Meg Mackenzie explores trail running's macho language problem.
Have you ever noticed the amount of war language we use in everyday life? We ‘roll with the punches’ at home, ‘pull the trigger’ on an exciting project, fire off ‘bullet points’ in a work email, and get ‘caught in the crossfire’ of a dispute. We call problems ‘ticking time bombs’ and sometimes we horrifyingly call women ‘blonde bombshells’. To be clear; bombshells are “large-caliber projectiles fired by artillery-armored fighting vehicles during war.” If you find this sexually attractive you might want to see a therapist.
But let’s get to trail running; a beautiful fringe sport with a natural connection to nature, peace, and joy in the mountains. Despite this obvious connection as a spirited, soul-filling activity – nearly all the common phrases and terms we use to talk about running and racing are heavily focused on patriarchal-enforcing qualities or war language. Often we compare running a trail race with going to battle. We ‘obliterate’ course records, ‘crush’ our competitors, ‘defend’ our titles and ‘dominate’ the field. All these words imply that, in order to succeed, we need to beat another into submission.
But one person shining shouldn’t come at the cost of ‘crushing’ another person (or a mountain!). And this surely shouldn’t be what we celebrate on the trails or in society.
There is nothing inherently domineering about the pure desire to shine. My light shining brightly doesn’t suggest that your flame needs to be extinguished.. Rather, this is a false narrative we have been taught through generations of books, myths, and in history classes. Stories of winning and losing, beating, retreating, and defending have flooded our minds and language from the very beginning which is why it is so deeply internalized that we even apply it to something as peaceful as trail running.
You may have overheard people talking about trail racing in this way:
“Wasn’t it so cool seeing Jo obliterate the course record at the Worlds Gnarliest Hardcore Death Defying 100-mile yesterday?”
“Yeah he totally dominated that field, nobody else stood a chance. He crushed the uphills and killed the competition…”
“Whoa and did you see him annihilate John on that downhill? That was so badass. He totally owned it; what a hero. It was killer. Go Jo!”
Now let’s have some fun and flip this. Have you ever heard someone describing a race with non-violent language?
“Did you see Jo run the Spirit Soaring 50k out of sheer joy over the weekend?”
“Yeah it was so awesome to see him embrace those uphills. He really encouraged everyone as he went too. Did you see his happy tears on that flowing downhill?”
“Yes, he expresses himself in such an admirable way – so intune with nature and connected with the trail.
He is such a caring athlete too, so sensitive to his fellow runners. Go Jo!”
Language matters. The words we use frame our experiences and define our culture. They shape our stories and dictate the narrative. Adjusting and playing with different language can begin a process that describes the full experience of complex human reality instead of just one side of it. What if we could blend it all together, tempering male encoded language of warriorship, stoicism and power with empathy, giving weight to love and nurture?
“Your energy flows where attention goes.” We’ve all heard the saying in some way or form and it informs why language is so important. If we continue to pay attention to violent language and hierarchical ways of describing situations that is what will prevail.
Trail running does not exist in a vacuum. It’s part of the larger narrative that currently exists in the world. Perhaps, next time you tell a story of your favorite athlete or race – play with language that reflects that world you hope to live in.
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Sorry, Meg, but that dog won’t hunt. I write for a living and strongly believe that words do matter and certainly understand your well-meaning intent with the article. But I also believe that we should be open to diversity in expression and acknowledge that we all come from different backgrounds and carry that culture in our vocabulary. I want to continue to share mine and especially want to continue to hear a wide variety of other expressions, including your own special way of denoting achievements and accomplishments. I do believe we would agree that each of us should take into account our audience when speaking and how we express ourselves. Crudity is often out of place.
This desire to reframe conversations & experiences into rainbows and lollipops – please stop pushing censorship! When I embrace beast mode, the happy tears are due to the finish line coming into sight.
Indeed. Those words are a manifistation of a violent and a dominance driven culrure. They are the words of small egos seeking some warped sense of validation. And they are also the words of those who have never had a DNF at 70 miles into a 100 and learned some humility.
Is it okay to say Dewalter AND Walmsley crushed it? Killed it? Because your soy beta cuck type language matters here.
Great article. You crushed it. But you sort of bombed the opposite side of the wording. A blitzkrieg start and a surrender finish.
Wow, the overall difference between the male and female responses to this article is stark. That just illustrates how correct you are. Look how offended the men got! How dare anyone even SUGGEST a different way of thinking! THAT’S CENSORSHIP!! I get it, it’s always “censorship” if the establishment is the one being called out, even though in this article no one is promoting any kind of suppression . Thanks Meg for this article. I agree that a mental rephrase can make a world of difference during a tough time. Actually saying the rephrase out loud at best makes our sport more inclusive (and lord knows we need that) and at worst causes some grumbling about “being too woke” (whatever that means).
This is spot on. And the reaction is telling too- nothing like challenging the patriarchy to bring out a defensive posture. C’mon, guys, let’s all be open to the possibility that our language is skewed and needs some rethinking. Language matters, and it’s filled with seemingly “throw-away” phrases that show off our usually-invisible biases– in this case, a violent framing of trail running and racing. These biases are everywhere in our language, and acknowledging them is the first step towards creating the society we want. It starts with us. Let’s not be so fragile that we can’t have the discussion openly and calmly. Excellent article– and thanks to Ultrasignup for publishing it. Great job, Meg!
As with all things the context matters and my reading of the article is that it’s not about censorship or suggesting that you stop using any particular language if that doesn’t interest you. Instead it’s about opening one’s eyes to the language we use and the implications of that language to someone of a different gender or culture or upbringing. It’s in being mindful of not only what we say but how we say it. The message to be kind and empathetic is never a trivial one and should never be dismissed out of hand. Exactly like we need to respect the opinions of those that don’t find value in the article, those that don’t find value should equally respect that it may speak to others and not dismiss it out of hand. I for one as a coach of a number of elite runners think that creating an environment for the athletes to perform from a place of love and kindness is a richly rewarding and often more sustainable approach to sport. Of course there are many examples where athletes have succeeded using anger or aggression to drive them. One is not right or wrong, instead it’s about understanding the context of why and what emotions the athlete is able to harness and then looking at how sustainable that is in the long run.
People have different reasons for running. And one person can have multiple reasons on different runs. Sometimes I run solo, long runs in nature to see beauty and find serenity. Other times I “compete” in 50 K’s, though I never finish better than mid-pack. Competition drives most organized races, both for men and women, and competition has its roots in war.
Organized sports are by definition competitions, and competitions are a simulacrum of war. They have their roots in war: running and throwing events, wresting, and contact sports like football and rugby are close descendants. Every organized sport includes competition between teams, individuals, or individuals and the environment. Running is no different. But unlike in war, sports are considered in most cases friendly competition. The question is: Is the language creating a problem?
In my 13 years of running, I have never seen anyone demean anyone else or do anything untoward in competition. I’ve told countless people that they, “are crushing it,” because I think that they are when I see the effort on their face, whether they are first or last. Yes, the language is inherently warlike, but that is the root of sport. People may run to be, “in tune with nature and connected to the trail,” as I am sometimes, but a race is an inherently competitive event. I love to get out there and mix it up in races, pass and get passed by other runners, and when I see them at the end of the race, it’s all smiles, congratulations, and good humor.
The fact is that as far as I know, there is no problem with aggression in trail running. This essay is a solution to a problem that does not exist.
LOL! This is a very naïve article that attempts to compel one’s thoughts while never once thinking of the consequences that they may have. This frail civilized society we live in allows you to question “Aggressive Language”. Humans are both Savage and Compassionate. Both are needed to survive in society. Our aggressive nature is what fuels innovation and strong will to compete and push ourselves and society. Curbing our langue as such will also curb our desires and will. Unless you disagree with your initial statement? It’s not compassion that built society, and it will not be compassion that saves it. (If you don’t believe me ask a Ukrainian.) The metaphor of battle is used because running is a Battle like the nature you described in the beginning. Like a Predator you feed off the energy of those in front of you. You push yourself to catch them. The People behind you, push you, because of your primitive survival instinct not to be caught. Nature is full of battles in the quite literal sense. The fox you see on the trail is there because it concurred and devoured some smaller creature. Its OK to be Offended or Weak in our society, however the survival of society is grounded by the competitive and strong, innovators who rank high in aggressive traits. What do you think would happen if the aggressive Language was removed from these people? Nature is Cruel and unforgiving like the trails we run. I would encourage Meg to write a counter article from a clinical psychologist point of view if “Aggressive Langue” was removed from Running or our Society.