Stockholm university, Public university in Stockholm, Sweden

The concept of endurance running or long-distance running has no doubt picked up pace over time but why has it happened? Here's the answer.Endurance running is often seen as a welcome escape from everyday life but these extraordinary experiences, such as running ultra-marathons, are not untouched by the competitive nature of contemporary consumer culture.The at-times romanticized notion of experiencing complete freedom through running co-exists with underlying motivating factors such as improving your personal brand and social image, a new thesis from Lund University, Sweden showed.The number of endurance running events, such as Ironman or Tough Mudder, is increasing around the world. But why has the trend increased?"Most runners say that they run because it is a way to get away from the demands and stresses of their regular life. But my research shows that this is only one side of the story; there are also a lot of demands in ordinary life that are actually reproduced in endurance running," explained Carys Egan-Wyer, a doctoral student in consumer culture theory."For example, the pressure to be productive, efficient and to measure your achievements are recurring themes", Egan-Wyer added.For this, the doctoral student interviewed 16 endurance runners and analysed 21 diaries - totalling almost 1,000 pages - throughout the course of her dissertation.For the purposes of the study, she defined endurance runners as triathletes, ultra-distance runners (people who run distances longer than a marathon) and obstacle adventure race runners.She identified three motivating factors that the runners themselves used when they spoke about their running: freedom, achievement and competition."The runners are motivated by a feeling of total freedom, a place where they can fully immerse themselves. At the same time, they are very focused on measuring and quantifying what they do. They use their endurance running achievements in other areas of life. For example, on CVs, to demonstrate what good employees they would be," she said."They Runners view their peers as a community, but there is also an element of competition. So there are some inherent contradictions", added Egan-Wyer.In many ways, the runners are boosting their personal brands and competing with others in terms of their social image.The group of people who compete in these types of events is still a niche community, and so the results cannot necessarily be generalized, according to Carys Egan-Wyer."In endurance running, one understands themselves to be free from the stress of everyday life, but in fact our bodies and brains might understand this as work. We need to understand if this is contributing to stress, burn out and anxiety", concluded Egan-Wyer.( With inputs from ANI )

Stockholm UniversityFOLLOW

Stockholm university, Latest News

More than 60 doctors from several countries have signed an open letter expressing serious concerns about Julian Assange's physical and mental health, and warned British authorities that the WikiLeaks founder "could die in prison" unless he receives u ...

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange "could die in prison" if he is not given urgent medical care, a group of doctors warned on Monday. ...

Finland and Sweden have sealed their place for next year's Euro Cup after winning their respective matches in the qualifying tournament on Friday (local time). ...

Sweden has dropped the investigation into the alleged rape involving WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. ...

Spain, already through to the 2020 Euro Cup tourney as the top team in Group F, thrashed Romania 5-0 here to ensure they will be one of the top four teams in the November 30 draw. ...

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Sunday appointed Thomas Dennerby as the head coach of the Indian women's U17 team for the FIFA U17 Women's World Cup India 2020. ...

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Saturday confirmed the appointment of Thomas Dennerby as the head coach of the Indian womens U-17 team for the FIFA U-17 Womens World Cup 2020. ...

The concept of endurance running or long-distance running has no doubt picked up pace over time but why has it happened? Here's the answer. ...