Saturday, May 16, 2015

The best male running bloggers

I never understood why the world of fitness and running blogging is so heavily dominated by women.  There's nothing wrong with this, of course, but as a man, it sometimes makes it hard to relate to the content.

So when I look for running blogs to read, I like to find people I can relate to.  If it's someone with a full-time job, maybe a dad, and who is just sharing his running journey with the rest of us, then I want to read his blog.  I love being inspired by others' journeys, especially if they face similar struggles to mine.

That said, I thought I would share my favorite running blogs from the male end of the spectrum.  Each of these bloggers is inspiring in his own way, so read on and get inspired!



Name: Bryon Pumphrey
Blog: runningwithpump.tumblr.com
From: Indiana


First there's my bro out in Indiana, Bryon Pumphrey.  I've written about him before and met him for a hot second in the middle of the Boston Marathon, of all places.

He's a die-hard Pacers fan who lost 40 lbs. through running and hopefully doesn't mind me always stealing pictures from his blog.  He's a down-to-earth guy who doesn't blog for the fame or the glory but to keep himself accountable and to share his journey.  He's planning to run a sub 3:00 marathon this fall, so I'm definitely looking forward to following his progress, especially as I may attempt the same exact goal in Philly.



Name: Ty Godwin
Blog: seekingbostonmarathon.com
From: Colorado


Then there's Ty Godwin.  He is an average guy with two kids who writes passionately about - you guessed it - the Boston Marathon.  He completed it this year for the 5th time in a row, which was no small feat since he sustained some pretty serious injuries in a bike crash at a triathlon last summer.  His grit and determination are amazing.

I also love his style of writing - there's the feelgoodery you would expect from someone chasing such lofty goals but with enough acerbic wit to keep it interesting.  He doesn't shy away from risqué material - he covered the Michael Rossi story well before I did, and much more brilliantly.  His next project is as a presenter at the Fitbloggin15 Conference in Denver.



Name: Cory Reese
Blog: fastcory.com
From: Utah


I'm sure nearly everyone who comments on Cory's blog mentions the photos.  Come for the photos, stay for the content.  While Cory takes his share of selfies (really, what blogger doesn't), and some beautiful shots of the Utah landscape, his specialty seems to be his epic jumping shots.  Not the goofy white girls on the beach jumping shots, but ones out in the desert where he seems to be soaring through the shot.  The energy and exuberance in these photos reaches out and shakes you and yells at you to go running yourself.

Cory is a social worker and father of three who still finds time to run ultras - lots of ultras.  A 50 miler here, a 72 hour race there, and enough 100 milers - as noted in his "About Me" page - to listen to Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" up to 623 times on repeat.  If you ever have any questions about ultras, this is your man.  In the meantime, the goofy positivity oozing from each post will keep you coming back.



Name: Brad Mason
Blog: runonsentences.org
From: Florida


A few weeks ago I was contacted by Brad who had found my blog through YouTube.  He'd been blogging for awhile, though anonymously, and wanted to lift the veil of anonymity to increase his accountability.  Looking at the above photo, I can't believe he drew inspiration from me.  He was kind enough to highlight my blog on his, and I wanted to do the same.

Brad is a father of three and has an insane work schedule that sometimes requires 60-90 hour weeks throughout the year.  His athletic journey has been long and varied and not without its struggles, and through it all he has set the goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon.  His plan is to run it in 2017, so stop by his blog and follow along!



Name: Jake Krong
Blog: wasatchandbeyond.com
From: Utah


Wait, you mean you wanted more pictures from Utah?  Well then read Jake Krong's blog.  His blog highlights both his and his girlfriend Andrea's outdoor adventures living near the Wasatch Range.  They are both passionate skiers and fill the blog with beautiful shots of the pristine snow-capped mountains in the winter.

But wait, that's not all! Jake is also a sub-elite runner with the goal of qualifying for the 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials.  With a marathon PR of 2:20, he has a lot of excellent running advice and general observations from the front of the pack.  He is also sponsored by Saucony and shares a lot of great information about them.  I love his excellent race analyses from someone with a lot of talent and experience.



Eric Rayvid
Blog: dirtyoldsneakers.com
From: New York City



In his thirties, Eric was overweight, smoked, had high cholesterol; basically all the hallmarks of an unhealthy lifestyle.  Now in his forties, he is an accomplished endurance athlete and hangs out with people like Kara Goucher and Mary Wittenberg.    Most recently, he became a father last fall with the birth of his first son.

Through his blog, he is essentially an ambassador of the NYC racing scene.  He constantly brings his GoPro to the races and posts videos and great action shots afterwards.  The blog also provides great reviews on a lot of different shoes and other endurance products.



Name: Henrik Wist
Blog: runbikecode.de
From: Munich, Germany



Fellow father and runner Henrik has been a longtime reader of the blog, and we came awfully close to actually meeting when I showed up in his hometown last month with ten of my students in tow.  Sadly, it didn't work out, but we'll always have the internet, Henrik.

As the name of his blog suggests, Henrik is into biking and coding as well as running, and his blog is a sprinkling of his different interests.  He most recently ran a brilliant debut marathon in Hamburg in a blistering time of 3:17:38... now if we could get him to write a race report!



Names: Tom and Joe
Blogs: Unknown
From: Florida

Lastly, a shout out to Tom and Joe down in Florida.  They don't have blogs to my knowledge, but they frequently leave me comments and I appreciate it like crazy.



I think the theme here, besides being all dudes, is that everyone mentioned here is just an average guy doing extraordinary things with his one chance at life.  You don't need to be blessed with money or looks or anything else to accomplish great things.  You just have to be willing to put in the hard work.

Is there an amazing male running blogger that I missed?  Let me know in the comments!

7 comments:

  1. Thanks for including me. I'd add Pavement Runner and Sharp Endurance to the list!

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  2. Thanks for including me. I'd add Pavement Runner and Sharp Endurance to the list!

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  3. One of my other favorites is www.slippingslowlyintopain.com. It's mostly race reports for ultras, but he has a good writing style. And it gives a glimpse into the ultra world.

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  4. You're welcome, everyone, and Kim and Ty, thanks for the additional suggestions. Will check them out!

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  5. Hey Scott, let me revive this old post of yours. I've written a marathon race report - it just didn't work out for Hamburg 2015. I went with Berlin 2017. Happy reading!

    ReplyDelete

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