Why Pace Is Not the Measure of a Runner
Someone shares their time online.
They’re proud. Maybe nervous. Maybe they’ve worked quietly for months just to complete the distance.
Then comes the comment:
“So you walked it then?”
It might be framed as humour. Sometimes even as harmless banter.
But for the runner on the receiving end, it can feel like a verdict.
Not fast enough.
Not “real” enough.
Not quite belonging.
Have you ever felt that sting?
The Hidden Hierarchy in Running
Running culture has a quiet ladder.
At the top are the fast times. The podiums. The sub-20 parkruns. The 3:30 (and faster) marathons.
Below that, the mid-pack grinders. The aspirational improvers.
Further down, often invisible, are the slower runners. The run-walkers. The people rebuilding after injury. The ones carrying extra weight. The ones managing anxiety. The ones juggling work and kids and exhaustion.
No one says the ladder is there.
But sometimes, comments reveal it.
The assumption that slower means lesser.
That walking means failing.
That effort can be judged from a number.
It cannot.
Pace Is Context. Effort Is Personal.
A pace is just data.
It tells you nothing about:
• The injury someone is managing
• The medication they’re on
• The weight they’re carrying
• The sleep they didn’t get
• The courage it took to even show up
For one runner, a ten-minute kilometre is recovery pace.
For another, it’s red-line effort.
For someone else, it’s the first time they’ve moved consistently in years.
The stopwatch cannot see context.
But the body knows.
And the body doesn’t lie about effort.
Competitive Running Is Valid. So Is Everything Else.
Let’s be clear.
There is nothing wrong with competitive running. Or chasing times. Or setting ambitious goals.
Improvement is exciting. Performance can be inspiring.
But performance is not a requirement for belonging.
Running is not a hierarchy. It’s a spectrum.
There are:
• Competitive runners
• Aspirational improvers
• Mental health runners
• Comeback runners
• Walk-runners
• Walkers discovering confidence
Different kinds of runners. Equal footing.
When we treat pace as identity, we narrow the definition of who gets to call themselves a runner.
When we centre effort, we widen the gate.
The Real Community Most of Us (Hopefully) Experience
Here’s the part that matters.
In the real world, in parkrun finish funnels, in club coffee chats, on long Sunday runs, something different often happens.
Fast runners and slower runners mingle.
They talk about injuries. Work stress. Shoes. Weather. Motivation.
They laugh about the same headwinds. The same early alarms. The same sore calves.
Out there, actually doing it, most runners recognise something simple:
If you showed up, you’re one of us.
The internet sometimes amplifies the loudest voices. Sometimes even rage-baiting for engagement.
But the real running community, the one most of us know, is far more generous.
When the Comment Still Lands
Even if you intellectually understand all of this, the comment can still sting.
Because many slower runners already carry doubt.
“Am I really a runner?”
“Do I belong here?”
“Should I even share my time?”
If that’s you, hear this clearly:
Your effort does not require external validation.
You do not need permission to exist in running spaces.
You do not have to justify your pace.
If it felt hard, it was real.
If you showed up, it counted.
If you’re rebuilding, you are not behind. You are progressing.
The Runners Gateway’s POV
At Runners Gateway, we reject the quiet ladder.
We believe identity comes before performance.
We believe:
• Walking counts
• Slower counts
• Comebacks count
• Mental health miles count
• Effort counts
We are not anti-performance.
We are anti-superiority.
That distinction matters.
You can chase fast times and still respect the runner who moves differently.
You can improve without diminishing someone else.
Running is big enough for all of it.
If You’ve Ever Felt Dismissed
If you’ve ever hesitated to share your run because of what someone might say…
If you’ve ever internalised “slow” as “less”…
If you’ve ever felt like you needed to apologise for your pace…
You don’t.
Different bodies. Different seasons. Different stories.
Equal footing.
You don’t need to run fast to belong.
You just need to move forward.
And if you’re looking for a space where your identity is recognised before your performance is measured, that’s exactly what the Runners Gateway community exists for.
Come as you are!
