Abstract
How far have we softened? Billy Yang, ultra-runner and filmmaker, asks this very question when asking “why” a runner would run 100 miles. Ultra-running is one of the fastest growing sports across the capitalist world-system. As such, to answer the question “why” run 100 miles, one must consider the sociocultural influences and forces that dynamically interact with ultra-runners and their commitment to such an extreme activity. Could it be that the rise in popularity of ultra-running relates to social and political discourse that overvalues “pleasure seeking” and “comfort” and seeks to avoid individual discomfort? If this is the case, perhaps ultra-running represents an extreme form of resistance and healing in response to profound social dis-ease. It is argued here that the healing effects of running are achieved through mind–body reconnection: an antidote to the mind–body dualism existing since the biomedical revolution. As a body-led and body-centered activity, it represents an example of Merleau-Ponty’s embodiment. However, injury is not uncommon in this group of runners, and injury presents a unique opportunity to resist traditional discourse. When injured, the runner’s relationship with their body is altered (and so is their world). Many runners surrender their narrative about the injury to medical professionals, creating a mind–body dualism that is consistent with neoliberal values, and popular health discourse. However, it is only by resisting and challenging this discourse that embodied healing takes place.
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Hall, L. (2020). More Than Mechanics: Injury, Running, and Healing. In: Rhodes, P. (eds) Beyond the Psychology Industry. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33762-9_10
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