Instagram Vs Reality- Let's Talk About the Impact of Social Media on Marathon Running
Now- let’s open by me saying that I wholeheartedly, effusively support anyone who takes on the enormous challenge of running a marathon. I promise you; it will change your life for the better. But what I’ve been mulling over for quite some time now is this nagging feeling in my gut that the marathon, the distance and miles, might be becoming devalued, in part because of the ever increasing presence of social media.
It’s a BIG subject, one which I’ve been writing around and reaching for and talking through with peers for what feels like ages now. So here’s my opening gambit- I’d be so interested to hear from you what you think, whether you agree or disagree, please let me know!
To rewind a little, I started my running ‘journey’ back in the early 00’s. As a new runner myself once I’d got a few races under my belt I was desperate to find out how to become a faster. I wanted to know how I could improve my performance. But where was the information, what on earth did I have to do? There was a “speed” session at my then club, but it felt like a private men’s club where women (“urgh, so complicated!”) weren’t encouraged to attend, the sense being that we’d spoil their fun, as they’d have to be responsible for us when we couldn’t keep up. The irony wasn’t lost on me- my objective was to get faster so that I could keep up, but it appeared I had to get faster on my own before I could access their speed sessions.
To add to this stonewalling, the training information wasn’t readily available as this was a time before the internet. There were books and a monthly edition of Runner’s World, but as a relatively new runner it all read like a foreign language to me. I couldn’t decipher sessions like 2 (5-8 x 3 100m reps @5km pace) and if I knew what they meant, I certainly didn’t have the confidence to run these on my own. I so desperately wanted to be part of the cool gang of runners who ran faster marathons, who knew how to improve, but the door just wasn’t open to the likes of me- a mid 30s recreational runner who didn’t have the special key. I felt like an outlier- my work colleagues thought I was mad for running long distances, and other female runners at the club were happy to run at the back, seemingly only running to keep weight off.
I remember plucking up the courage to ask one of the faster men of my club, in a manner not dissimilar to Oliver Twist, “excuse me, sir, how do I get faster?”.
His reply - and I am NOT making this up, much as I wish I was- “Imagine being chased by a weirdo down a dark alley, what would you do?”.
I looked at him, and replied, “Well, I’d run fast because I had to” “Exactly” he said, “that’s what you do, just run fast”. I was even more confused; I didn’t get it.
So, when the internet arrived absolutely everywhere sometime after, I welcomed the new onslaught of social media networks with very, very open arms. Not only did I have information and communication tools at my fingertips, but I could join like-minded runners in online communities, Facebook groups, forums, bulletin boards, chat rooms and blog networks- it all felt like the safe place I’d so desperately been searching for to ask questions that the more established runners I was surrounded by thought were stupid.
With this new network to support it, running grew from what I felt was a closely kept secret of the underground for a chosen few, to the front and centre stage visible for all to see, enabling “normal” people to experience and take part in what were once seen as unachievable goals, but were now seen as real possibilities. This previous unfair disconnect between the recreational runner and the elite narrowed, bridged by the information highway, enabling runners of all abilities to be able to share all things running related, in everyday language- training sessions, nutrition, race day prep, race day fuelling. The secret to improving performance was, and still is, no longer a secret.
This widening window of opportunity has been welcomed, an undeniable gift, that has been lapped up by almost all of us as we confidently share, follow and chat. For me, I didn’t feel like a “weirdo” anymore- the internet allowed me to find my people, and for that I am forever grateful.
But recently I have started to fear that we may have been handed a poisoned chalice. I have witnessed first-hand the real impact that social media has had on individuals in the running community. Because social networks have had to evolve, and the motivation for sharing information has changed, there’s big money to be made as the desire to reveal valuable and entertaining content increases, and the need to define and identify yourself to the world becomes the norm… seemingly we must all choose a tribe. We all know which one we chose, I certainly did anyway- “I am a runner.”
It’s surely not unrelated that as social media networks have increased their jurisdiction over our lives and minds, the landscape of the running community is transforming. According to Strava, Gen-Z, and specifically women under 25 years old, are the fastest-growing community on their app, and the most likely age group to be tracking their runs.
And Gen Z are rebranding running, it’s so much more than cardio, it’s about joy and freedom. They are shaking off the shackles of dreading cross-country and bucking the depressing trend of young women dropping out of sport because of poor PE experiences.
Instead, we are seeing online influencers showcasing their daily run streaks, nutritionists with over 60k Instagram followers sharing their story of running New York marathon, after taking up running “on a whim”. Lululemon signing 10 influential runners after announcing their FURTHER initiative last year- a campaign to celebrate and demonstrate how women can excel in endurance sports.
And I love this so much. I love how accessible and inclusive running now is, I love that young women are seeing the many, many benefits of running and are pouring into our communities, and setting up their own, all over the country.
But my increasingly growing chagrin is about how much social media is influencing that “anyone” can run a marathon, seemingly on a whim. I am outing myself about this, in the hopes that some of you are starting to feel this way, too.
If you did and do, then I think this year’s London Marathon might have something to do with it- it’s what has tipped me over the edge of finally wanting to start talking about this. I honestly watched in wonder at the frenzied social media sharing of “everyone” entering next year’s ballot, seemingly nobody wanting to miss out, regardless of whether they ran or have ever run or even want to run. It didn’t seem to matter as much as the chance to create content and, of course, the FOMO.
My own now adult children, who’ve never shown the slightest interest in running before besides supporting me, excitedly messaged me the words that I’ve been longing to hear for over 20 years- “Mum, we’d like to start running and run London Marathon next year!”.
Obviously, all those years of watching me run had little impact on them before now. I was never the perfect or perfected role model, and maybe it was because of the way I packaged it that they weren’t keen to follow in my foot steps- the reality of early morning, all weather runs, of the tears, the snot, the blisters, my lack of nice shoes/toenails or possibly my contorted and misshaped feet.
In stark comparison, social media and Gen Z are showcasing how running is seen as a symbol of fitness, self-improvement, and community. And why wouldn’t they want to belong to the Gen Z gang, they want to feel empowered, free, joyful, and of course beautiful!
As FOMO becomes part of our new language, as a running coach who specialises in training beginners to nurture and develop a healthy and long-term relationship with running, I am witnessing now all too often the many runners and non-runners jumping aboard the FOMO bandwagons, signing up to marathons that they are simply not yet ready to run.
And maybe what we don’t consider enough is that an individual is at a much higher risk of FOMO if they already have low self-esteem, anxiety and/or depression, so entering a race or an event that they are not yet ready for simply because they don’t want to miss out can have serious, long term negative consequences that isn’t often shared on social media.
Scrolling through post after post of training runs that are unable to be matched, deeming other people’s training runs to be so much more fun and exciting in comparison to theirs, seeing shared runs through beautiful forest trails, with their “Sex and the City” besties #runningwithfriends and marathon paced sections, sharing sweat-free selfie after sweat-free selfie from flattering angles and through filters, can lead to feelings of envy, low levels of well-being and self-esteem.
And all too often now I’m witnessing runners who are already vulnerable, forcing their running journey to match someone else’s because of what they’re seeing on Strava, and elsewhere. This often leads to huge disappointment if they even make it to the start line, thought many simply burnout or get injured, ultimately and ironically, leading to even more FOMO.
In some cases, they give up running altogether and miss out on what would have been a beautiful, reciprocal, supportive friendship.
Two of the biggest personality traits which predict heavy social media use are Extraversion and Emotional Instability (lower life satisfaction, fear, anxiety, worry and envy) so we enter a toxic relationship of individuals constantly posting their “best running life” to increase their life satisfaction with kudos and likes with passive social media individuals who look on enviously with upward social comparison with their self-esteem at rock bottom.
As any running coaches reading will know, we have a duty of care to our runners. But it’s becoming harder and harder to get people to actually hear and heed the hard stuff- it can feel a bit like kicking puppies when I tell an enthusiastic new runner whose signed up to their first marathon because they’ve seen everyone in their feed doing it that they should, in fact, wait another year.
The analogy I like to use is to look upon training and running a marathon like the difference between a one-night stand and a healthy, loving relationship.
Yes, one-night stands are exciting- it’s a way to feel that you’re attractive, desired, engaging and interesting with no strings attached and with very little time invested in the other person. You don’t have to put yourself out there or show any level of emotional vulnerability, with little chance of rejection or failure. However, the downside of a quickie is the impact it can have on how you feel about yourself- regret, low self-esteem and depression because it won’t replace the beauty of investing time by nurture a relationship that can grow and mature over many years.
Because the reality of marathon which we never see on social media, and that many people now are discovering too late and without enough understanding to prepare themselves for, is less Disneyworld, more The Walking Dead. Now, do you want to tell them or shall I?