it.
A fast pro also can't really joke around and film during a race and chug beers. But too serious is too much pressure and people like to be entertained.
The "danger" I see is influencers might promote unrealistic expectations. Say they are on banned PEDs and start running crazy fast times for their weight/build. They are cheating and going against the rules of the sport/race, and projecting an unrealistic image of what is actually possible in reality with clean, honest hard work. It is misleading. Might as well jump in a car or cut the course and only run a 25-mile marathon.
Same thing with showing how one might have a bike pacer and/or a film crew and drones and get drinks/aid outside of race aid stations....it's generally against the rules in most races. For every runner.
Then you've got influencers just preaching "Zone 2" and "run streaks" and "hybrid athlete stuff" that can often be a lot of fluff and does more of a disservice to many in the running community if it is inaccurate and/or misleading advice.
It's really inevitable though....I've always said the "pro sponsored athlete" and "influencer" blend together at some point (if one has a large social media following they have an influence...regardless of speed!). For example, I consider myself a coach, a sponsored athlete, an influencer, and a content creator.
Values and what is respected in the sport changes with difference market niches and different social media platforms...it's a dynamic evolution.
My friend Stephen aka "Serious Runner" shows this best:
A very serious and reflective look at the state of running culture, the influencer marketing impact, and the question of achievement versus clout with regard...
So Sage is kind of saying Matt Choi is a cheater and Nick Bare is on 'roids. Both are probably true. I think influencers appeal to more people as a sub 3:00 marathon seems attainable while 2:20 seems physically impossible.
i used to think running influencers were idiots then my mom started getting into running. 65 years old, just trying to be healthy, can't name a single "PRO" runner and doesn't care/relate. Then I realized there are 50x more of my mom out there than of nerdy 2:29 'thon guys. So in reality the influencers, who are more like typical runners are a lot more relatable and useful to the industry than some 112 pound kenyan that can't speak english and runs a 2 hour 'thon.
I understand and somewhat agree with this argument. However, I think there comes a point where as a society we have to determine if we want to celebrate what is "relatable" or if we want to celebrate greatness.
i used to think running influencers were idiots then my mom started getting into running. 65 years old, just trying to be healthy, can't name a single "PRO" runner and doesn't care/relate. Then I realized there are 50x more of my mom out there than of nerdy 2:29 'thon guys. So in reality the influencers, who are more like typical runners are a lot more relatable and useful to the industry than some 112 pound kenyan that can't speak english and runs a 2 hour 'thon.
So in reality the influencers, who are more like typical runners are a lot more relatable and useful to the industry than some 112 pound kenyan that can't speak english and runs a 2 hour 'thon.
This is a misconception. Without competitive running there would be no running. The whole point of races/times/etc. is to get better at running.
It's millions of people on the planet that can run 7:30 pace and post about their nonsense training on the Internet. These hobby joggers certainly aren't more relatable to me and I think that you're making a superficial generalization. Do you believe the average person is inspired by thr great achievements or some dork on the Internet?
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So in reality the influencers, who are more like typical runners are a lot more relatable and useful to the industry than some 112 pound kenyan that can't speak english and runs a 2 hour 'thon.
This is a misconception. Without competitive running there would be no running. The whole point of races/times/etc. is to get better at running.
It's millions of people on the planet that can run 7:30 pace and post about their nonsense training on the Internet. These hobby joggers certainly aren't more relatable to me and I think that you're making a superficial generalization. Do you believe the average person is inspired by thr great achievements or some dork on the Internet?
Influencers aren't more relatable to you. But isn't it possible that you are the special one? You have decided that the "whole point" of racing is to get better at running. I'm also competitive in that way, but lots of runners simply aren't. Then, you ask about getting "inspired" by achievement. But that's not what "relatable" means. It would not be unusual for slow people to relate better to other slow people (and also be inspired by faster people, too?), and there are way more slow people out there to get "influenced." I think you are misreading the OP's point of view, or maybe reading too much into it.