The Renaissance of Running
And the People Who Are Shaping It
Renaissance [ren-uh-sahns, -zahns, -sahns, ren-uh-sahns, -zahns, -sahns] — noun: the activity, spirit, or time of a great revival… marking the transition from the medieval to the modern.
Estimates for people who classify themselves as runners in the US (including jogging) topped out at 65 million in spring of 2017. Only 10 years prior that figure stood at 45 million. There’s no doubt that running has managed to permeate popular culture to a degree that it’s never done before. It’s no longer the preserve of the middle-aged, pale-faced weekend warrior. Instead, people are taking up the sport in record numbers.
So where did things change?
One could probably point to Kenneth H. Cooper’s work around aerobics as the advent of running as a mainstream pastime. Despite this, it remained a niche for many years, enduring pointed jeers and jabs from the public at large.
As an example, even though Tim Noakes’s Lore of Running was published in 1991, one could argue that it only really reached critical mass about a decade later.
Granted, an increasingly sedentary lifestyle over the past two decades may have spurred the public into taking up a relatively cheap fitness activity like running, but I believe the answers lie deeper than that.
You see, running hasn’t just become popular, it’s become cool — and I’m talking about distance running in particular.
To paint a picture, when Braamfie Runners (my home crew in Johannesburg, South Africa) was formed, only about 3 or 4 members participated in Comrades Marathon, notoriously dubbed the world’s toughest ultra marathon.
Fast-forward six years and in about a week’s time we’ll have 15 members of approximately 50 doing the 89km run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban. That’s almost a third of the entire crew doing a run that very few would dare to try in their lifetime — and most of them are first-timers to the race.
Anecdotal as it might be, I’m a firm believer that crews are the driving force behind the renaissance of running culture across the world. They cater to the every-man and woman looking for a social environment where they can improve themselves, holistically.
I’d argue that the popularity of running goes further than its fitness benefits, with brands having also played a massive role in shaping how running is perceived by the general public.
Track stars have generally always received the lion’s share of media publicity, but it’s thanks to marketing campaigns like Nike’s Breaking2 attempt that elite marathon contenders like Eliud Kipchoge have written themselves into running folklore. Whether or not such marketing campaigns have any real credence is an article for another day, but those efforts have no doubt propelled running into the minds of many — even those who may not realise the sheer magnitude of challenging for a sub-two-hour marathon.
To further understand why distance running has experienced a resurgence, it’s worth analysing the fitness trajectory of the average person, from the time that they leave high school to the time that they hit their mid- to late-20's. Usually the picture of fitness after leaving high school, the average athlete might go on to participate in track and field at the college or university level, or perhaps even a team sport like soccer, basketball, or rugby (if you’re South African).
They then look to running as a means to improve their health, and in the process, join clubs or crews for the social aspect that other solo disciplines lack.
Then there’s the fascinating obsession with going faster and longer. Once you start ticking off the boxes, there are challenges around every corner.
A meme captioned “Imagine dating a guy that brags about running a 5km” made its way on to my Facebook and Instagram feeds this week. It was a chuckle, but essentially points to where running is headed.
Despite this obsession, the message is that you don’t need to a super-athlete to start.
Personally, I started running for the health benefits. Over time, however, it’s become much more than that. Yes — there is an overwhelmingly satisfying feeling that comes from beating your best. But beyond that, it’s become about meeting like-minded people who are all chasing towards the same goal.
The beautiful thing about running is that it transcends boundaries, linguistic, cultural and geographical. There’s something primal about pounding the surface with your peers in an effort for self-improvement.
What’s the ultimate end-goal, you ask?
Personally, I’d like to see running crews to line the streets and all be afforded the dues that they deserve, with a mutual respect for each other and a healthy competition that pushes the culture forward and keeps it at the forefront of fitness.
It’s only right that the running renaissance continues.
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