ABSTRACT
The growing interest in endurance running has also sparked the development of a body of academic literature, primarily in the natural sciences. From physiological, biomechanical, and nutritional perspectives, scholars have sought to dissect and improve runners performances. Several socio-cultural scholars have interrogated the ways well-known middle-and long-distance runners are represented in various forms of media to examine the media's significant role in the reification of dominant ideologies. Mwaniki pointed to the stereotypically feminine representation of Kenyan long-distance track runner and marathoner Tegla Loroupe. The media stories emphasized her small physical stature, her penchant for shopping, and her 'need' to find a man. Thorpe theorizes the body as both biological and the socially constructed in an effort to understand amenorrhea as prevalent in the experiences of the female recreational runners. Hanold provides insights into the way male and female ultra-runners make sense of endurance through experiences of their bodies, but also the meaning ascribed to the spaces where ultra-running takes place.
