You don’t have to do an Ultra to call yourself a runner

You don’t have to run an ultra marathon to be a “proper” runner.  Hell, you don’t even need to run a marathon to call yourself a runner. There, I’ve said it.  I’m in no way bashing those who chose to run marathons of course, the beauty of this sport is the variety of distance, terrain and format.  Sometimes though, I get this niggling feeling that some groups have curated, either inadvertently or otherwise, an air of one-upmanship and elitism when it comes to discussions around the races you’ve run and distances achieved. 

I’ve never run an ultra and I might never.  I ran a marathon once and I can’t say I enjoyed anything at all about the distance.  It was hot, it was all on tarmac and there was a huge amount of pressure (albeit mostly self-inflicted) to complete it and get a time that I could be proud of.  I managed only one of those two aims; I completed it.  After having a little lie down on the pavement for a few minutes I walked a large chunk of the last few miles, dragging myself in tears to the finish line feeling drained of all energy and like a total failure.  It was an experience I’m not keen to repeat and it took me a long time to realise that just finishing was something to be proud of even if the time wasn’t what I was hoping for.  

There are a variety of things that went wrong for me that day and many of them could probably be improved over time, but let’s not dwell on that here.  I just don’t enjoy running a very long way for a very long time.  I definitely don’t enjoy training to run a very long way for a very long time.  At the end of the day that is why I run, for fun, so why would I want to put myself through something I am 99% certain would be horrendous? 

Don’t get me wrong, I love getting caught up in the excitement of it all and am in total awe and respect of athletes taking on these events.  Tracking the current Spine Race contenders is a great coffee break distraction from the comfort of my warm house.  Do I wish I was out there running all day and all night in the biting cold?  Not one tiny bit.  I loved tracking my friends in the summer, tearing up the Dragons Back race, beating the blistering heat and terrain over days to achieve their dreams.  Did I think about signing up next year?  Absolutely not. 

Maybe it’s a psychological thing.  Apart from physical ability, you certainly have to have incredible discipline, resolve and inner strength to get around some of these events.  I could probably train my body to get there, but I’m not sure I could train my mind to pull me around a race like that, and when I think about it I’m not sure I want to.  And that’s ok. 

I like chatty runs with friends, I like solitary runs with my dog, I like adventures in the mountains, I like fell races in the hills, I like fast races with sprint finishes.  I am still a runner.  Maybe you are working through couch to 5km.  You are still a runner.  Maybe you run Parkrun every Saturday and nothing more.  You are still a runner.  Maybe you run for fun and never want to enter a race.  You are still a runner.  Maybe you only run on a track.  You are still a runner.  This sport has room for us all. 

Happy running x