Runner vs. Jogger

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The other day, I was on the phone with a customer discussing
various brands of socks designed for running, when I made the mistake of
referring to him as a “runner”. He humbly corrected me that he was not a
“runner” but rather a “jogger”. Yes, he ran five miles a day, 6 days a week;
but he did not consider himself worthy of the title of a runner. He stated that
he was twenty years too old to be called a runner.

Long after the phone conversation had ended, this
interaction stuck in my head. From being active on several running forum
boards, I am aware that there is often heated discussion on who is considered a
runner vs. a jogger. There seems to be various baselines that people use to
distinguish. Some use speed, some use distance; others differentiate based on
goals (fitness vs. competition). Many believe that you do not become a “runner”
until you complete an official race. This customer was evidently using his age
to determine his label.

As a fitness and health professional (and a human being) it
makes me sad when I hear someone limit himself or degrade their accomplishment
based on an arbitrary label. It makes me angry to hear people argue and often
denigrate others who are trying to improve themselves. If a person who runs a
mile on a treadmill calls them self a runner, it takes nothing away from the
winner of the New York City Marathon, but it just may keep that person getting
on that treadmill day after day.

~Kerren Lynch-Gallagher, MS,NCMT,PFT