Going slower is a sport I am still struggling to understand. – JDW
The response to When Running Was Young & So Were We was startingly heartwarming. Forgot my byline arrived in every American public library for a dozen years. More than a few folks recall that era fondly. Got excited about the idea of instigating something similar today. So excited, I even jotted down some thoughts.
That was June 2014. Just found my notes.
Notes start out with… Before I leave this planet, hope to do all I can to create a third running “boom.”
Twelve years later, had to wonder if I remembered right. That there’d been a second running boom. So, I asked the A.I.
Yes, historians and running experts identify two major running booms in the U.S.: the first in the 1970s (driven by men like Frank Shorter) and a second significant boom starting in the mid-1990s, characterized by massive growth in female participation, the rise of half-marathons, and fun, non-traditional events (like color runs), spurred by figures like Oprah Winfrey.
1996 was the year I stopped running. Starting in the mid-1990s exactly. Stopped writing about running, too. Coincidence, sure, but Oprah was really annoying. Started running again a decade later – arthritis far worse than Ms. Winfrey.
Notes continue…
Thinking in the third running boom, USA runners recapture the joy and the speed and the victories and the acclaim which accompanied the first boom. That’s where the REAL FUN is – racing hard. Testing yourself. Competing. Maybe even winning.
In the third running boom, more folks decide to become actual athletes and explore the outer limits of their abilities in actual competition. Ergo, every body across the board gets fitter and faster and before you know it, there’s a lead pack of Americans filling stadia around the land.
I have a few ideas. Let me tell you about them.
Running History Month.
We just had National Running Day. First Wednesday every June. Wasn’t long enough.
I am thinking April would be the best month to be all about running. And there are only thirty days.
Next April is the 40th anniversary of BR’s victory at Boston. BAA’s history. Springtime. Put the bombing behind us, but never forget our strength.
Board of Directors: Frank, Derderian, Higdon, Jackie Hansen, the usual suspects. And a couple of young people.
Adopt-A-Pioneer.
Remind the world – especially themselves – that USA runners can be great and can compete with all of the rest of the best.
Today’s stars trace their greatness to somebody who was great in the past. Somebody who inspired them to chase a dream.
Shalane & her parents. Neely Gracey & Steve Spence. Maybe Rupp & Salazar. Joanie & Decker (her poster on the wall.)
Anne Audain & Kim Jones & whomever Jones inspired. Certainly we can think of more, find more.
Hold a “Who Inspired You?” Contest.
Why So Slow?
Following the publication of When Running Was Young… I began to fantasize about some race director inviting me to speak at his/her event.
Wondered about my topic. My career as World’s Slowest Pro Runner? Okay, that’s five minutes. Running magazine & Nike? Another five minutes. Need another ten minutes maybe (Have no idea of the correct length of time.)
I am busting my ass in 90 degree temps & 90% humidity and doing 80 minutes in the sun, so I have time to think…
What I come up with, my topic, Why So Slow?
I confess, I disappeared from the sport for a while, I paid zero attention to the second boom, and upon my return, a race director, oddly enough – spoke at his event in April ’79 – said, “You gotta be on Facebook, everybody’s on Facebook.”
And so I go on the Facebook and I find… “Ran 18 marathons this week with an average time of 7:17. I am so proud.” And thirty-two people comment, “You go, girl! What a stud! An inspiration!! I knew you could do it!”
Or… “Brag post. Trained 22.6 miles this week. On my way to walking 500 marathons before I turn 50.”
And I am thinking, WTF happened?
Color runs, mud runs, adventure runs, “festivalization of running”, one respected expert called it.
It’s not about speed, it’s about participation. And $200 entry fees. Running is no longer a sport, it’s an industry. No longer a race, but a parade where you get to be your own float.
As you might guess, no race director wants a speaker who tells his/her collection of (barely) moving partying pedestrians, “It is okay to go fast or at least TRY to go fast. Going fast is fun, too. If you think going slow is rewarding, imagine actually reaching out for your best. What’s the harm? You can always slow down later.”
And it probably wouldn’t hurt to lose some weight.
Before I Leave This Planet.
Actual title, real notes from a dozen years ago. All manner of great athletes, and their shoes, rewriting the record books.
Based on data from RunRepeat and various running studies, the average marathon finish time has slowed significantly, increasing by over 40 minutes between the mid-1980s and the present day.
Average Marathon Time: 1980s–1996 vs. 2025
- Mid-1980s (approx. 1986): The global average marathon time was roughly 3:52:35.
- Mid-1990s (approx. 1996): Data indicates average times were around 4:15:00.
- Current/2025 Era: The current global average, based on recent data from 2023-2025, is approximately 4:30:00 to 4:32:00.
Key Takeaways from The A.I.
- Slower Overall Times: The average marathon time has trended upward over the last four decades. While the average male ran a sub-4-hour marathon in 1986 (3:52:35), the average is now over 40 minutes higher.
- Why It Has Changed: The primary reason for this slowdown is that marathon running has evolved into a “suburban Everest” or bucket-list goal, attracting a broader, more diverse range of participants rather than just competitive runners. [And why that changed? Expand your market, grow your profit.]
- Demographics: The average age of participants has increased, and more people are finishing in the 3–6 hour range, which has raised the overall average.
- Elite vs. Recreational: While the average recreational time has slowed, elite times have actually improved, with the current men’s world record holding under 2:01:00.
There is no “vs.”, that’s part of the problem. I am curious about those runners between Elite and Recreational. We need more chasers in between. We need another generation of TRIERS.
Wrote this on the Facebook January 19, 2015
Was trying to explain myself, telling an interviewer I am still struggling to come to grips with slower times, bigger medals, higher entry fees, less training…costumes.
I was interviewed a few months ago by Paul Duffau. Remember mentioned we sounded like a couple of old guys lamenting the good old days. When we walked to school uphill through the snow both ways. Into constant headwinds. I don’t want to come across as a curmudgeonly grandpa trying to do a buzzkill on today’s runners.
The difference in the sport today vis a vis back during the first running boom… it has become TWO sports. There are those who compete in races, personified best by the East Africans, and there are those who participate in pedestrian events.
Just last month attended the Honolulu Marathon. First ran Honolulu in 1978. I finished 149th of 7204 finishers in 2:54:23. In 2014, thirty-six years later, that time would’ve earned me 63rd place. With a field three times the size, only sixteen athletes from the USA finished faster.
And what does this say about the race, the sport? Obviously, more people going slower. Going slower is a sport I am still struggling to understand. I saw a statistic which said the average marathon time back in the day was 3:45 and today it is 4:45. When running was young and so were we, that first running boom, the only records which counted were miles run and speed. Personal bests.
The fun of the event was the effort, the struggle, the sense of accomplishment, the competition. Nobody gave a crap about trophies, and medals were practically unheard of. Although we did get a little excited when the concept of finisher’s t-shirts was introduced.
Because there were so few of us finishing.
2026. I realize there are bigger problems in this world than the missing cartilage tissue connecting the fun runner and the elite athlete. (Just like my left leg!)
You could be an American citizen exercising your God-given, Constitutionally-guaranteed rights and have a gaggle of masked goons break your car window and drag your astonished butt out into the street where you will be beaten. Sprayed in the face.
Or shot.
In Minneapolis, heavily armed intruders executed a mother and a nurse, both white.
Don’t want to write about that. Not like I didn’t warn, y’all, a decade ago.
So, I write about running.
Let’s get started on that “Who Inspired You?” Contest.
Who inspired me?
I started running on Groundhog’s Day, 1972.
Couple months later, Nina Kuscsik became the actual first official women’s winner of the Boston Marathon.
A mother. A nurse. White.