What Type of Runner are You?

A December 14th article by Jim Connolly, of BBC News Magazine, states that in England, the number of people running on a regular basis has risen by a third since 2005. In England, or possibly the UK, nearly 2 million people are running at least thirty minutes to stay fit. Contrast that with America where, according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association report (2012), there are approximately 28,651,00 core runners (defined as 50 or more runs/ year).
Connolly asks, “Who are these runners?” and divides them into 10 types.
1.      The classic club runner: the club provides friendship, training partners, motivation, and support.
2.      The weight loss runner: initially, this runner begins in order to lose that “rubber tire” or the weight gain after a pregnancy.
3.      The ultrarunner: most ultrarunners have worked their way up the ranks (an ultramarathon is any distance farther than the standard 26.2 mile marathon). After conquering, or sampling, a shorter distance, this runner sets the next goal a little higher, and then a little higher until, in some cases, ultras are the only distance.
4.      The mood-boosting runner: It is a proven fact that exercise—running—can improve one’s mood. For some runners this positive mood enhancement is just a side effect, but others fall or “run” into running specifically to help dispel depression or other mood disorders.
5.      The awareness-raising runner: these runners have a personal connection to an issue that they wish to call attention to; it could be a cause, an ideal, or any of a number of medical conditions.
6.      The barefoot runner: currently, the barefoot runner may be phasing out of popularity. But the publication in 2009 of Born to Run by Christopher McDougal—which featured the Tarahumara Indians of northwestern Mexico and the nearly mythical Caballo Blanco—barefoot running became a sub-cult of its own. The result of this mini-boom, though, is a more extensive range of lightweight, less-cushioned running shoes to choose from.
7.      The early morning runner: some folks are simply “morning people.” In my experience, though, morning is the only time that some runners can find to get in their workout. Running usually has to fit around our daily routines—work, family, school— often, the early morning is the only available time.
8.      The retired professional: well, there aren’t that many retired professionals running around (pun intended). But I have seen a number of former great runners featured on the running circuit at various races around the country. They must be making a certain amount of “appearance” money to draw runners to an event. Good for them; good for us.
9.      The fell runner: In the United Kingdom, fell running refers to a brand of off-road, hill and cross country running. In America, we call this trail running. Fell running differs from American trail running in that often a fell run has a starting point and a finish point but no clearly marked “trail” that connects the two. A compass and map are required equipment for many fell runs.
10.  The lapsed runner: Life, with a capital “L,” has an annoying way of interfering with the path we would prefer to take. Many people were runners in their youth, but entering the military, or starting a family, or becoming involved in work, derailed further participation in running. Sometime later, after the kids are old enough and the lifestyle has stabilized former runners dust off their old running gear and start brand new on their old hobby.
This is a good list, but I can think of a few other types—
11.  The medalist: Some runners enter races solely for the glory, and while the glory does include running well and breaking personal records (PRs), it primarily consists of medaling by winning the race or placing within the top three in the runner’s age group.  The typical medalist won’t compete in races that don’t award medals.
12.  The Bigger Goal runner: These runners set a big goal and then put all their energy into achieving that goal. There is the 50 States Marathon Club, which obviously means running at least one marathon in each state. There is a Seven Continents marathon club as well. Then, some set a goal to run a marathon a week for one full year: 52 marathons. And on, and on it goes.
13.  The streak runner: a streak can take several forms. One form consists of running at least one continuous mile every day, like the current Number One, Jon Sutherland, of West Hills, CA, who, as of Dec., 31, 2013, has run 16,291 days in a row—a total of 44.60 years. Another form of streak is running the same race year after year. Take, for example, Ben Beach of Bethesda, Md., who has completed forty-five straight Boston Marathons, running every race since 1968 (it was only the terrorist bombing this year that prevented him from completing his forty-sixth).
I’m sure that you might be able to think of a few more categories. The problem with placing runners into types, of course, is that it assumes that each person fits into only one type, which is not usually the case. I can lay claim to at least six types myself (seven if I fudge a little on early-morning runner). What type of runner are you? And how many types can you fit claim?
Good running in 2014—See you out there!
Gotta run,
Craig