It’s like cake! Let me explain…
I’ve been a runner for decades.
In those decades, I have participated in races of all kinds and distances—giant events to local fun runs. At those races have been real runners of ALL ability levels, and I get excited that people have shown up and are ready to go for it.
Like many of us, I have had times when I have trained for specific events and periods when I’m just trying to keep moving regularly. I’ve also spent time as a Certified Personal Trainer and coaching friends with their running. So, I have had many opportunities to encourage beginners and other runners who feel intimidated or discouraged about their abilities compared to “real runners.”
The Conversation
Here is a conversation I have had many times with other runners, particularly recreational runners or new runners, but also long-time participants.
It goes something like this:
me: “Hey, good to see you here at the race! You ready to go?”
them: “Hi! Well, I’m okay, but I’m not as fast as most of these people…”
me: “That’s no big deal, everyone is at a different stage in their fitness and experience. You got here — you do your thing.”
them: “I haven’t done too many races, so…I’ll probably need to walk a little.”
me: “and that’s perfectly fine. After all, you’ll still be beating every single person who couldn’t get off the couch this morning!”
So What’s The Cake Part?
The point I want to make to people when we have this conversation is that they are already way ahead of lots of others and are actually pretty special.
That’s when I say that it’s like cake.
Imagine a nice frosted layer cake representing the entire population. Everybody.
Continuing with the metaphor, the frosting on the top is everyone who does some running or jogging (15% of the US population).
Any distance at all. Any speed.
Then, the very top part of the frosting (the part with the sprinkles or the decorative ganache) are people who enter and run in a road race. Everyone from Faith Kipyegon and Eliud Kipchoge to your 85-year-old grandma who walks a 5K in an hour and a half.
Everyone.
According to this IAAF report, about 0.1% of the US population races. The world’s highest is Ireland at 0.5%
Also, worldwide, about 1/3 of the population aged 15 and over doesn’t get enough basic exercise, and this study identifies many troubling consequences.
Showing Up Makes You Special
Even though there are a few thousand runners at many events, they are still this teeny tiny percentage of the general population.
Therefore, simply showing up and running the race puts you in the highest percentile of not only the population, but also active runners.
So, “yay us!” I say.
Keep moving, keep running, and I’ll see you at the next race. Let’s all be frosting together.
photo: The start corral crowd of runners at the 2023 Boston Marathon (by the author)
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