Unofficial Endurance Races: Here to Stay?

I think I might be a little late to the party on this one because unofficial street races have been around ever since The Fast and the Furious. An old reference – that movie came out back in 2001!

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In endurance sports, you are seeing more and more people create unofficial races, events or just organising solo challenges because they want to. They still train as if it were a race – the only real difference being no medal and no finish line.

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How Endurance Sports Changed after Covid 19

The coronavirus pandemic in 2020 made several lasting impressions and I think this was a catalyst in endurance sports.

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With no races to enter and nothing to big up, people had to create their own challenges that would provide much needed motivation. They looked to intrinsic motivation as opposed to extrinsic gratification.

Today you can find individuals and groups of people that’ve carried on this new tradition – people who do things because they can and because they want to. Check Instagram and look into this, there are so many unofficial races where there is no winner. It’s so cool and so refreshing!

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The Evolving Perspective of Endurance Races

But go simpler than that. Look at the amount of people still going out and smashing a 5km that they go full gas on, yet all they get is a fist pump. The mantra and reason we do this is because it’s enjoyable, it’s fun, different and stimulating. We are no longer bound to a poorly designed t-shirt and bruised peach.

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Final Thoughts

What does this mean for official races? In reality… nothing. Big races will always be big races, they showcase our sports. But the way we approach them will shift, unofficial races and challenges have a totally different vibe. Where a PB (personal best) isn’t the win, it’s the smile.

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Next time you look for a goal, maybe don’t think Boston, think how fast can I run up that hill. I wonder who else would like to do that? Or if you do go to Boston, how you’d run it if it were just a hill with a couple of mates.

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Change your perspective, see how you like the challenge.

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FUN  - Honesty - Simplicity - Smash Life - Mental Toughness - Hard Work