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Peter Bromka's avatar

Thanks for this!

Though, I don't feel like the headline and the article align. The case being made seems to be that the bubble has far from burst, it only continues to grow as brands get more value out of a random dude who knows little about the sport than a young man who can run 13:34 for 5k.

I may be in a bit of a nihilist moment, but I generally think if people are going to get their running tips from reels made by influencers then they get what they pay for. It's often bad advice, but rarely as dangerous as say, anti-vaccine conspiracies.

I was eager to read the article because I'm excited for when the bubble bursts. For when runners see that the loudest person in the room rarely has the best knowledge or teaching methods. But also, in individual sports athletes need to do more than just show up, run, and go home. So it feels like both sides need to do better.

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Finlay Hampton's avatar

Great writing and enjoyed reading this. I’ve watched this evolve on social media over the past 4/5 years. It can often feel like people are baying for the blood of influencers which always seems strange to me. We pit athletes / influencers against one another like they’re different. Who gets to draw the line that distinguishes an athlete from an influencer? Is the milkman different to the nurse? When you boil it down enough, not really… It’s my understanding that we’re all human beings who happen to be doing their best with what we have. Contrary to popular belief, you could stumble upon an influencer who is a better coach and more knowledgeable than an athlete - being good at something doesn’t make you a great coach. Let’s just enjoy the sport for what it is and explore the opportunities we are given. Love everything x

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