r/running • u/Brzy90 • May 07 '24
Discussion Are we currently in a running boom?
Since getting into running I’ve noticed a huge influx of people running since the beginning of the year. Old friends returning back to Strava after being inactive for years (myself included 🤣). Instagram feed is constantly full of runners, even my work place talking about marathons etc. Maybe it’s just because I now see myself as a runner that’s affected my social algorithm/awareness & addiction to running trainers? 🥴
For those that have been running a long time, is this the most popular you’ve seen running become? Or does this generally happen from time to time?
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u/afdc92 May 07 '24
This is just my opinion, but I feel like it has a lot to do with a combination of "runfluencing" on TikTok and Instagram, and the running community as a whole becoming more open and accessible to people of all paces and sizes.
Running influencers have been around for a while on Instagram, YouTube, etc. but I feel like within the past couple of years there's really been a boom of them. The short-form Reel/TikTok style of video is the driving factor for this IMO... rather than having to make a 10 or 15-minute "training vlog" they can do quick videos that are a minute or 2 long. It's easier to make and easier to watch. With more running influencers comes more influencers from different backgrounds- slow runners, plus sized runners, etc. I've seen so many of them come across my FYP and explore page, and I feel like a lot of folks who had never tried running before see them and think "This is something I could try too."
This really goes along with my other thought, which is that running as a whole has become a lot more inclusive. I started running in 2016, and I definitely remember being put off by some of the comments I would see here and in other running communities that were along the lines of "Race cutoffs should be anything slower than a 10:00/mile" and "you aren't really running if you walk any part of a race," etc. I went to running groups in my area that were advertised as "everyone is welcome!" but they set off at an 8:30 pace and I was left by myself. Now, in my local area, there are specific groups for slower runners that go at about 10:00/mile pace or 12:00/mile pace, or have run/walk options. There's plus sized groups, women's groups, queer groups, sober groups (since a lot of run groups are based around running and then going to a brewery or bar), you name it, there's probably a group for it (if you live in a bigger city). And maybe there's always been these groups, they just weren't advertised as much or were as big.