To think organised runs are pointless?

[ineousa]

They’re too busy, it takes forever to get there and forever to leave because of the sheer scale of people. You can run a 10k, marathon or half marathon any time you like. Why bother with an organised route?

There’s a lot of anti-running fun sponges around this weekend! Several ‘what’s the point in running?’ threads. God forbid people collectively enjoy the same activity in a safe and encouraging environment!

I know, right?! Personally I hate running for myself, but I really enjoy watching the marathon, with all the stories and fundraising.

I know nothing about running - I hate it as an activity - but surely it is not as simple as You can run a 10k, marathon or half marathon any time you like.. The organised run has road closures, marshals, pacers, water stations etc. Running it at a random time, you won't have any support like that.

Do you generally lack imagination OP to really not be able to fathom that for a large amount of people, the negatives of the logistics of doing an organised event far outweigh the positives from doing it? By your thinking, why would anyone go to a gig when they can listen to the songs on Spotify, why go to a football match when you can watch it on tv etc etc 😂

None of this is relevant - you find it bizarre but many people enjoy it.

At a time when obesity is on the rise I can think of better things to complain about than an organised run. Either way, it doesn’t matter what I think, or what you think. These events are well attended, so people like them. I don’t enjoy going to watch football, I don’t start threads bemoaning the fact that other people do.

You could say this about so many activities in life. We are a social species.
Id also not really thought about the safety aspect either that PP’s have mentioned.
It’s clearly not for you, OP, but everyone is different!

It’s fun, the atmosphere is incredible.

People cheering and running with others actually makes a difference to your time. My PBs have always come from organised races.

Atmosphere
charity fund raising
support along the route
medical help if you need it
Medal at the end!
feeling of a common cause, and support from other runners

None of this happens when you run 5/10/20k by yourself.

Running the London Marathon was one of the best days of my life! It is something I look back on with some pride. I made a weekend of it so the logistics weren't particularly complex.

Because the atmosphere is fun, it’s a good place to get a PB as the whole setting with the support of crowds and others alongside you tends to encourage people to run their fastest, collecting medals and T-shirts is cool…

And I can go out and run a 10k any time, and often do, but when I do a 10k race it’s a totally different experience.

I don't run but I would think the fact that the roads are shut and you get to run without having to dodge cars would be an incentive to join.

Just because you don't like them it doesn't mean no one else does.

The virtue signalling at marathons is bad enough. But Falmouth recently had a running event and the littering was a disgrace. Piles of chucked water bottles and empty gel sachets. It included a route that was on roads with no pavement.

I am a runner. I don't expect anyone to give a shit about my PB! But I do expect everyone to give a shit about the environment

I can listen to my favourite band any time I like in my car or at home or whilst out walking - and I do - but I also love going and being one of thousands watching them live (despite travel chaos etc) - it's fun!

And so is taking part in things such as the marathon - I did the Manchester marathon last week - I'm a slow runner so wasn't competing with anyone other than myself but my goodness the support was incredible - totally soul-shifting - thousands of total strangers cheering everyone on, offering sweets, lollies, pints, handmade signs, hoses - it's not just the runners out there having fun!

If you don't like them don't do them, I have the same attitude to spa days, could just as easily have a bath and face mask at home.

The crowd support.

Being amongst other runners spurs you on and for me personally it makes me run faster

Running with closed roads so you don’t have to stop and wait for the lights to change

Not having to dodge pedestrians

To push myself

The medal and T-shirt

Its a completely different experience running day to day vs during a race

Its just a different experience from running by yourself. You are doing it for the atmosphere, the being among other people, the sense of being part of something, the sense of comaraderie, seeing how well you do against others.

Its just nice to have that different experience.

For the buzz, and the fun, and the camaraderie. I've run for ten years, and there's nothing like the absolute thrill of an organised race. You train beforehand, getting yourself into the best shape you can, and then you have the excitement and nervous feeling of race day. The cheering of the spectators, the support of the organisers and the amazing volunteers, and the satisfaction of having finished an event. It's just fun. Different people do other things for fun, and you might ask "why" about any number of them, but this is the thing that I and other do. You don't have to understand it, it's just a thing that people enjoy.

I see what you are saying, and i did also feel like that for a long time. But then I tried it, and understood the boost and adrenaline that you get from running in a group in an organised race. You just can't replicate that alone on a training run.

If we all start thinking like this about everything we will just all become so disconnected

The general good vibes at the start line as you bounce about waiting. Even though the dj is cheesy as hell.

The local school kids who've come along to ring bells and cheer you at 3km.

The families outside their house at 5km offering haribos. Or as on one very hot day, spraying the garden hose for you to run through.

The runners next to you urging their mate on at 8km.

The crowd as you go into the last 400 metres cheering and calling out your name, as you put the last of your energy into the last spurt to take you over the line.

You just don't get that the other 364 days of the year, on a wet Wednesday at 6am. The race is your reward for all the times you dragged yourself round wishing you hadn't bothered...

Do you run at park run? Surely you must have if you run. That replicates a bit of the race energy but a race day is more fun. Try one. I did the Manchester 10k last year and found it a total buzz running the streets usually choked with cars, it's surreal. I'm doing the half this year and looking forward to criss crossing my city. Its a doddle to get in by tram and even on the tram there's a great atmosphere talking to other runners.

I run in a team so all my colleagues will be checking my splits and times. Plus it's not like my usual long run where I go out and run 10miles to train. I'll have to do the full distance and it's a psychologically different thing to set off knowing you have to do it rather than any other time you can give up!

I used to think abit like this too! Been a runner for about 15 years now, a few 10ks and half a marathon a week on average, sometimes more or less depending on XYZ.
Love running but before i entered a race myself, I too always thought “what’s the point?!”

Then I entered a local half marathon and signed myself up for a full marathon after I realised I had no evidence of my running habits to share with my young kids. We had a few horrible deaths in the family, and I wanted to teach my boys (subliminally maybe)that they’re not destined for dementia and mental health issues, they have strong people in the family to look up to! I wanted healthy habits to be fixed into their little brains! So I’ve tried brainwashing them into appreciating running 😂 JOKING (partly)…
Anyway, I got the racing bug. Love the atmosphere, the nerves before the race in achieving your time, love that there’s loads for kids to do at most races (although admittedly it’s my husband whose actually taking them to these of it actually clashes with the run!) but also everyone’s in a party mood, it’s genuinely a mixture of fun and hitting some goals. You also get to run routes and see areas of UK you’d usually not get to see.
I haven’t run overseas yet but planning to! Looking at the Milan marathon for next year and they have a family run before (think it’s a day before but have to check), how fab is that?! Answer: very.
Wouldn’t it be a crap world if we didn’t have these kind of universal events participants can join for a (usually) very low fee?! It units the majority of communities and picking holes in it is pretty miserly, but also pretty much standard for mumsnet it would seem!

you can apply that kind of logic to loads of hobbies. im not really interested in history, Going round national trust houses is so dull. I don’t want them all to close them all down.

If it’s not for you, then don’t do it. Let other people enjoy their stuff.