You Might Be A Runportunist... 1/10/20

You know, most runners are decent people. To a fault. We report our runs, our race times to the second. Share our distances to show that we didn't cut the course. We set goals and share our trials and tribulations as we try to meet those goals. We talk as much about our stumbles as we do our triumphs. We support each other in our victories and our failures. We may even overshare some of the details. Because that is the nature of our sport.

Yet, there are runners who aren't quite so decent. Runners who cut corners to advance themselves. Runners who build themselves up while taking others down. Runners who take advantage of opportunities.

Are you a runportunist?

With apologies to Jeff Foxworthy....

You might be a runportunist....if you run only for the bling. Would you run a race if there were no medals? Don't get me wrong...I like a medal after a half or a full. But is bling a deal-breaker?

You might be a runportunist...if you've passed kids in a race and felt good about it.

You might be a runportunist...if you leave a race with a big bag full of post-race treats.

You might be a runportunist...if you've banditted a race...and even worse, if you've taken a medal...and the granddaddy of them all, if you've bragged about it.

You might be a runportunist...if you've cut a race short but claimed the finish time. If your cheating finish time was a BQ, you're not only a runportunist, you're a thief and a despicable human being.

You might be a runportunist...if you shamelessly self-promote on social media. Yes, you runner, relentless braggart of miles, show-off of watch selfies. Yes, you, that runner who PMs everyone who likes their page, their IG, trying to sell seaweed wraps, nutritional supplements, training programs, coaching services, you name it.

You might be a runportunist...if you apply for every ambassadorship possible, even if you've never used the product. Full disclosure: I may have been guilty of this back in the day when I first started my social media journey. Lesson learned. I don't want to be committed to one brand of clothing or socks. The brands that I'm loyal to? I'm happy to promote, even if we're not friends with benefits.

You might be a runportunist... if you have a running blog but write nothing but sponsored posts. Do you even run? It's fine to do product reviews but if that's all you do...you might be a runportunist.

You might be a runportunist...if you've awarded a blogger a top 100 running blog badge but actually, it's a ruse to get more people to your blog. Or you've offered to write a guest post even if she didn't ask you. Offered to help her grow her blog, and when she doesn't respond, clog her email with messages? Spam her blog with comments with a link to your spam page? Or worst of all, you scrape her content and pass it off as your own? Runportunist much? Or just plain asshole? Stop me, I'm on a roll....

Are you a runportunist? You know awareness is the first step to action. Don't be a runportunist. I started my blog 6 years ago as a way to connect with other runners. It's been a fun journey. Mission accomplished. In these six years, I've made some amazing connections. I've also seen lots of blogs come and go. You get to know who's the real deal. I've learned a lot of lessons as well. I'm still trying to figure out Twitter, though...

Those runportunists? Do you even run, runportunists?

Are you a runportunist? How do you connect with other runners? 

Sadly, there are a lot of opportunists in the running world. If you want to read more, go to Marathon Investigation, which is devoted to exposing the worst runportunists in our sport.