In his article Chad Stafko is wondering why running is so popular. He does have some good questions. Like this one, which made me smile:
‘Why would someone want to get up at 5 a.m. and run 10 miles adorned with fluorescent tape to avoid being struck by someone who has the good sense to use a car for a 10-mile journey?’
Running as a cry for attention
It seems Stafko has a pet peeve about runners who show off their accomplishments. He especially doesn’t like the wellknown bumperstickers with 26.1 and 13.1 on them.
He feels these bumperstickers are a cry for attention. Stafko says putting such a sticker on your car is the same as putting a selfie on Facebook accompagnied by the words: ‘I’m bored’.
Running because all the cool people do it
Stafko does admit though, that there are runners who simply run because they want to. Not because all the cool people are doing it. Runners who don’t show off how far and how fast they’ve run. They run because it makes them feel good. No matter their pace or the distance.
I love Stafko’s final words:’I saw a great new bumper sticker the other day. It read 0.0. I’ll take one of those, please.‘
As someone who never participates in races, and just runs, I really liked this article. Though I can certainly understand the pride a runner feels when he’s finished a marathon.
But sometimes in all the noise about races, I kind of miss what running is all about: running.
You can read the article here.