Five Things Running: Issue #116
Run more. But read this first!
Heya and welcome back to Five Things Running!
I started the week hopeful that I’d get a lot of running in as the kids had no school, which means that I have more time in the morning. Well, it didn’t work out as planned. I did get a nice run in on Monday afternoon during my youngest daughter’s cheerleading practice, but then I thought I shouldn’t run the next morning, then had an early meeting on Wednesday, on Thursday we did a day trip to Groningen and I finally got to run on Friday again. Saturday and Sunday I didn’t run because of a stupid cold. I hate it when my running plans for the week just don’t work out. And I hate it even more when I have a stupid cold with a headache and lots of sneezing.
The cool thing about my daughter’s cheerleading practice is that I get to run in a part of Hamburg where I usually won’t run and I get to explore new routes. Next week will hopefully be better.
Here’s this week’s Five Things Running!
Premembrance Day: Celebrating Steve Prefontaine, 50 years after his tragic early death
His rebel quality and an outspoken disregard for authority were two of Pre’s more endearing traits and he never lost his blue-collar frustration and impatience with officialdom. This was channelled towards a deserving foe in the form of the American Athletics Union (AAU), which in the early 1970s was insisting on imposing antediluvian standards of amateurism on impoverished runners from which it materially benefited. Pre, who reportedly turned down a six-figure sum to keep his Olympics dream alive, was forced to get by bartending in his spare time. He lived in a trailer adjacent to Eugene’s Willamette River for much of his university career. ‘Amateurism should have been kicked out in 1920,’ he once said.
The legacy of Steve Prefontaine is really something, just look at the new Nike Vaporfly 4 “Pre Montreal” colorway. So cool.
From TikTok to the track: gen Z are driving running’s third great boom
While the traditional running world may sneer, Glandorf says influencers have played a significant part. “This huge ecosystem of female creators definitely brings in younger women,” she says. “Mostly they are not pro athletes. Instead the younger generation is being inspired by people who look like them or have a similar background.”
There is one myth worth shattering, however. It was not the pandemic that led to the spike in running. That, says Brasher, only came in 2023. But Covid‑19 did play a part. “We used to have to go into the office five days a week,” he says. And we socialised through work. A lot of that cohesion has gone and therefore it needs to be replaced. People want to be together in a community they enjoy and running has myriad diverse communities.”
I love how run clubs are taking off everywhere. Even though I prefer to run alone. But I’m Gen X…
Why Would Someone Fake Their Run?
What, he wondered, had happened to jogging for the pleasure of it, without the need for outside validation? And in its own deeply subversive way, his website hints at some of the larger challenges that have taken root amid the rapid spread of technology like artificial intelligence: If people are willing to fake something as benign as a weekend run, what can any of us believe to be true anymore? Not much, apparently.
People are weird. I really don’t understand why people would fake their runs on Strava.
I traded rest and relaxation for a ‘run-cation.’ Here’s why running vacations are a growing travel trend
Instead of seeking rest and relaxation on vacation, we were pursuing the heady scent of adventure in the Purcell Mountains. We ranged from casual joggers (me) to serious athletes (one had just completed part of the Alps’ Mont Blanc circuit).
We were on this guided trail running trip with CMH (Canadian Mountain Holidays) to push ourselves, safely, amid stunning scenery: turquoise glacial lakes, towering granite spires, and snowfields striped pink with algae.
I was hooked.
That sounds fun. I doubt my family would enjoy it, though.
Elite Runner Kilian Jornet Announces Search for Western States 100 Pacer
The race employs a lottery system to select participants and requires that runners participate in a qualifying race within a specified period to be eligible for the lottery. Kilian Jornet made a grand announcement on social media seeking a pacer to join him for the famed race, which will be held on June 28. In his video, he mentions two requirements: his pacer must be fit and up for the challenge.
What a GOAT move. Unfortunately I am busy that weekend, otherwise I’d apply.
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If you missed last week’s edition, you can read it here:
Now, go running!
— Nico
🏃🏻♂️