Running on Social Media

September 20, 2023

There are many reasons to be grateful for social media as a runner. The first is — as I described above — the consolidation of community. I have no doubt that the access to one another that social media facilitates has grown the sport. It permits us to build friendships, to learn from one another, and to stay connected, cross-continentally, and over long stretches of time when we do not see each other very much.

Social media also facilitates fandom. Perhaps I cannot fly to the Alps at the beginning of the fall semester for UTMB. Nevertheless, I can cheer for Courtney Dauwalter, Jim Walmsley, and Zach Miller from home, tracking their progress as they circumnavigate Mont Blanc, and celebrate their feats from afar. Through social media, I can admire excellent runners and be motivated to become excellent myself. I.Run.Far