SportPlus.sg delves into the impact social media has had on running, and examines the credibility of runfluencers as coaches and key opinion leaders in the marketing field as running continues to gain popularity both in Singapore and abroad
A quick look around any office and you will find that most people probably hate running. So how has running become such a popular sport that has seen a rise in the uptake of running events round the world, particularly in the post Covid-19 era?
While some analysts have pointed their fingers to this trend as pent-up demand from pre-Covid days, we believe that would be oversimplifying the phenomenon.
Whether we like it or not, social media has no doubt played a significant role in glorifying the activity - a quick scroll through your TikTok or Instagram pages and it won't be long before you stumble upon some of your friends vlogging about their long runs or "get ready with me" in their latest activewear outfits.
This transcends demographics and isn't just limited to Gen Zs either - some of Singapore's largest running communities such as Singapore Runners Club, Fast and Free Run Club, New Balance Run Club and Urban Milers straddle across both the matured crowd and some of the youngest who are new to running.
From seasoned professionals and citizen athletes to the ever day urban miler simply looking to lose some weight or be a part of a healthy movement to socialise, running is certainly making waves in Singapore.
But the big question is, is the interest in running genuinely here to stay? Or is it just another commodified fitness trend that some in the community are trying to leverage on as a shortcut to fame?
In our first runners' roundtable, SportPlus.sg looks at the rising trend of runfluencers and the impact of social media on running, and how it has altered the sports and running landscape - from how brands choose to work with athletes, to the choice of apparel and running shoes that runners in the community have decided to adopt for their daily runs and races. To analyse this however, we have to establish proper context as to which came first - did running make runfluencers popular, or did runfluencers make running popular?
Running Is Here to Stay
Contrary to popular belief, based on the National Sport & Exercise Participation Survey (NSPS) running has long been ranked as one of the most popular sports and exercises globally and the trend didn't just happen because of Covid-19. In fact even in sunny Singapore, running ranks only second to brisk walking, outranking even other popular sports such as badminton, cycling (individual) and football (team).
We take a quick gander at some of the extracts from SportPlus.sg chat with 6-time national record holder and Singapore elite marathoner Soh Rui Yong (@runsohfast) and high-performance runner Desmond Ang (@unbelievaboy), who regularly finishes on the podium for running events both locally and regionally.
Defining Runfluencers
John: How would you guys define runfluencers?
Rui Yong: I’ve never thought about it this way. I don’t define runfluencers. It’s just that when I see a post or a person acting a certain way, I’m like “yup, that’s a influencer.” Is there a definite definition for it? It’s not an oxford dictionary word, right?
John: To be completely honest, I’ve never heard of the term before but in recent times, I’ve heard it more often. Not so much in terms of runfluencers but in terms of influencers and content creators. Influencers could be an elite athlete, or it could be an everyday person.
Generally, it’s an individual who has the capacity to influence people into making a purchase decision or into doing something and have the persuasive power, which technically has nothing to do with your follower count.
The other part of course would be content creators who focus on taking good pictures or videos with a greater focus more on the quality of their content but may or may not have high followings. In our context, some are basically both (influencer and content creator).
Are Runfluencers and Elite Runners Mutually Exclusive?
Desmond: The first criteria I have in my head when I look at a particular post or profile, is hey, is this guy fast?
Rui Yong: *LAUGHS* if not, he’s a runfluencer?
Desmond: No man, fast is relative. I'm just saying this is how I see things, and maybe this is how other people see things. From my experience and maybe others' experience, if we think “hey this guy is fast, no this guy is not a runfluencer, this guy is an elite man.”
Rui Yong (towards John): If you were to choose between one of these three categories, how would you best define yourself?
John: I derive joy from content creation and storytelling, that's how SportPlus.sg came about. I derive joy from running but more as a hobby on the side and keeping healthy. It's just that in this particular area, it became synergistic for me so along the way, we happened to have events and brands, so I helped them to some degree.
Rui Yong: I think definitely in running, it’s so objective right? A lot of a runners are measured by the time you've run. If your time is good enough, you might get selected for the SEA Games team. If not, sorry you’re not good enough. A lot of a runners' self-worth can be healthily or not, probably not, be attached to your marathon personal best (PB). I think that’s an elitist way of looking at it.
I’m like anyone else where obviously if a 2:10 marathon runner shows up in the room, i’m more likely to give him the time of day than a 5 hour marathon runner, I probably won’t know who they are. That’s unfortunate. To a certain extent, we all have physiological limits right? For example, my physiological limit would be 2:15, it may not be 2:05. Kipchoge’s is a sub 2!
Would I be any less of a human being if I’m pushing myself, trying to get the best of myself than the person who’s genetically gifted for the sport? Probably not. I don’t think you should solely measure someone based on how fast they run. But unfortunately that's what catches attention.
If we’re talking about how good you are, that is also very widely defined because I might be good in Singapore but not in Kenya. If I go to Kenya, I might be considered a runfluencer you know?
*John and Desmond both laugh*
There are people who barely run but take photos in running attire. I’ve worked with a few of these people. Some are influencers that brands engage because they have a good following.
On the Credibility and Quality of Runfluencers
Rui Yong: Why do you think brands engage runfluencers?
John: I think specific to the Singapore sporting culture, not so much overseas, not all athletes are kings and queens in our society unfortunately. Overseas, athletes are revered, they are really respected.
In Singapore, purely based on that fact alone, brands are finding it very hard to market sports related products. A lot of the athletes by default who are considered performance athletes, may not get them the ROI that they would get overseas. As a result, they will turn more to other people who may not be doing the sport on an elite level, but because they do it on a regular basis and they’re known in the community, they’re more relatable, right? So they fill that gap as a result in terms of purchase and influencing purchase decisions.
But I want to ask you all this, when do runfluencers cross the line? It’s one thing to share my journey, but when I offer tips on how to run, what’s the danger of that when I’m not actually someone who is trained in running or a coach?
On Runfluencers Offering Running Tips
Rui Yong: I think everyone’s free to give advice as they see fit but at the same time, you could be wrong. I try to make sure that everything I say, I research and I google it and make sure the science is right. Sometimes, even if the science is right but it doesn't make sense for that particular context then you shouldn't do it. For example, double threshold seems to be the new "in thing" these days.
Would you prescribe double threshold to someone who’s working in a bank from 8am to 8pm? No, because that poor person doesn't have time to recover in between. You have to adapt your training programmes and a lot of it comes from experience.
Brands and ROI: Quality of Numbers Matter
Rui Yong: In Singapore, we have a lot of numbers mindset. A quantifiable mindset.
It’s an easy way to measure ROI. I think what’s more nuanced is the quality of the numbers. For example, if you’re an Olympic champion with 50k followers and he posts about a shoe versus an influencer with 500k followers who posts about a shoe, who do you think will have better impact on the quality of the shoe? I would think it's the Olympian. But if the brand were to go purely by numbers, they’d lose out on the Olympian.
Desmond: If you’re a brand seeding a supershoe and you give it to someone who isn't particularly fast, but has a lot of eyeballs on them then it depends on the brand’s ROI. If it’s for people to know that these shoes exist, then sure. Or does it translate to sales and your branding? So, if someone carries your top performance shoes, in a way it has to make sense.
John: Yes, if you’re getting someone who’s not that fast to endorse a fast shoe, it becomes a bit of a mismatch and poor product fit.
Desmond: Unless the plan is to get that someone who isn't fast, to get a fast shoe then because of that, he becomes faster! I mean dude, sign me up man.
*Rui Yong and John laugh*
Watch the full episode of Runners Roundtable: Running Tales and Expert Talks [Episode 1]: Runfluencers and Strava Jockeys on our Watch page now on www.sportplus.sg #SportPlusSG #SportPlusStudios #RunnersRoundTable