Does Running Culture Suck?

Mar 26, 2025

Join writer and runner Raziq Rauf, known for his newsletter "Running Sucks," as he tackles the quirks of running culture. Together, they explore why marathoners are so persuasive, the intimidating vibe of running clubs, and how running can be a double-edged sword of joy and pressure. Raziq sheds light on the camaraderie among runners, the role of apps like Strava in building connections, and the relationship between running and academia. It's a frank discussion about the ups and downs of hitting the pavement.

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INSIGHT

Simplicity Drives Stickiness

Running's primary appeal is its low friction: shoes on, out the door.
That simplicity keeps people returning even when parts of it are unpleasant.

ADVICE

Lower Mileage For Shin Splints

If you get shin splints, reduce mileage to recover rather than quitting.
Recognize evangelism often comes from personal transformation, not smugness.

INSIGHT

Running As Cognitive Reset

Many academics run because it bodily counters solitary, cerebral work and clears the mind.
Raziq Rauf and Anne Helen Petersen describe running as a cheap 'cabin in the woods' for clarity.

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Why does every person who runs marathon want to convince you that you too could run one? What makes running clubs so intimidating? When people get into running, why can’t they shut the hell up about it? I’ve asked avowed non-marathoner Raziq Rauf, author of the newsletter Running Sucks, to help address all of your running culture related questions. Yes, we’re both runners; but we’re also both runners who are very willing to admit that running does often suck — and also willing to interrogate the cultures (of performance, of optimization) that percolate around it. (Plus: why academics get so into running, how people use Strava as a social/dating app, and how to find people who run your pace!) Raz might have even convinced me to try a running club. Maybe. Okay probably not.

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Show Notes:

Subscribe to Raziq Rauf’s newsletter, Running Sucks
My piece on Aging Into Athleticism
Raz interviewed me for Running Sucks and you can read it here!
A running newsletter I really love (and that does a lot to interrogate the norms of trail running culture, and what happens when races become profit centers): Sarah Lavender Smith’s Mountain Living & Running
Is Strava the New Dating App?
Really interesting psychological study on Strava and collegiate club runners
“Is Strava Ruining My Running?”

We’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:

WTF is going on with contemporary/everyday men’s fashion (will Dockers make a comeback? How should we think about the business casual fleece/puffer vest? What’s going on with swimwear? HATS? I’m so excited for this one, with the great Jason Diamond)
Backyard chickens/farming
Dark Academia (as in, the literary genre)
Van/Skoolie/RV Life
SoCal Culture (broad, I know, but whew there’s so much) + Boston/Mass Culture (with Josh Gondleman)
PERIODS (and specifically, period pain) with Kate Helen Downey, host of Cramped
Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!
As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) here