Runners aren’t the only hobbyists proudly display their passions on their cars, whether it’s politics, pet ownership or that they’d rather be sailing. But few have earned the wrath and counter-sticker culture of the 13.1 and 26.2 stickers.
Why are some non-runners so eager to proclaim that they don’t run?
I decided to find out.
I went to Amazon and read over 200 product reviews for various 0.0 bumper stickers and car magnets. Then I cold-called someone I’d spotted driving with one. (Her car also displayed her business phone number).
Here’s what I learned.
Bad news first: Some people genuinely dislike people who display their running distances on their car. A handful of reviewers labeled it obnoxious or bragging, and a couple used profanities to describe runners.
“I work out to stay in shape. I don’t laud it over everyone else with stupid stickers and constant chatter about my last ‘time’.”
“Should I get a sticker with my weight and GPA and plop it on my car??”
“Ha ha! Hilarious! When my husband asked what all those 26.2 and 13.1 stickers were on cars, he thought they were so obnoxious. So I got this for him. He loves it. I wish it also said something about eating cookies on it!”
-reviewers on Amazon.
Ouch.
Some of the reviewers were even runners themselves, hoping to shame other runners for advertising their accomplishments.
But for every vengeful comment, there were more reviewers who simply enjoyed the sticker’s humor.
I took 76 reviews Amason’s most popular 0.0 car magnet and tallied the number of times certain words appeared.
The results quantified what I’d noticed reading through the reviews. Most people buying the car magnet just thought it was funny.
“Bought this for my daughter, I’m always trying to get her to run with me so she thought this was great! It gets a laugh from everyone!”
“My brother is a marathon runner and I am so proud of him. But I don’t run and that is okay with me.”
“Love this magnet! A conversation piece, and brings a smile to the observer’s face!”
Phone interview
I called the business number from the car with the 0.0 sticker on it and ended up talking to a friendly woman named Lori who lives in New Hampshire.
She said a friend who runs gave her the 0.0 sticker because she doesn’t run. Lori thought it was so funny she gave one to another non-running friend, too.
“I have no problem with whatever sport anyone wants to do. I think ‘Well hey, good for you’.”
What does bug her about runners? Not their car magnets. It’s when they’re competitive in a way that makes themselves unhappy or they frequently complain about their running.
“Competition is part of my business. I get competition. But why do it if you’re not having fun?”
She’s got a point.
They’re not out to get us
I felt better after talking to Lori.
I started running to cope with post-partum depression, and I completed my journey to 13.1 as a tired mother of two young children with no family nearby.
Training for a half marathon redefined my opinion of my own abilities and resilience and brought me out of depression. It became an important part of my identity.
When I put that car magnet on my car, I wanted to celebrate who I’d become and show how accessible running is. It broke my (admittedly fragile) heart a little to wonder if displaying a 13.1 car magnet on my car was obnoxious.
I was glad to discover that most people buying 0.0 magnets aren’t upset, they’re just having a laugh.
Love your 13.1 or 26.2 sticker? Don’t worry about it! It’s part of who you are and there are more offensive bumper stickers on the road, trust me.
Happy running!
and BTW….
Too much?
Kelly, I love this column today! Thorough reporting and upbeat. Great idea to research it through Amazon reviews. Should we PIlates enthusiasts have a bumper sticker that says 100? For “The Hundred.” Never the “Hundreds.”
I love this. Great entry =)
I have both 13.1 and 26.2 stickers on my car. I had an entire paragraph written out about how to me it’s not bragging… but in the end, yes, I’m bragging. I didn’t start running until I was in my 50s and I’m proud of it! I live at the end of a cul-de-sac and I want my neighbors, who’ve see me take off on runs, to know what I’ve accomplished. These same neighbors who’ve said to me, “Oh, so you’re a runner now?” and “I can’t picture you running.”
It crossed my mind that it would be cool to have the number of halfs and fulls on my stickers (like 13.1 x 8 and 26.2 x 3), but that’s a bit overkill. Plus, I’ve noticed that once that 26.2 sticker went up, I was tailgated more often than I used to be. Coincidence? Probably not.
Someone SAID they couldn’t picture you running?! It’s hard to imagine being so tactless. I too would be a little extra pleased with my mileage stickers in that case. Plus what you’ve done is incredible.
See my post below and you will understand why you just became my hero.
Hi – I’m a runner, but not interested in the longer distances (sticking to 5k races and loving it). I find the running world’s fixation on marathons and half-marathons to be the obnoxious thing – like, what, you’re not a real runner if you don’t go those distances? It seems the stickers are just an extension of that superior attitude. The fact is, scientifically, 10-20 miles a week is the optimum level of running for health. Doing more is just painful! A runner I really admire, who is 61 and as fast as the average 20-year-old, has the 0.0 sticker on his car as a funny way of saying – just shut up and run! Because that’s what he does. Nothing to prove – running for the joy and health of it.
Just like when I see women in slinky dresses in the movies, like casino royale, and the whole room stops to gape; I tell my husband the same thing as I say about my athletic prowess: even if I would never wear a dress like that, I would like to be worthy of it.
I am not thin, nor especially young. I am fighting the pain of military injuries and genetics just to maintain my weight and go for my walk at least 3-4 times per week.
There is a mountain and a marathon here in Seward, Alaska. Just once I would like to even attempt it, let alone complete it, if I could never hope to win it.
Who cares what anyone puts on their vehicle. If you earned it, do what you want.
I can’t understand why people are such hypocritical jerks. “Oh, I’m an individual! Celebrate individuality!” But the second you do, some jackanape tries to bring you down or criticize you for it.
I hope I can return my health and fitness back to when I was a badass (yes. I really was.) in the Army. I hope I can be worthy of even a 13.1 decal, let alone a 26.2. And god help the moron who tries to put me down for it.
Wake me up when someone makes a negative sticker.
– Triathlete
– Iron Man
ie, no where near the perfection required for those endeavors.
PS – #toosoon?
WHo cares what people talk about, are proud about, or brag about. Isn’t is the same as the people who had stickers said their kid was a top student or something like that? I think it is kind of cool to have run a half marathon, or a full one and have a sticker that communicates your accomplishment to it’s own kind. It is subtle, mysterious, and silently speaks to other runners who know about it. It is an innpcent movement unlike most of the movements that are changing thye world and forcing us to pick sides. This is a very cool idea and I am in the least bit interested in that sport or world. However, the fact that someone actually looked into it, found out what it means, and decided he, she, it, they,, whatever were going to take offense to it and spread their negative views to those who are looking for other peoples problems they can call their own. Do me a huge favor and anyone who thinks this has any relevence at all….Go Away! Go find a life you can be proud of so the rest of us can condemn it. Go 0.0