Types Of Races Sports
There are a lot of different types of races to get involved in- it isn’t just about running on the road. Here are some different types of races that you can take part in. Trail racing is similar to cross country racing and usually takes places on mountains and hiking locations on grassy/trail type terrain. Running, footracing over a variety of distances and courses and numbering among the most popular sports in nearly all times and places. Modern competitive running ranges from sprints (dashes), with their emphasis on continuous high speed, to grueling long-distance. 5 kilometers (km): This shorter distance race is among one of the most popular types of races. They can be found on a local level to an international level. The race can be about speed, can carry a theme or support a local charity making this race distance popular.
Whether you are a well seasoned runner or a beginner, taking part in a race may be something you’ve already done or are contemplating doing for the first time.
Running a race is a great way to both challenge and to motivate yourself in your training. There are a lot of different types of races to get involved in-- it isn’t just about running on the road.
Here are some different types of races that you can take part in.
1. Trail Racing
Trail racing is similar to cross country racing and usually takes places on mountains and hiking locations on grassy/trail type terrain.
Trail running and racing has become very popular and it has some great benefits such as not having to run on hard surfaces, which can increase wear and tear on the joints. Running on trails also means there is generally no need to dodge traffic.
Check out America’s best trail races.
2. Triathlons
Triathlons have become increasingly popular with many runners feeling the need to do more than just running a race.
A triathlon consists of a swim, cycle, and a run to the finish. If you want to set yourself a challenge that is more than just running - a triathlon is a great challenge. Most triathlons consist of a 1500m swim (just under a mile), a 40km mile bike ride (24.85 miles), and a 10k (6.2 mile) run at the end.
3. Fun Runs
Fun runs are a great way to dip your toe into the world of racing or to build up your experience and give yourself a challenge. They tend to be 5-10km in distance and often appeal to beginner runners.
There are hundreds of fun runs around to take part in either for fun and/or to raise money for charity at the same time.
The general distances for a lot of fun runs are 3.1 miles (5 km) and 6.21 miles (10 km). They are great to run with friends. Many charities support events and encourage their supporters to run for them to raise money. The charities are there on the event day to support their runners making it a fun and worthwhile event for all involved.
In addition to the fun runs above, there are a lot of themed running events now such as the Disney races, which are very popular and lots of fun. If wine is your thing, then there are fancy dress themed events around the world such as the French Marathon du Medoc where runners run in costumes and drink wine at each mile marker.
4. Team Obstacle Racing
Imagine running through a series of completely dark tunnels, through ice cold water and dangling electrical wires! If that makes you say, “where do I sign up?” then perhaps obstacle racing is for you.
It has become a major trend in the last few years with events such as Tough Mudder and Spartan races springing up all across the world. They are army style races and not for the faint hearted or for those with long term injuries, but if you think it sounds like fun then there are plenty to get involved in.
5. Ultra Racing
If a 5 mile race or even a marathon (26.25 miles) doesn’t seem far enough for you and you are interested in long distance, then perhaps ultrarunning races are for you.
Ultra marathons are generally races longer than 26.25 miles. Today there are many events across the world now ranging from 50 miles to 200+ miles with some very famous races such as the toughest ultras in the world, the Marathon Des Sables in the Sahara and the Comrades Marathon in South Africa.
If you’re interested in more ultra races, check out Runner’s World’s recommendations.
Finding the race that fits you or trying something new is a great way to stay motivated in your running and to take your running to the next level - Good Luck!
UK born and based currently in Australia, Zoe has a passion for running as evident by her participation in excess of 30 running events, including five marathons, over the past 14 years. Wanting to share her enthusiasm for running, five years ago Zoe started a blog for the everyday runner “The Girl That Runs“. This blog has quickly built up a strong following amongst runners of all ages and experience levels looking for advice with easily relatable content.
Main Photo Credit & Second Photo Credit: Pavel1964/shutterstock.com; Third Photo Credit: Maridav/shutterstock.com; Fourth Photo Credit: lzf/shutterstock.com
Race Sport Led
The term race is not easily defined; it has complicated and contested meanings contingent upon historical and social contexts. In a general sense, scholars within, and outside, sport psychology (SP) have conceptualized race as having biological and/or social distinctions. From a biological perspective, race refers to individuals who are perceived by others, and perhaps by themselves, as possessing distinctive, inherited, biological traits (e.g., skin color). People subscribing to a biological perspective typically regard race as a fixed, objective, homogenous category. Enduring assumptions from this perspective include the argument that people can be divided into biologically detached “races” and/or static representational categories of particular races and that similarities within, and difference between, these groups can be reduced to appearance, ability, behavior, and psychological characteristics. From a social perspective, the foregoing assumptions are viewed as simplistic and problematic, as race cannot be solely reduced to a scientific, neutral, and monolithic (i.e., all-encompassing representing a single perspective or experience) category. Instead, race is conceptualized as a socially constructed phenomenon, the meaning of which is contingent upon changing and complicated interactions between social processes and lived experiences. Thus, from a social constructionist viewpoint, the term race is not viewed as a fixed, natural, and biologically given but is a constructed term—the meaning of which is fluid depending upon the contextual moment and one’s interpretations and experiences within that moment. The degree to which biological assumptions concerning race have endured is not confirmation of their existence but rather shows that such explanations have persisted over time as socially agreed upon ways of speaking about race.
Types Of Races Sports
Despite the acknowledgment of race as a quasi-biological and social construct, in North America the term is still often reduced to an overarching concept equated with skin color and/or physical appearance. Sport studies scholars and, more recently, scholars in SP have called attention to the political effects of such simplistic “race conceptions,” as they perpetuate a Eurocentric white (and often male) hierarchy of power and privilege in sport. In turn, one perspective in SP emerges as “truth” and as the dominant view against which all experiences are measured and interpreted. Perspectives and voices falling outside of a mainstream Eurocentric viewpoint are silenced, particularly the perspectives of those whose identities intersect with class, gender, and sexuality. Another result of such silencing and privileging of primarily one perspective is that the justification of bias, discrimination, prejudice and stereotypes may result.
Ethnicity is similarly misconstrued and often used interchangeably with the term race; thus, the term also warrants mention or highlighting in conceptions and discussions of race. Ethnicity has been used to refer to a unique set of cultural, social, and religious characteristics (e.g., shared customs, values, traditions, worldviews) and does not refer to one’s physical appearance or serve as a proxy for a particular race. As with the aforementioned biological viewpoint concerning race, when used interchangeably with race, the term ethnicity takes on the inherent, historical, and social meanings and the (problematic) implications of the biological viewpoint. In-line with a social constructionist conception of race, ethnicity can also be conceptualized as having multiple meanings that are dynamic and changing because they are socially and culturally (re)produced. Scholars outside, and within, SP have highlighted the need to recognize that while there may be a degree of overlap between conceptions and meanings of race and ethnicity, one should be aware of the foregoing dynamic meanings and that each of these terms have very different theoretical approaches to conceptualization.
Types Of Running Races
While the inclusion of race and ethnicity in SP is relatively new and still a void within the field, it is a growing area of interest in both research and application. To date, many of the approaches used have been to assert that race exists and to ask what effect membership in a particular race or ethnic group has on sport involvement, what psychological implications result, and in turn, consider the implications for applied practice. In addition to such approaches, sport studies scholars have called for critical forms of exploration and theorizing race and ethnicity to move beyond looking at race and ethnicity as interchangeable and/or as fixed variables. Critical forms of theorizing allow researchers and practitioners to acknowledge and explore the complexity and multiple meanings of race and ethnicity—particularly in terms of their intersection with class, gender, and sexuality. Following the recommendations and work of these scholars, it has been suggested that a more profound, and perhaps socially transforming approach for SP, is to conceptualize race as a socially and culturally produced marker of a particular relationship of power, to see racial identity as contested, and to ask how and why racial relations are (re)produced through sport.
As the field of sport and exercise psychology moves forward in a global and multicultural society, the inclusion of marginalized identities, cultures, and perspectives outside of the mainstream is important. SP practitioners, educators, and researchers may increasingly find themselves working with athletes, coaches, and physical activity (PA) participants from a wide range of cultural backgrounds. An awareness of the foregoing distinctions and discussions concerning race and ethnicity will be an important gateway toward enhanced mutual understanding between minority participants and those working in SP contexts. Such mutual understanding may open up a deeper appreciation of PA participants from a multicultural perspective, as well as break down racial, social, economic, and political barriers that impede and/or impact PA participation for minority groups in society.
References:
Type Of Races Of People
- Birrell, S. (1989). Racial relations theories and sport: Suggestions for a more critical analysis. Sociology of Sport Journal, 6, 212–227.
- Kontos, A. P., & Breland-Noble, A. M. (2002). Racial/ ethnic diversity in applied sport psychology: Multicultural introduction to working with athletes of color. The Sport Psychologist, 16, 296–315.
- Ram, N., Starek, J., & Johnson, J. (2004). Race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation: Still a void in sport and exercise psychology? Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 26, 250–268.
- Schinke, R. J., & Hanrahan, S. J. (Eds.). (2009). Cultural sport psychology. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
