What's all this 'peak running' talk about?
Perhaps running has an underlying paranoia which leads some people to predict its demise.
It might be a case of frequency illusion but recently I seem to continually be seeing posts and articles predicting that we have reached “peak running”. So much so that my good friend Mario Fraioli and I recorded an episode of his excellent podcast - The Morning Shakeout - discussing that very subject. And then this morning I read a piece by the organisers of consumer running shows that theorised the exact opposite.
So what is going on?
I think it is inevitable that when something attracts the attention of a large number of people, there will be a period of heat and then a cooling off. You see it frequently. For example, athleisure was everywhere a decade ago and then several anti-reactions picked up momentum, perhaps the most obvious coming in the form of “quiet luxury”. The same was the case with gorp-core which saw people wearing highly technical waterproof jackets and hiking or trail running footwear in city centres (and even spawned a trend of social media content creators wearing their shell jackets in the shower as a way of showing off). There appears to be a lot less of that now.
For a while, both athleisure and gorp-core burned bright in the public consciousness. And then faded away.
So does the same fate await running? Well, on the surface it might appear that some of the same factors are in play: surging demand (for hype brands’ products and race entries for example), rising levels of brand investment, social media clamour, traditional media interest (you know it is a trend when the Daily Mail piles on), growing numbers of specialist interest groups and more. And it is worth noting that with the increased popularity has come a shift in the demographics of running - more young people are participating than has been the case for a very long time - which is a hallmark of a trend.
But running is not the same as reaching for the dressing-up box. In the cases of athleisure and gorp-core, participation was simply a matter of spending money and then wearing the gear. And aside from real - or perceived - heightened social status, wearing a fashionable outfit doesn’t generally confer much real benefit. Running, on the other hand, is not just a matter of getting dressed (although that is definitely part of it). Running involves … well, running. And running does deliver tangible benefits. So people who start to run regularly - even if they have been inspired to do so by seeing that running is booming - are highly likely to feel positive, life-enhancing differences. Which are what will keep them coming back.
Of course, I imagine there will be people who have jumped on the running popularity bandwagon who might jump onto a different one when that starts to become “the next big thing”. But I am confident that many newly minted runners have quickly found that it is an activity and sport that is worth keeping in their lives.
Like the Wind magazine was launched in 2014. Long before the Covid-19 pandemic that undoubtedly had a significant part to play in the rise of running’s popularity. Which in turn has birthed so many new runners, running brands and crews. It goes without saying that LtW is enjoying the renaissance of running. But whatever the next decades have in store for our activity and sport, LtW will remain dedicated to it, whether it is considered trendy or not.
All of this is to say that I don’t think we have reached “peak running” because that suggests it is all downhill from here (and as any runner know, if someone in a group in which you are running says “don’t worry, it’s all downhill from here” you shouldn’t believe them!) I know that due to some very unusual factors, more people than ever are running. And I’m confident that, because of the positive nature of running, many of those people will stick with it.
Whether you are new to running or a seasoned stalwart, I would love to know why you started and what has kept you going. After all, the strap line of Like the Wind is “it’s why we run”. So if you have a moment, please leave a comment. And in the meantime, I hope you have had a great weekend.
Simon
Simon Freeman
LtW co-founder, publisher and optimist about the future of running