In Defense of Runners

I have been active all of my life. I participated in gymnastics, softball, volleyball, and soccer growing up and in college. After college I got into running. I have always been mindful of what I eat. Exercise has been many things to me. It has been, at times, an obsession. It has been a stress-relieving distraction from work, moving, and separations from my husband. It has been a source of pure joy and freedom. It has been a time for me to get outside with my daughter and enjoy beautiful scenery and fresh air. It has given me time to be alone and think and solve all of the world's problems and occasionally some of my own. I have run 12 marathons, a few half marathons, and completed an Ironman triathlon.
I have been called crazy more than a few times. I have had horrible things shouted at me, McDonalds bags full of trash hurled at me, and lit cigarettes flicked at me from car windows as I train. I was nearly sideswiped by a driver not paying attention as he swerved onto the shoulder where I rode my bike in Delaware. As I skidded along the gravel after attempting to stop short, he didn't stop to apologize or see if I was ok. I have had overweight patients tell me I need to get more meat on my bones and tell me how lucky I am that I am skinny and don't know what it's like to have to exercise and watch what I eat (because waking up before 3AM to ride a bike for 3 hours and run 10 miles before working a 10-hour day is mostly luck). In the past few days, I have seen runners called some pretty terrible names on Facebook, Twitter, and in the comments sections of articles on various online news websites. I have witnessed a turning tide in general where people who choose to be healthy and stay active are criticized and derided.

I understand that the NYC marathon was an extremely polarizing event, and ultimately canceling it was the appropriate decision. People lost everything. People are still without basic necessities, and I'm not talking about power. People are without homes, clothes, food, and water. People in NY are living as a good portion of the world lives every day. The havoc wreaked by Sandy is truly devastating. Having said that, I feel the need to defend the runners.

The runners did not cause the hurricane. The runners did not have a say in whether or not the race would go on or not. Yet, somehow, in the discussion of whether or not the race should be run, the runners became the target of a lot of negativity. They were taking hotel rooms from people who needed them. "If you run you have no soul," read one comment on CNN.com. Another in the same article called for the runners to be dragged out of NYC. These people don't care about anyone but themselves. I was unable to find data as to how many people were scheduled to run this year's race for charity. However, in 2011 over $34 million was raised for 210 charities. In every marathon that takes place, there is a large contingent of runners who are running for someone or something other than themselves. I have been such a runner. When running a large race such as NY, you can't run more than a few steps without seeing a shirt or a sign or a picture on someone's shirt indicating the charity for which that person is running. As to the hotel rooms being wasted on runners, there were approximately 20,000 international runners expected to run this year's race in NY. By Friday afternoon when the race was cancelled, most of those runners were expected to be in the city already with pre-booked flights to go home sometimes over a week after the race, during which time they will be contributing to the devastated economy of the city. Those runners are not demons. Those runners are people who have trained 5-7 days/week for months after being lucky enough to be selected in the lottery to run a race that, for some, is a lifelong dream. A man from Japan interviewed for an AP report said that he would be in Staten Island on Sunday helping with the recovery in any way that he could. He also said that if the race had been run, he would have run. I believe that it is possible to feel genuine empathy for the victims of the storm and still be angry and disappointed that a goal and dream to which you have devoted time and money is not going to come true. In almost every story about the race's cancellation, mentions of charity and good deeds done by runners have been mentioned cursorily or not at all. In addition, the economic impact of the marathon in terms money coming into the city was estimated to be $340 million. This is all small potatoes when compared to the very real difficulties facing people in NY and throughout the Northeast as the rebuilding and recovery efforts begin. I simply think that it is important to recognize the time and effort put in by anyone who chooses to run a marathon and the extra effort put in by those who choose to run for charities.

In closing, I have a small comparison to make (and this isn't an endorsement of Mitt Romney...I voted for Gary Johnson). Some people think Mormons are crazy extremists. Some people think the religion is ridiculous. The Mormons I have had the pleasure of knowing in my life have been nothing but generous and kind. They love their families, steer clear of vices like alcohol and caffeine, and go on missions where they promote their religion and provide humanitarian aid. If only every religion was so selfish and destructive.  Running is a stupid hobby. Runners are crazy extremists who wake up before dawn to run in a big loop and end up right where they started. Studies show that people who exercise are more productive at work, happier, are at lower risk for a multitude of diseases that cost the health care system millions upon millions of dollars, and are more likely to give of their time volunteering and to charities (often raising funds as they train for races). If only every hobby was that destructive.