OPINION: Stop Shaming Newbies Who Don't Know What ‘5’ Means, or How Numerals Work in General
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Fam, time for some real talk: The other day, I saw something that made me feel ashamed to be a runner.
It was on a Facebook running page, where a newbie was asking what he surely thought was an innocent question.
“Hey, guys, new runner here,” he wrote. “I keep seeing references to 5Ks. I know what ‘K’ means, but what’s with the squiggly line before that?”
It was a perfectly fair question—did you know everything about numerals, back when you first started running?—but the comments quickly turned mean.
“Seriously?” read a reply from one gatekeeper.
“That’s a five, dude,” read another.
“I assume you’re a troll,” read a comment from a third gatekeeper. “But just in case you’re for real, 5 is a number that comes between 4 and 6.”
It got worse from there, as gatekeepers piled on.
The newbie in question eventually deleted his post, and, I assume, immediately gave away his shoes and gear, tearfully vowing never to run again. (So, to all the gatekeepers who decided to shame this person: Congratulations.)
In case you’re wondering, this is a totally real thing that is super widespread.
Just the other day, in fact, I was in a local running store when a woman walked in and appeared overwhelmed by the wall of shoes. When a salesperson approached, she said she was training for her first “sssk.”
After some back-and-forth, it became clear that this newbie was training for a 5K; not recognizing the “5,” she had assumed it was a fancy “S,” hence her pronunciation.
The salesperson, a longtime runner, didn’t even try to hide his contempt.
“Oh,” he said. “A five-kay, like the race distance. Gotcha.”
Another gatekeeper.
The newbie, exhibiting tremendous courage, tried on a few pairs of shoes, bought one, and left the store. But the moment she was out of sight, I can only assume she tearfully tossed the shoes in the nearest trash can and went straight home, never to run again.
And who could blame her?
At its best, running isn’t just a simple activity but an open and democratic one, as well. When we encounter a newbie who fails to grasp some basic concept like how numerals work, the correct response is to keep a straight face and to gently correct the newbie. Or, better yet, just keep your mouth shut and move on.
In short? Do better, gatekeepers.
