Hi Kai, Anna, Russell and everyone.



I think these are a really important and interesting set of questions that underpin much of the work we are all doing - but I don't know of anywhere which answers them on the global scale; a couple on europe however. 



I have just got a hold of the new edited collection Running across Europe (http://www.palgrave.com/page/detail/running-across-europe-jeroen-scheerder/?K=9781137446367) which is a looks at the running sector in 11 different European countries which some fascinating stats. The blurb states "An estimated 50 million Europeans are engaged in running as a way to stay healthy and/or challenge themselves". The 2009 Asics Reasons to Run Survey (http://www.everythingaboutrunning.asics.eu/eu_eu/introduction/) claims it is 80million in Great Britain, France, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany however. 



But again, how these relate to the question of what really classes as running you pose Anna is unclear. What sort of runner are they interested in, and what do they mean by running. Is it self-identified? 



As part of my MA thesis last year, I looked at some cases of 'emergency' type of running, conducting an ethnography of people who run, if only for a few meters, through railway stations in order to make their train. Here I really had to question when running was running and when it was not. Foot mobilities can be very ambiguous. But there seemed to be much less demographic bias as to who ran in such situations than what is reported in such surveys - as you rightly say Anna, most people have the capacity to run and will do if required. 



Running manifests in many different ways and has many uses for humans. I would guess however, that most of us are interested in researching running as understood in these surveys and as may be popularly imagined. Another interesting question to add to those already posed is, what is the value of recognising and studying the many forms/uses of running, what does it add to the study of running as we may imagine it, are the practices linked in anyway, what can be advanced by questioning our understandings of what running is, what it looks likes and how it manifests?



Fascinating stuff!



Best,



Simon 



Simon Cook

PhD Researcher, Department of Geography, RHUL

Research Associate at Run! Run! Run! International Body For Research



Email: [log in to unmask]

Twitter: @SimonIanCook

Website: http://jographies.wordpress.com

RHUL Profile: http://tinyurl.com/rhulsimon

​





________________________________________

From: Running Cultures Research Network <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Anna Krook <[log in to unmask]>

Sent: 30 May 2015 21:10

To: [log in to unmask]

Subject: SV: Are we a nation of runners?



Hi Kai, hi every body!

Ok Kai, I´ll do as you suggested, and post my confusing thoughts to the group and not only to you.



What an interesting question!

What is running, really? Where´s the limit between walking superfast, jogging and running? And is there a speed limit? Or distance? What about running to the bus, or to school, or to pick something up? To help your kid, or to catch a balloon in the wind..?

I think that everybody runs, sometimes, except for those who are disabled in a way that makes it impossible. In Sweden, about 90000 (out of total 9,5 milion inhabitants) use a wheelchair or other stand-bys; =1%. Add to that people who, because of old age, are restrained from running, and infants who has not yet learned. About 14 % of the world population is above 65 years (and most of them are able to run) but say 5% are old enough to have stopped running. Last year was a reported global baby-boom with 140 million newborn babies. At the age of 1 most of them are able to run. That makes 2%. Sickness and hospitalization makes running hard, maybe impossible, as does starvation. Let's add another 1% non-runners.

Lets say 5% are unable because of old age, another 1% because of disabilities, 1% of sickness or starvation, and 2% because they haven't learned yet. 9% of 7 billion doesn't run - which makes us 6370 millions occasional or regular runners. But again, the 630 million non-runners might have a running mind, and a running imagination...?



All the best,

Anna

________________________________________

Från: Running Cultures Research Network <[log in to unmask]> för Kai Syng Tan <[log in to unmask]>

Skickat: den 29 maj 2015 12:17

Till: [log in to unmask]

Ämne: Re: Are we a nation of runners?



Hi David, hi everyone,



Hope you are well.



Question: can anyone point me to somewhere for (credible) figures on the total number of people (meaning amateurs, and whether they call themselves runners or not) who run (regularly, or not, and not just completing marathon races, including rubbish runners etc etc), globally, today?



I can find stats of

- people who run in England (Run England),

- people who have completed marathons in the US, etc.

- people who live life on the run (www.amnesty.org, 230m 'people who live outside the country they're born', 14.2m refugees etc)



Any advice/guidance? Do such studies exist? Am I asking the wrong question (what should be the 'correct' question[s]?)



Thank you.



Best wishes

Kai