A woman is captured checking her phone at various points along a 30-kilometre running route. The video then flashes back, showing her preparing for her run, lacing up her shoes and securing her running belt.
In a separate scene, a man addresses the camera directly, detailing his upcoming race. He’s training for an ultramarathon, a gruelling event where participants aim to run for days on a looped course until only one competitor remains. “In life, all the things you want are on the other side of doing the hard work,” he states, before tagging a popular sportswear brand.
Both individuals are participants in the burgeoning online “runfluencer” community. This community leverages social media to promote exercise and an active lifestyle, but it has also ignited a debate concerning the potential for injury and the reliability of the advice being shared.
Breaking the ‘Doomscroll’ Cycle
Katie Dall, a Brisbane-based running coach and personal trainer, has witnessed firsthand the surge in running’s popularity, both in person and online. One of the weekly run clubs she organises now draws hundreds of participants, so much so that marshals are required to manage the crowds.
Runners from another of her clubs have shared how consuming and creating online running content has significantly boosted their motivation and inspiration. “Anything that helps get young women out and about and gives them confidence and gets them healthy, I think that’s always a good thing,” one runner commented. Another added, “It’s when you’re sitting around lazy, doomscrolling on the phone and then come across a video of somebody running and you’re like … ah, just get my shoes on.” A third runner echoed this sentiment, saying, “I get a lot of inspiration from others as well … and use that for my own motivation and drive.”
However, recent months have seen a shift in online discussions, with a growing focus on injuries, particularly those stemming from overtraining or overuse. This trend emerged after several high-profile influencers shared their own injury experiences and subsequently posted about their recovery journeys.
Ms Dall acknowledges that while running influencers generally have a positive impact, she is “definitely” aware of a deficit in education regarding overtraining, the importance of structuring a weekly running plan, and determining an appropriate number of races to compete in each year. “I see people coming to every single run club, signing up for every single race, trying to get a PB at every Parkrun on a Saturday or even some of the 5km run clubs that I host,” she explained.
The Pitfalls of ‘Doing Too Much’
Even with her extensive experience in the fitness industry, Ms Dall admits that it’s “easy to be influenced and to get caught up in what other people are doing.” She notes that this is something she has personally overcome. “A lot of people get FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), so I can definitely see how people are getting injured … and how physios are becoming a lot busier than they used to be,” she remarked with a laugh.
Conversely, she understands the pressure influencers might feel from brands to participate in more events than advisable and to perform exceptionally well in them. “With Hyrox and all these new running events popping up … people are definitely doing too much,” Ms Dall stated. “It’s quality over quantity … just stay in your lane.”
Stress Injuries: Not a ‘Badge of Honour’
Brisbane-based exercise physiologist and dietitian, Cam McDonald, agrees that promoting exercise and running is “a great thing,” especially considering the widespread lack of physical activity. However, he expresses concern about running influencers promoting “overtraining” or treating injuries like stress fractures as a “badge of honour.”
“It’s the worst thing that we could possibly be doing for people,” he asserted. “The way to think about exercise … is that it’s stress on your system. The only time you get stronger from running, stronger from the gym, or the only time you benefit is when you rest afterwards.”
Dr McDonald views a stress fracture as an indicator of “lots of stress but no recovery.” He empathises with the pressure influencers may face to constantly perform and “keep pushing forward.” “It’s hard to commercialise sleeping, or videos of sleeping,” he commented. “[They show] working really hard all of the time … at race pace all of the time, and it’s a great example, but it needs moderation and it needs a lot of recommendation around the right recovery.”
Dr McDonald advises against runners training for more than three marathons annually. He advocates for greater emphasis on proper fuelling and incorporating rest days. “It is unrealistic … the elites don’t do that kind of training, they actually have a whole lot more rest.” He concludes, “There’s an imbalance there and we can do something [to make] this great message … a little better.”
The Unattainable Lifestyle
Digital anthropologist Crystal Abidin highlights that the promotion of seemingly unattainable or unrealistic lifestyles is not exclusive to running influencers. “We need to remember the origin story of lots of influencers is that they’re pedestrian, everyday ordinary civilians just like you,” the Curtin University professor of internet studies explained. “They’re not celebrities, they’re not experts and therefore what they promote to us feels attainable.”
