Endurance Running: A Socio-Cultural Examination

Running is a fundamental human activity and holds an important place in popular culture. In recent decades it has exploded in popularity as a leisure pursuit, with marathons and endurance challenges exerting a strong fascination. This is the first book to examine running and endurance through a socio-cultural lens. Based on original qualitative research from sport sociology, anthropology and history, the book examines how we conceptualise endurance, why we run and with what outcomes, and whether the ability to endure is an innate human characteristic or a socially-constructed concept. It is fascinating reading for anybody working in the sociology of sport or the body, or cultural studies.