Communities

In out world today people come together and communities generally based on a common interest, similar goals, work, or location.

Anderson states that “it is imagined because the members of even the mallest nation will never know most of their fellow-members, meet them, or even hear of them, yet in the minds of each lives the image of their communion” (6).
With this definition a sense of running community arises. Although runners can find a local sense of community where they live, there are so many other runners all over the world that they will never meet but can be considered a part of a running community as a whole. There are common interests, goals, and ideas regardless of location.  

“communities are to be distinguished, not by their falsity/genuineness, but by the style in which they are imagined” (Anderson, 6).

“It is imagined as a community, because, regardless of the actual inequality and exploitation that may prevail in each, the nation is always conceived as a deep horizontal comradeship” (Anderson, 7).

Thoughts regarding community based off of the survey:

"Long distance runners probably have more of a community than others. Also, running groups can help people run more regularly and push themselves."

My initial response to this statement is that long distance runners might have more of a local sense of community because they put more time into running and training and therefore have more of a potential to be around other runners and people of common interests. 


"There are different types of runners. Some just run, no watch, no monitor and will never race. Some run group 5k, 10k charity events for fun. Some run to get into shape or to stay in shape and then there are the racers. These runners create a competitive culture and tight knit community. These people are broken-down between distance runners. 5k sprinters to ultra marathon runners and trail runners. They all run but are the sub culture inside the running culture. We all give each other the nod for running, we make fun of the group we think is dumb (in my case 5k-10k runners) and we idolize the beyond crazy... The ultra 50 milers and beyond!"

This statement brings light onto the fact that there is an overall running community but within that community there are sub communities based on running distances. Within these sub communities people can share more specific common goals based on races they do. 

"I feel some sense of community since I have run races and run long distances, so I understand some of the experiences that runners have been through, but not too much since I am not a very serious runner."

"I do feel a sense of community around other runners because running can be a very relaxing activity so to be around others who feel the same way is comforting." 

"I have running friends all over the world. There is a sense of respect for all runners regardless of abilities."

Another individual stated, "once, I was running on the street and another runner was running towards me. It was a beautiful day, and I was feeling so happy to be alive (another side effect of running in nice weather), and I put my hand up and shouted, 'HIGH-Five!' as he passes. He kind of smiled, and kept running. Because of that, I think of running by yourself, and training, as a very solitary experience."

"The BEST community. We're supportive. We appreciate health. And competition is appreciated. Competition has become such a dirty word in society, in running we can be competitive and always want more and that is applauded. And yet, we're still supportive. I love this. I love that I can be social AND healthy"
This response stood out to me because the person truly identifies with other runners. She uses the word "we" rather than stating "I relate to the community." The simple word choice here demonstrates not only that this individual strongly relates to the community but is a very involved and devoted runner with the main goals revolving around social life and health. 

"I feel a sense of community at my gym as I tend to run in doors these days. We all share our stories of our fitness progress and of course our injuries" 

"I feel a HUGE sense of community with runners. I run with a group of friends on most days and it is amazing. So much support and encouragement."

"I feel a strong sense of community with running. I have several friends with whom I run. We share much more than the trail or the pavement"

"I do feel community - all runners are nice to me - even marathon runners and people who run much farther or much faster than me and that makes me happy - they know we all have different abilities and that you have to do the best you can for yourself - I really appreciate their support"


One can be categorized into a community, however, to truly to be a part of a community participation is important. Running is more or less an individual sport but shared experiences and common goals among runners power relationships among athletes in the running community. 

However, not all runners feel a sense of community

"I pretty much just run on my own, when I do run, so I do not feel much sense of community"

"I feel like an outsider because I just do it for fun and don't really focus on the skill! Im not that knowledgable when it comes to running"

"I don't feel much of a sense of community with runners because I identify more with soccer players who happen to run for their sport"

Out of the 25 responses that I got to my survey the three quotes above resemble the individuals that do not strongly associate with the running community. 
From what I can see these people do not strongly relate to the running community because of running individually, not being knowledgable about the sport, and identifying more with other sports. With this said, it becomes apparent that community exists not only because of common interests and goals but thrives with the time and work put into building relationships within the group.
The imagined community exists because of the common interests and goals but comes to be a significant part of peoples lives because of the continued dedication and challenges that have to be worked on. 

There was an overwhelming response when it came to the community question. The majority of people associated themselves with the running community. My target audience for this survey were runners. I did not specify competitive runners or marathoner or casual runners. Because I did not restrict the audience more I feel that I was able to get a good gauge of how runners identify themselves and see themselves as part of a large community.