Whenever I check social media, I expect the typical ‘likeable’ product: selfies, holiday photos, boujee food. Yet, recently, more and more young people seem to be showcasing another trend: athletic feet and, specifically, the half marathon. Stories are shifting from dramatic landscapes accompanied by Indie songs (to prove alternative worthiness, of course) to confirmation of PBs and Strava scores —something I had only considered when discussing a caricature of someone in a mid-life crisis. This brings me to my main question: Is the half marathon indicative of the ‘quarter-life crisis’?
A Curious Trend
A gruelling 13.1 miles of steady jogging may seem like a student’s hell. The youth’s penchant for vaping and drinking offers an immediate barrier to the physical achievability of this, for starters. Besides, beyond the academic requirements of a degree the societal emphasis on dating, making as many friends as you can, and being beautiful (because you are only young once!) surely consumes too much time to allow for the rigorous training a half marathon demands. And yet, more and more university-aged people are completing this race.
Mischa, a Psychology undergraduate at the University of Cambridge, recently completed the city’s half marathon, along with many other of her peers. Living in the intense bubble of the academic world she reflects on how ‘it was really nice to have a goal outside of Cambridge and something external I could work towards on my own time’ and how it helped her with ‘keeping a routine’ — something students often struggle with.
The ‘work hard play hard’ reputation of Cambridge appears to be undergoing a transition from boozy Old Boys letting off steam late at night to finding healthier ways of coping with stress. It feels important to remind readers that the current cohort of undergraduates experienced their teenage years at home due to the lockdown restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Maddy, a second-year History student, also at Cambridge, reflects on her experience. She remembers going for a short jog in her first week of university with someone she had just met and how ‘We have been running, and close friends, ever since,’ completing the Cambridge Boundary Half Marathon in March 2024. The connection gained from exercising reinforces the trend of youths turning away from alcohol-infused pub nights and towards healthier alternatives. In this case, replacing a few pints at the pub with a joint half marathon challenge.
Dealing with Trauma
Well, there’s a certain simple delight in being able to go outside again and being able to move. This is a generation who grew up asking not ‘How long until I can legally drink?’ but ‘When can I legally go out?’ Given this bleak history, it makes perfect sense that going out and moving your body is prioritised.
The concept of the ‘Quarter-Life Crisis’ also comes to mind. Students today are living with the trauma of Covid. Every member of this generation carries the unique experience of how the pandemic affected them. The bare minimum of that collective experience is the isolation following socialising restrictions. Not going to school for a year can play havoc with your mental health. Add to this the difficulties young people face in today’s job market and suddenly the middle-aged response of setting extreme fitness goals when under stress seems perfectly plausible.
The challenge of being able to run continuously for two hours is not just a way of coping with daily stress through rigorous training; it’s a way to regain a sense of self. It’s also a way to prove one’s ability to commit to and complete a revered challenge, thereby re-affirming oneself in a social climate that seems hell-bent on removing any sense of self-worth from the youth. From the ongoing housing crisis to employment frustrations, young people need something concrete to hold on to that is entirely in their hands.
Despite concerns and criticisms made about the party culture of today’s youth, the growing number of young people completing half marathons suggests that not all is lost. We may have lived through a three-year pandemic, and we may be facing a dire job market, but we have grit that pushes us through incredible athletic feats despite the stresses we face.
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