Runners come in about as much of a variety as do ice cream flavors. Of course, there are the sprinters and the marathoners, but that's does not even begin to describe how many different types of runners there are. Over the last year and a half of racing, I have met runners who barely break a sweat after running 20 miles and runners who are completely drenched in sweat as if they just got out of a pool after running only a couple miles. There are runners who swear by the treadmill while others refuse to run anywhere but outdoors (even through 20" of snow). There are trail runners and road runners, night runners and morning runners. There are the extremely loud panters who sound like they're dying and god forbid they draft you because it'll feel like they're breathing down your neck. There are quiet runners who completely zone out and loud chatty runners who run their mouths as much as their feet. There's the extremely fast runners who excel at short-distance races and fall apart at any race lasting more than 3 hours. Then, there are those who have great endurance and can keep running forever at a solid pace but suck when a race calls for speed. I guess that's why they make races at such a great variety of distances from 100 meter sprints to 100 milers.
And of course, let's not forget the less traditional runners, such as the stroller joggers and barefoot runners. Some people even become local characters that every person in the running community recognizes and can instantly spot in any race, such as the joggler (jogs and juggles at the same time) and the crazy ultra lady who always wears those crazy leopard-print outfits.
People's reasons for running are also a source of diversity. Some run for charity, others run for their own health. Some run to relieve tension and stress, others to lose weight. Some people are just looking for something new to do and enjoy the social aspects of joining a running community. Some run to achieve personal goals, others run to inspire others. Some run as a tribute to/in memory of a lost loved one. Still, others run to turn their life around (check out http://www.backonmyfeet.org/).
There is even diversity amongst different running clubs. After running with the Montgomery County Road Runners Club for the past year, I recently decided to check out the Howard County Striders. While MCRRC offers a lot more structure and organization, HCS is much smaller and has more of a close-knit family feel to it. Because I like what each of them has to offer, I now hold dual membership to both clubs!
The best part about the running community is just when you think you've met the craziest runner out there, someone crazier comes along. And there is just as much of a variety of crazy as there are runners. Some go for distance and aim to finish a 100 mile race. Others go for quantity and try to run as many races in a year as possible. Last weekend, I met someone who ran 103 races total last year (54 of them were half-marathons), often running back-to-back races in a weekend and even multiple races in a day sometimes. I have never even fathomed running more than one race in a weekend, let alone in a day! And today, I read about a woman who is running 52 marathons in 52 weeks to raise funds for 52 South African AIDS orphans (http://www.52beginnings.com/). There is no clearly defined physical limit to the human body, so people are always trying to push the limits and see what else they can accomplish.
And that is what I love (and sometimes also hate) about running! It is so versatile that you can never run out of goals to aim for.
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