Why are runners so annoying?
A question on the lips of many runners and non-runners alike. Plus: Hello, New York!
Last week, I was a guest on
, which was very cool. It was a fun conversation.Like so many, I’ve been a fan of Anne Helen Petersen’s work for some time, and my favorite piece of hers was about The Portal from 2023. At the tail end of 2024, I had a great conversation with Anne about how running has fitted into her life, including in relation to her Portal. Take a read.
About that marathon moment
One of the writers whose work resonates with me the most frequently is Anne Helen Petersen in her Culture Study newsletter. I’ve linked to her marvelous 2023 piece on The Portal before, where Anne documents and helps explain the creative surge that arrives for many in midlife.
When I read the questions sent in by
readers, I I had to stop and laugh. While it seemed that all the questions were sent in by runners, a couple of them seemed to be rather annoyed by the behavior of… runners.“What is it about running that invites the smug evangelism?”
“What’s up with so many Running People being absolutely belligerent about running marathons?”
There was another question about Strava drama, which was the icing on the cake.
Why do you think runners are so annoying??
Here are some suggestions that AI (ugh) made to one reader, Mark. They both seem valid…
Because they constantly remind you how far they ran. As if…
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