Last week on Running Sucks
I got some world exclusive quotes from UTMB 2026 winner Ben Dhiman about his Indian heritage. Go and read it if you haven’t yet.
Thanks again to Amazfit for helping to schedule that time with Ben.
Are influencers really that important?
Ask any of the publicists in my inbox: I’m not really susceptible to being sold things. That means I also don’t have much use for influencers, which means I don’t follow many. The few I do keep in touch with are the ones who either have elite levels of creativity or they use their position to turbocharge charities. For me, it’s got to be either fun or worthy.
After I posted on IG about how to balance the unfettered consumerism and consumption during UTMB week, I noticed the prevailing sentiment in the comments to be an extraordinarily visceral reaction against influencers.
It was quite startling to see how angry people are with influencers existing at all.
I foolishly suggested the easiest solution was to unfollow them like I had, because I didn’t see anything of them beyond the ones photographing their lukewarm flutes of champagne directly next to me. Apparently, it’s not that simple.
Next, there was the news from the US Open1 about 100 influencers being loud enough during matches to disturb the players, and how Wimbledon wouldn’t allow them next year. I love tennis, and so I know that silence is demanded during these tournaments held in somewhat stuffy, bourgeoisie environments.
If the brands are looking to gain coverage beyond the tennis (or running) world, I think it’s incumbent on those brands to educate their guests on the correct etiquette.
An important thing to note here is that influencers at UTMB did not disturb the athletes. And, like I said, they didn’t disturb me either, because I simply don’t follow them. I think it’s pretty easy to be in charge of that.
The next thing is I don’t think excluding influencers from UTMB week will really do anything on the important point of how helpless we’re all feeling about the actions of big industry and the proliferation of data centers, let alone our own massive personal contributions. Making it 99,000 people in a 10,000-person town instead of 100,000? That’s a statistically insignificant difference.
My strategy for (not) following influencers is drum that I’ve been beating around generally using your time more wisely.
If you have found yourself spending too much time on your phone, engaging in non-digital activities that you enjoy – like running or reading physical books and magazines – means that you simply have less time in your day to sit there and doom-scroll.
Likewise, if you have a strong dislike of influencers, 1) unfollow them, and 2) make sure you’re supporting the kind of content that you do like. That second point is important.
Over the past decade, many traditional publicists have changed their job titles to Influencer Marketers, because that’s how companies get coverage now. Obviously, the rise of TikTok and IG is one side of it, but the other side is how many newspapers and magazines have folded due to poor sales.
If everyone complaining about influencers also genuinely supported the publications that they read regularly, we’d have less of a problem overall. Just 2% of the readers of Running Sucks pay for it, for instance. Fill your world with what you love. You’ll probably be happier.
If you’re unable to pay that much to read my work every week, name your price in this survey, and you’ll get an automated discount code via email.
R is for Routine
Despite being booked for wall-to-wall interviews following his UTMB win (“It’s a good problem to have,” he said.), Ben Dhiman still found the time to write 1500 words of race recap on his Speedhiman Substack.
How did you find time for that, let alone the clarity of mind??
“That’s my inner compulsion. Nobody’s hanging that over my head. That’s my own sense of getting something done. And that’s a tradition of mine I’ve held for a long time: to pump that out, and it can’t wait.”
“I just have to do it. It’s an animal act. I gotta get it out. I gotta purge. And that’s what it feels like. Until I get it done, I feel anxious. I just need to get it out there and then I feel better.”
Ben Dhiman on the best time to write:
“I find writing in the morning is better for me. Otherwise, I start getting more and more tired, especially after races in the afternoon, so I’ve just gotta hit it while it’s fresh.”
Ben Dhiman on whether there are any similarities between writing and running:
“Maybe, but [running is] a lot more calibrated. Writing is more visceral. Running is an expression of myself but it’s also my job so I treat it a bit differently.”
I love his focus on routine. With my self-imposed publishing schedule of Mondays and Thursday, it’s one that I obviously like to adhere to, and I like writing in the mornings as well. I also like to run in the mornings though, which is a major battle in my life. When to add in a nap?
Tell me about your favorite routines, or why you don’t like routine.
Bangladesh’s first UTMB finisher
Another story from UTMB that I’m hoping to tell is Bangladesh’s first ever finisher, Partho Saha. Having diligently built his UTMB Index and Running Stones, he completed the course with over an hour to spare. I hope to tell the story of what he had to go through to get to Chamonix!
You might remember this story from 2024 that I adapted for This is Running. There’s a lot more to think about when you’re from that part of the world.
A run connecting London’s green spaces
One of my final acts of my UK summer was to run nine miles with my friend, Colin along the Green Link Walk2 in London. It connects 15 miles of green spaces between Peckham and Walthamstow, and was an absolute delight.
I met him at St. Paul’s Cathedral, and we traversed winding city streets before traveling through several of East London’s parks. I recommend it!
Thanks for reading!
Raz xx
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But if people aren't complaining about influencers, what will they complain about?! I see 20 "Hot Take: I Miss The Old IG Before Influencers" posts a week from people who are chasing likes and clouts like...wait for it...influencers. It's all a racket. I'm part of it. But I'm with you and if people continue to make their entire feed blaming a smalls subset of runners for ruining the sport but not take the time to realize they are part of the issue in following them then what are we even doing?
Aren't you an influencer? Not being facetious, but that's how I think of you. An influencer who wrote a book.