How Sports Tribes Make our Lives Better

Getting ready to start the Belgian Waffle Ride

We’re happy to sit in a dirt parking lot at 4:00 am waiting for the Revel Mt Charleston Half Marathon to start

I spent the last two weekends at events with two separate sports tribes of which I’m a member: The Revel Mt Charleston Half Marathon near Las Vegas, and the Belgian Waffle Ride (full disclosure — I did the shorter Wafer version at 73 miles and not the 133 mile adventure) in San Diego. Both weekends were spectacular, not only because the events themselves were excellent, but also because I fully embraced the beauty of being out on the road suffering with my respective running and cycling communities. If you’re an endurance athlete, you know what this is about. If you’re not, then let me explain why the bonds between athletes are so tight.

1. Suffering — Participation sports in general, and endurance sports more specifically, have deep, connected communities. This is because we’re all going through something hard together. Compare this with spectator/fan sports: there’s nothing wrong with being in the community of, say, Oakland Raiders fans, but it’s fundamentally a different thing. When you’re out running a marathon, you develop a level of respect for one another that is rooted in shared suffering. There’s no privilege afforded to those who are rich. It makes no difference how old you are. And status is conferred by how committed you are and how hard you’re working.
2. People — The importance of community within the sports tribe grows over time. At the Waffle Ride, I got to spend some time with German cycling legend Erik Zabel. He’s one of the greatest sprinters in the history of the sport, his son now rides on the World Tour, and he’s the performance director for the Katusha Alpecin professional team. His entire life has been devoted to the competitive aspect of cycling. And yet, when I asked him what he loves about bicycles, he replied that “It’s all about the great people I get to meet. That’s more important than the competitive aspect for me.” In my 20s and 30s, I was obsessed with competing in any sport I was doing: triathlons, bike races, skiing. Now I’ve left that mindset behind to focus on the joy of participation and the community. While I still want to get in good shape, I now look forward to the suffering and camaraderie that happen side by side.
3. Learning — Endurance sports appeal at a basic level to those of us with obsessive personalities and those who love to learn. I freely admit that I’m a dork who gets way, way into things. Cycling is particularly addicting for someone with my tendencies: there’s gear, endorphins, adrenaline, training science, coffee, travel, European history, technical outerwear, nutrition, and much more. I’ve been in and out of cycling pretty deeply for almost 40 years now, and there’s still so much to learn. Running has many of the same components, just with less gear and technology. When you adopt a learning mindset, it opens up a whole world of discovery. I am 100% confident that I’ll never be bored in life as long as I’m able to learn.
4. Social — you cannot overestimate the social component of participation sports. The way I socialize with friends is usually at 7:00 am doing sports. I’m either running with Russ Pillar on the beach or riding my bike up the coast with Chris Fillo and others. Or maybe I’m doing a steps workout with November Project West LA, where I’m about double the age of the average member. Or I’m jumping into one of many group rides in LA with the Fireflies Cycling Club or out on the competitive Nichols Canyon ride. Any one of these scenarios involve getting to know people, discussion, laughter, and fun. And who doesn’t need all of these things in their life? Life is more enjoyable with more human contact in our lives, not less. And sport is a great way to do this.
5. Simplicity — there is something so basic, and so good, about getting on your bike and going for a ride. Or lacing up your shoes somewhere in the world and taking off for a run. Humans have been doing these things for so long that it’s part of our DNA. In my middle age years, I understand that the simplest things are the best things, in food, sport, writing, art, music, etc.

I hope this inspires you to go out for a run or a ride. For a deeper dive into these concepts, you can watch my TED talk about saving our cities with running.