As running becomes more and more popular, it’s inevitable that some people will join the sport just to be better than everybody else. The clout chasers, the instagram-motivated, the influencers are all flocking to running as the latest craze, and they’re fierce. As usual, it’s a competition to the top, the most followers, the most likes, the biggest brand deals. That’s all fine and dandy, but it’s the punching down that sucks. In a situation this dire, somebody’s gotta punch up, too. The responsibility lies on everybody, the runners, the normies, the ugly to keep running from getting too poisoned by the internet-o-sphere. We think posting nonsense on Strava is the antidote. I guess the question is… is this about more than just memes?

It’s supposed to be fun

We have to remember that running is supposed to be FUN, or at the very least, not contribute to cycles of self-loathing. Didn’t we already leave behind the competitive nature of sports in high school? Does anybody remember high school? I think I blocked most of it out of my memory. Well, nowadays, nooobody cares. Running is not a competition; it really is one of the most solitary sports, and we don’t need everything to be a contest. I guess if you’re at a race, you can race to win, but UBRC members tend to be the ones that show up to the race for the vibes, chatting it up with whoever’s in the middle-back of the pack. When we take ourselves less seriously, we lower the bar and reduce intimidation in the culture.

Keep that shit casual

We can keep things casual! As Strava continues to rise in prominence and running becomes a bigger trend, it is imperative that we remind ourselves: We ARE runners, nothing can take that from us, and therefore, we CAN influence the culture of running. We can keep it from becoming like anything else that gets taken over by crypto-digital-nomad-gym-drop-shipping bros, and we can keep running pure. We can keep it about laughs and about shitting your pants on a half marathon. We can keep it about running home from the bar at 12:30AM. We can collectively make running LESS sterile. We can single-handedly reduce the culture of hardos and sweats, and by doing this, we can keep the culture friendly, approachable, and fun. Run an 18-minute mile and tell the story in your Strava post. Go for a walk and count it as a run. Who gives a shit? There’s nothing better than the juxtaposition of some dude’s 5 min/mile 7 mile run (tarps-off selfie included) butting up against your beer mile in the Strava feed. I mean, who’s having more fun?

The long game

Not to mention, when you keep running casual, you reduce burnout. Just like painting, we gotta keep it messy! I think Bobby Ross said something about that. Go with the flow and don’t put yourself into a box. If you do this, you’ll run with more longevity, you’ll keep it fun and interesting, and your actual performance is directly correlated with time committed. Consistency over a long period will make your times go down, your body strengthen, and if you’re keeping it casual, your general well-being will continue to rise. So, in a way, trying less hard is the path to the most consistent progress. This is much better than getting on a marathon plan the week you decide to buy a pair of running shoes, going on a 6-mile run, and completely destroying your legs. You can’t Goggins yourself out of an injury. By staying consistent and keeping our running spontaneous and varied, over time, we’ll start performing better than the Oakley Kato backwards snapback hardos.

Imagine…

You’re cruising along, finally getting that run in that you’ve avoided all day. Your shoes are still sweaty from yesterday and muddy from the weekend. You had a coffee with probably too much sugary creamer in it AND hit the penjamin, just to get off the couch. You run past some person in the $300 Nike AlphaFly 3s, goo packs in tow, absolutely cooking. You could feel bad for yourself, but you remind yourself: when you finish this, you got a run in today, too. Not to mention you’re buzzing off the mental chemical cocktail and loud music damaging your ears. There is, somehow, satisfaction, knowing that you’re out there enjoying it, while they’re taking themselves way too seriously. Who cares if they’re faster or fitter? In the end, it’s all about enjoying the ride and having good time, whatever that means for you. Moreover, in the back of your mind, you know you screenshotted a FIRE meme to accoutrement the 19min/mile Strava post.

A note…

Shout out Max Joliffe for being a meme maverick. Max runs for Satisfy and throws down insane numbers, peppering his posts with a single well-selected meme from likely ethereal sources. I think half of the memes shown here are pulled straight from his page, so, thanks Max, for continuing to lower the brow.

Oh- and yeah, I guess this isn’t really about memes, it’s about pushing against the enshittification and competitive clout crap that tends to happen when things become vogue, or popular. The zeitgeist. Some may say. Consider UBRC to be a group that pushes against that notion. Enough yapping. Here’s some memes. Steal them, please.