Column: Popularity of running has increased

Running has become very popular in the past ten years-with help from the Internet and a large number of star runners who have been able to keep up against international competition.

Thanks to the Dyestat or Flotrack websites, a number of runners have been able to get great coverage for major cross country and track events.

These websites have also helped athletes compare themselves against other athletes across the United States and made national competitions so much more important for them.

Performances and competition have improved from high school, to college, and into the few American elites who decide to go pro, but there are still no fans that fill up the stands.

I don’t think there are enough professional runners because there is a lack of sponsorship and if stands were filled, then they’d be able to receive money by winning races.

Most fans that keep up with distance running or field events don’t go to these meets and watch athletes run performances that haven’t been this good since the 1960s and 70s running craze.

There have been so many runners that are breaking American records and can compete against the dominant Kenyan and Ethiopian runners.

Alan Webb broke the American record in the mile just three years ago, and Dathan Ritzenhein and Chris Solinsky have both broken distance American records on the track this year.

Then there’s Ryan Hall, who has been doing phenomenal in marathons since last year despite having a sub-par performance in Olympics.

Fans stay at the comfort of their home and either watch the race through their computer screens or wait a few hours until the results come out.

The only place in the United States where a number of fans consistently attend a meet is at Hayward Field in Oregon because of all the history that place has.

There are a lot of intervals, weight training, and thousands of miles run by these athletes. I think they deserve a lot more recognition.

These athletes train for a long time for only a moment and I feel that a spectator cannot capture the energy and excitement of being in the stands and actually watching the race as other fans attend football or basketball sports.

Harrison Bueno can be reached at