We all like to have debates about various topics such as whether one thing is a sport or not. We love such debates, mostly because we have pent up energy and it is as good of a topic to argue about as any other. This way we get some anger out and we typically don’t harm anyone in the process.
That by itself is great, but what if it doesn’t solve the debate and answer the question that was burning holes in forums? In this case, the question is whether people consider running a sport?
Most of them do, but most of them also consider it something else.
Running Is a Sport
Take a look at the Olympic Games where you have multiple running disciplines. In such disciplines, people compete against one another, but often against time itself. When you beat another runner you also beat their time, at least in that one race.
Sports are defined as competitive events which require physical effort and expression of skill. Running fits into this description as if it were made for it, or vice versa.
Running is definitely a sport, though given the fact that most people use it as a hobby and recreational activity, it is typically not thought of as a sport, but simply running.
Running As a Hobby
Running is a great hobby and many people run for the love of it. Some people use running as a form of meditation that helps them find themselves. When you run, there is the rhythmic beating of your feet and couple that with the breath and you have a solid foundation to focus on, which is typically used in meditation as a mechanism to bring your brain back from its frequent journeys into the unknown.
Running is also a great physical activity, helping us stay fit and giving us decent aerobic exercise, but also anaerobic if we opt to sprint. Running can have many disciplines, which is why it is so interesting.
Running As a Training Tool
For some athletes, running is a simple training tool, which is completely fine. Most sports training schedules benefit from running to break up the routine, or to add more complexity to it. Some sports are completely based on running, like football and handball. Other sports, like cycling, often also use running as a tool, to exercise other body parts and unstiffen the legs from all the cycling, which exercises the body in a very specific way.
Running Can Be Many Things
Since running can be a sport, with many competitive disciplines, and also a way to train for other sports, not to mention an essential part of many sports, while also being a hobby and many people’s main exercise component, some confusion is bound to arise.
Running can be whatever you want it to be, though ultimately the definition doesn’t really matter, since it is one of the essential mechanisms that we as humans use to move.
Running is a sport, though most people consider running to be running, a collection of various disciplines that range from short to long distance, while also being an essential mechanism of motion for humans and a hobby and way to train for other sports.
To put it simply, running is great!