On the Run: Perspectives on Long Distance Running
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ON THE RUN: PERSPECTIVES ON LONG DISTANCE RUNNING RICHARD MICHAEL SHIPWAY A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of Bournemouth University for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy August 2010 Abstract The aim of this study was to develop a deeper understanding of the experiences of long distance runners. An ethnographic research design was adopted to understand the nature of the social world of long distance runners through interviews and observations which were thematically analysed. The sample comprised twenty five international informants. The key theme emerging from the data was the strength of identification that participants had with the activity of long distance running. This theme was linked to the search for a running identity amongst participants, exploring how meaning was created through engagement with the long distance running social world. In doing so, the study also explored the enduring benefits of the activity and the high levels of effort, perseverance and commitment displayed. A number of other themes emerged that were seen as consequences of this sense of identification. These included the central role of training and preparing to run, and how this contributed towards participants sense of running identity. This theme included feelings of pain and suffering, confronting problems of injury, and the role of time and space within the participants training regimes. The extraordinary and authentic experiences at long distance running events was a dominant theme incorporating the conflicting emotions of failure and glory, and the importance of travel within the long distance running social world. Feelings of escape and an exploration of the role long distance running fulfilled as a „third place‟ outside of the home and work environment were explored, incorporating ideas linked to social relations within the distance running social world. Similarly, the desire to embrace a healthy lifestyle was a central concept, exploring themes linked to seeking self esteem through participation, negative aspects associated with exercise addiction, and the role of the „running body‟. This study provided a series of linked themes exploring the culture of long distance running, and in doing so developed a deeper understanding of the participants running experiences, contributing towards the body of knowledge on the unique social world of the long distance runner. Table of Contents Abstract 2 Acknowledgements 6 Chapter 1 Introduction: Up and Running 7 Rationale and Background 7 Relevance of the Research Topic 8 Run for Life: My Position in the Research 11 Long Distance Running: The Literature 14 ‘Serious Leisure’ and Identity 18 A Social Identity Approach to Distance Running 21 Long Distance Running and the Third Place 25 Sport Events, Sport Tourism, and Event Experiences 29 Training, Physical Activity and Health 31 Identifying Gaps in the Literature 33 Chapter 2 Methodology 36 Introduction 36 Using Ethnography in a Sport and Leisure Setting 36 Adopting a Qualitative Approach 41 Conducting an Ethnographic Study 44 The Choice of Setting and Criteria for Sample 46 Data Collection 49 Research Methods 51 Participant Observation 52 The Ethnographic Interview & Research Diary 56 The Analysis & Writing up of Ethnography 58 Demonstrating Credibility 62 Ethical Considerations 64 Limitations of the Research 67 Chapter 3 Serious Running: In Search of a Running Identity 69 Identity and Serious Running 70 The Distance Running World 74 Achieving through Serious Effort 78 A Need to Persevere with Running 81 Developing a Running Career 87 The Enduring Benefits of Running 90 Chapter 4 Learning a Running Identity: Training to Run 94 Feeling Pain and Suffering 95 Confronting the Problems of Injury 102 Training in Time and Space 112 Chapter 5 The Experiences of a Running Event 124 Extraordinary and Authentic Running Experiences 125 Conflicting Emotions in Running: Glory and Failure 136 Travelling to a Running Event 146 Chapter 6 Escaping to a Running Third Place 155 Running Away from Home 156 Social Relations in a Runners World 165 Living within the Running Club 172 Chapter 7 The Desire to Embrace a Healthy Lifestyle 181 The Need to Exercise 182 An Addiction to Running 189 Seeking Self Esteem and Confirmation 196 Understanding the Running Body 201 Chapter 8 Conclusions and Areas of Future Research 215 A Framework for Understanding Running Experiences 216 The Contributory Themes 218 Implications and Recommendations 224 Reflections on the Research Process 227 Appendices 231-237 References 238-265 Acknowledgements There are many people I would like to thank for their contribution to the completion of this study. First of all, I extend my gratitude to all the long distance runners who agreed to participate in this research and who were willing to share their running experiences with me. Secondly, I would like to thank my colleagues, friends and family, who have provided support over the last four years. In particular I would like to thank my two supervisors. I owe immense gratitude to Professor Immy Holloway who was an inspiration during this research process. I would like to thank Dr Ian Jones, who provided a calm and insightful critique from both research methods and subject specific perspectives. Their expertise has proved invaluable. I would also like to thank my colleague Dr Lorraine Brown for giving up her own time to provide important feedback and supportive comments, most notably relating to methodological issues during the writing up period. This thesis is dedicated firstly to the memory of my Mum who was always supportive towards my obsession with sport; secondly to the encouragement of my sister Kate and the energy and enthusiasm of my niece Keeley and my two nephews Tommy and Max; and thirdly, to my Dad who was ultimately responsible for introducing me to long distance running, and who continues to be a source of inspiration based on his outstanding long distance running achievements. Chapter One: Introduction Rationale and Background The aim of this research is to explore the experiences of long distance runners as active sport participants. This study involved immersion within the long distance running subculture, trying to see the world from the runners‟ point of view. The challenge, of this study was to gain an understanding of distance running experiences and the meaning they have for the participants, so that a more informed discussion of the sociology of „active‟ sport participation and sport-related subcultures can be developed. Using also my own embodied sporting experiences, the study develops a range of detailed „narratives of the self‟ (Sparkes, 2000), relating to sport related activity. My interest in distance running stems from twenty years of participation. This provided ample opportunities for observation in an overt participant role, and also enabled me to gain direct access to interviewees. As an insider within the long distance running community, over a period of years, I became interested in the personal journey that long distance runners undertake when they participate and train for distance running events. I also became increasingly interested in the barriers (both physical and psychological) they face and how they strive to overcome them. At the time of commencing this study, some of these obstacles had a close synergy with the challenges that I was experiencing as an active sports participant. As Brewer (2000) notes, the researcher‟s interest shapes research and must not be overlooked. My interest in this subject is a reflection of my own personal experiences of long distance running, which has also helped to shape the lines of enquiry pursued in data collection as they became another source of data. The first major stage of data collection began in December 2006 at a seven day International Festival of Running in Cyprus and ended in November 2008 upon completion of the Athens Classic Marathon in Greece. In the two year period between the start and conclusion of data collection, a diverse range of long distance running events were observed and interviews took place at both events and within the structure of a running club environment. This was also supported by weekly observational studies. Runners‟ experiences were therefore captured over a prolonged period of time, in a diverse range of local, national and international 7 environments. The primary outcome of this study will contribute towards a better knowledge of the diverse experiences of long distance runners as active sport participants, and thus to develop a deeper understanding of the culture of one significant sporting „social world‟, that of long distance running. Relevance of the Research Topic This study examines the increasing popularity of long distance running, exploring the experiences of those participants engaging in physical activity and healthy living. People in more and more countries are taking up running, to an extent that would have been unexpected half-a-century ago (Bale, 2004). Sport contributes to health and to the quality of life, and the health and well-being of the nation remains one of the most contemporary and controversial issues in Britain. In this study, long distance running, „jogging‟, recreational walking and other similar activities are examined as integral positive contributors towards achieving government objectives linked to tackling obesity levels, healthy living, physical and mental health and well-being, and increased leisure participation and recreational activity (DoH, 2004). This topic is all the more important for public health agencies in the UK and other countries, given that millions of amateurs currently run long distances on a regular, casual basis (Runners World, 2006). Distance running is also unusual, though not unique, in that it demands a continuousness of effort rarely found in other sports (Smith, 2000). It has been suggested that the most visible leisure activity since the 1970‟s has been long distance running (Yair, 1990). It began as a „jogging‟ fad in the 1970‟s, but since then millions of people have joined the running boom on roads and in parks around the world.