Running... Part of U.S. Culture

From the time the ancient Greek runner Pheidippides ran from Marathon to Athens in 490 BC to announce the Greeks' victory in the Battle of Marathon, humans have had a compelling interest in endurance. The need to run, especially long distances, is something that seems to be ingrained in us, whether as a way to challenge ourselves or as a way to burn calories and lose weight.

The past few decades has seen a significant rise in the number of physically active women and the number of women competing in running races. Females now account for over 5.4 million road race finishers nationwide and represent 53 percent of race fields compared to only 23 percent in 1989.

Women now exceed the number of male participants in every race distance except the marathon. Bookstores are bursting with books on running, fitness, and weight loss. Why has running and fitness become such a phenomenon in our culture?

Dr. Jason Karp discusses how and why running and fitness fit into our culture and what the solutions are for reducing the obesity epidemic:

1) Running burns more calories than any other form of exercise.

2) Running is the most accessible activity for the masses. No?equipment or other people needed.

3) More than half a million people completed a marathon in the U.S. last year.

4) There are millions of people who run in the U.S. who run on a daily basis

More on Dr. Jason Karp:

Jason Karp is a nationally-recognized speaker, writer, and owner of RunCoachJason.com, a state-of-the-science running coaching and personal training company in San Diego. He’s the 2011 IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year and holds a Ph.D. in exercise physiology.

He has written more than 200 articles for international fitness, running, and coaching magazines, and is the author of four books, including 101 Developmental Concepts & Workouts for Cross Country Runners (Coaches Choice, 2010), 101 Winning Racing Strategies (Coaches Choice, 2011) and Running for Women (Human Kinetics, 2012).  He is a frequent speaker at national fitness and coaching conferences.

Source: Dr. Jason Karp