Not that there's anything wrong with running influencers in theory. I love seeing someone share their journey from couch to 10K—community is everything in this sport! The issue comes when, in their attempts to profit off the content creator economy, brands like Nike Run Club, Runna, and Strava platform a new class of runfluencer: aspirational, relatable, and, often, quite unqualified to be giving training advice. They're even unqualified to handle their own setbacks, as I've watched an influx of content creators blame brands for their injuries (especially the ones falling for crappy AI-generated training plans). If you prioritize being an influencer over being a runner, you can even get banned from the New York City Marathon.
I've watched this running boom happen in real time. The New York City Marathon lottery has become as laughable as the actual lottery. Even local road races are selling out way faster than before the pandemic. A new wave of first-time runners needed guidance, and they're turning to social media.
These algorithms don't exactly reward nuance, like the unglamorous reality of base-building, or the importance of running most of your miles at a conversational pace. Boring, correct advice loses to exciting, compelling advice every time the algorithm runs its counts.
The most common mistakes runfluencers make
I need to get more specific here, because "influencer advice is bad" isn't necessarily true either. Some of it might be just fine—sensible even. But not all of it, by a long shot. Here are the specific red flags I keep seeing from unqualified runfluencers online:
Shoe, gear, and training plan misinformation. Creators are rarely positioned to give unbiased assessments of whether a $200 carbon-plate shoe is appropriate for the beginner marathon runner who is watching their video (it's usually not), because their income depends on the relationship with the brand. This is obvious, but worth saying: Content creators are ultimately trying to sell you something. If they give a ringing endorsement of any sort of app or gear, make sure to do your own due diligence on their claims.
So how do you tell the good from the bad? Here's a set of questions to ask before you let someone's training philosophy into your head.
Do they explain the why, or just the what?
Giving flat, prescriptive advice—"everyone should run at least five days a week," or "you should always do long runs on Sundays"—without caveats or explanations is a red flag.
Do they readily disclose their sponsors or financial relationships?
Sponsorships and brand deals aren't automatically disqualifying, but they should be disclosed clearly and factored into how you weight gear reviews and product recommendations. Undisclosed sponsorships are a significant red flag.
Where to find good (free!) running advice
Hal Higdon's free training plans. These are my go-to. Higdon has been publishing free beginner-through-advanced marathon and half-marathon plans for decades. They're well-structured, conservative in progression, and built on real coaching principles.
Your local running club. There's a solid chance the in-person collective knowledge in a room of people who've been running for years is worth more than most content online.
Of course, there are everyone's favorite running apps. You won't catch me claiming that Runna, Nike Run Club, and Strava's coach features are outright bad. Runna in particular uses a structured training model, and has credentialed coaches behind the programming.
The bottom line
None of this means you should stop watching running content online—I know I won't. I love seeing other people's journeys, race experiences, and day-to-day running life. There's a big difference, however, between inspirational content and instructional content. Ask yourself the questions above to find runners you can really trust, and tune out the noise.
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