Whether it’s blogging, Tweeting and/or Instagramming, it turns out runners have plenty to say about their sport. From trail adventures to coaching advice to racing hair buns and beards, add these 20 unique runners—and Competitor‘s editorial staff—to your social streams (if you haven’t added them already).
RELATED: 5 Running Blogs You Should Be Reading
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Anton Krupicka: For Trail Workouts and Philosophical Musings
A two-time Leadville 100 champion, Anton "Tony" Krupicka takes a minimalist approach to his rigorous training regimen. This Boulder-based ultrarunner has been known to log triple-digit weekly mileage with little fuel, hydration or gear to weigh him down (not even a shirt). What’s the method to his madness? He trains everyday alternating between flat runs, vertical ascents and the climbing gym with detailed training recaps published on his blog, "Riding the Wind." Website: Riding The Wind; Facebook: Anton Krupicka
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Kara Goucher: For Catching Up with Running's 'It Girl'
Two-time Olympian Kara Goucher is making a comeback this year as America’s running sweetheart. Lucky for Oiselle, Nuun, Skechers and Soleus Running, she advertises her sponsors well on her Twitter account (@karagoucher) with discount codes and contest giveaways. However, more than just an ad board for her sponsors, Goucher’s Instagram also provides a glimpse into the popular distance runner’s family life. Her favorite posts include adorable snapshots of her son, Colt, and equally adorable and nerdy #tbt shots of a younger Kara. Photo: Scott Draper. Website: karagoucher.com; Facebook: Kara Goucher; Twitter: @KaraGoucher; Instagram: @KaraGoucher
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Scott Jurek: For Vegan Eats
When he’s not breaking ultra-distance records, Scott Jurek spends his time experimenting with new vegan recipes. His blog "Eat and Run," titled after his 2012 best-selling book "Eat and Run," is a mixture of trail adventure shots, inspirational quotes and his favorite vegan recipes.Jurek makes veganism look easy with detailed instructions on how to make a variety of simple yet delicious dishes such as gluten-free Swedish pancakes, guacamole and tom kha, a coconut-based Thai soup. Website: Scott Jurek: Eat & Run; Facebook: Scott Jurek; Twitter: @ScottJurek; Instagram: @ScottJurek
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Anna Frost: For The Wanderlusts
Since her debut in the 2004 World Mountain Running Championships in Italy, Anna Frost has hit the trails running around the world. A trail runner for Team Salomon, Frost competes and lives among the mountains. Her Instagram mimics that of a travel diary, boasting an impressive daily photo collection of exotic fauna, majestic mountain ranges and tropical coastlines taken from the trail. Although she’s all over the grid, it’s not hard to keep tabs on Frost. Twitter: @annafrosty; Instagram: @annafrosty
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Meb Keflezighi: For Everything Boston
Meb’s already robust social media following increased quite a bit after his Boston Marathon win in April. Sharing updates from his many sponsors, Meb provides insight into some of his favorite training, nutritional and recovery practices, mainly via Twitter. He also shares where he’ll be making appearances, interacts with fans and posts photos from workouts, as well as his daily life as a father, husband and ambassador for the sport of running. Website: marathonmeb.com; Facebook: Meb Keflezighi; Twitter: @runmeb; Instagram: @runmeb
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Phoebe Wright: For Refreshing Honesty
A professional runner for Nike, Phoebe Wright is known for her career-best time of 1:58:22 in the 800-meter event at the 2010 Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Ore. Her blog Stop Phe, a reference to famous American runner Steve Prefontaine, is a witty, no-boundaries commentary on the lows and highs of running. Here’s a runner who is not afraid to admit her failures in order to achieve her goals. “My deep painful secret about running: I haven’t come within a second of my 800-meter PR ever,” Wright writes in her blog. “I am on a quest to prove I am not a one hit wonder.” Photo: PhotoRun.net. Website: phe800.blogspot.com; Twitter: @Phe800; Instagram: @Phe800
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Rob Krar: For Great #Ultrabeard Commentary
Rob Krar, an ultrarunner by day and a pharmacist by night, has not one but two Twitter accounts, @RobKrar and @RobKrarsBeard. The first provides insight to Krar’s fairly new ultrarunning career. The second is dedicated to his epic beard, which he claims to possess magical ultrarunning powers. (This would explain the FKT he set for the 42-mile double-crossing of the Grand Canyon in 6:21:47!) However, Krar recently tweeted a selfie with a clean-shaven face, debunking the lucky beard myth. Photo: Brian Metzler. Twitter: @RobKrar; Twitter: @RobKrarsBeard
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Sally Bergesen: For The Hottest Fashion Trends in Running
Sally Bergesen is the founder and CEO of Oiselle, a women’s running apparel brand based in Seattle. Aside from the Oiselle blog, Bergesen’s Twitter handle (@oiselle_sally) is another source of design inspiration and innovation, including special sneak peaks of hot new hues or cuts. As leader of “the nest” (a nickname for the Oiselle office), Bergesen also utilizes Twitter to support her growing flock of Oiselle runners with frequent shoutouts. Website: oiselle.com; Twitter: @oiselle_sally
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Rickey Gates: For Stunning Trail Photography and Writing
Rickey Gates has been a record-setting champion trail runner for years, initially over short-distance races and, in recent years, ultra-distance events. But he's best known for his vagabond trail running lifestyle. His experiences include running trails while touring Mexico on a motorcycle and working as a dishwasher in Antarctica. He’s also run the Grand Canyon, raced all over Europe and sped up and down some of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks.
Website: rickeygates.com; Twitter: @RickeyGates; Instagram: @RickeyGates
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Alexi Pappas: For the Perfect Messy Hair Bun
Like Rob Krar’s beard, Alexi Pappas’s infamous messy top bun has a life of it’s own. It may not have its own Twitter account, but it has inspired a trend of “bun selfies” taken by fans of the Nike Oregon Track Club pro runner. Besides the proliferation of hair buns on Pappas’s Twitter feed (@AlexiPappas), the Dartmouth graduate who dabbles in filmmaking, acting and jersey designing often shares tidbits of quirky wisdom learned on and off the track. For example learning to forgive herself for losing the car keys at the grocery store, only to find them in her hair bun later. Twitter: @alexipappas
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Joe Grant: For Epic Mountain Trail Views
A thoughtful and philosophical running blogger, Joe Grant is also a top-tier trail runner, with a runner-up finish at the 2012 Hardrock 100 in Colorado and the 2014 Jemez Mountain 50-miler in New Mexico to his credit. “Running has become an extension of who I am, a vehicle for self-expression and discovery,” Grant says. “I am both comfortable and aware that at present, it is a large part of my identity since despite the apparent simplicity of the act itself, running is a complex, layered undertaking filled with substance and depth, with a long history and relatable to all.”
Website: alpineworks.com; Twitter: @AlpineWorks; Instagram: @AlpineWorks
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Dorothy Beal: For the Run Blog Queen
Dorothy Beal is the blogger of bloggers when it comes to running. Creator of the I Run This Body brand and one time Women's Running cover model, Beal has attracted more than 10,000 followers on Twitter (@mileposts) and more than 7,000 on Instagram (@mileposts). She writes about every corner of running — training, nutrition, music, elites, as well as the sport as it relates to her own life as a 27-time marathoner and mom. Website: mile-posts.com; Facebook: I Run This Body; Twitter: @mileposts; Instagram: @mileposts
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Sage Canaday: For Running-Related Videos
The youngest competitor in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon, Sage Canaday now competes in trail races up to 100K. Besides his newfound passion for trail ultrarunning, Canaday also writes and produces running-related videos, which he uploads onto his Youtube channel Vo2maxProductions. His videos have attracted more than 10,000 subscribers and his most popular video with a half million views covers proper running form, tips and drills. His latest creative project is the MUT Runner film (MUT stands for mountain, ultra, trail), starring fellow mountain runners, Anna Frost and Anton Krupicka. Website: SageCanaday.com; Facebook: Sage Canaday; Twitter: @SageCanaday; Instagram: @SageCanaday
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Lauren Fleshman: For Fearless Opinions
Two-time 5,000-meter national champ Lauren Fleshman is not only a fearless competitor, but the Oiselle-sponsored athlete is also not afraid to speak her mind. In 140 characters or less Fleshman shares her thoughts on everything from controversial topics such as doping, to the joys of working with her husband as co-founder of Picky Bars, to discovering that removing one’s toenails to cure fungus is not a do-it-yourself task. Her blog Ask Lauren Fleshman is even more insightful and just as thought-provoking as her tweets. Photo: Courtesy of Oiselle. Website: asklaurenfleshman.com; Facebook: Lauren Fleshman; Twitter: @laurenfleshman; Instagram: @laurenfleshman
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Josh Cox: For Insights, Inspiration and Training Advice
A master of social media, Cox Tweets, Instagrams and updates his Facebook page regularly, providing training and racing tips, inspiration and insights for runners of all ability and interest levels. The U.S. record holder for 50K and a 2:13 marathoner, Cox has qualified for four U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials and is on the comeback trail after dealing with injury and illness for much of the past year. While off of running, Cox began dabbling as an agent, and represents Olympian Desi Davila. He interacts regularly with his followers, making him one of the most recognizable runners on the web. Photo: PhotoRun.net. Website: joshcox.com; Facebook: Josh Cox; Twitter: @joshcox; Instagram: @joshcox
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Ryan Hall: For Proper Fueling
One of America’s most popular runners, the nomadic Hall provides regular training and racing updates, as well as images and insights from his frequent travels. A purveyor of interesting foods, Hall also shares the results of his culinary curiosity and is not bashful about his love of pancakes. “Post run snack was a lemon cottage cheese raspberry jelly infused pancake. Sooooo good and healthy too. Video recipe coming soon,” he Tweeted a few weeks back. A devout Christian, Hall frequently Tweets about the inspiration his faith brings to his training and racing. Website: ryanandsarahall.com; Facebook: Ryan Hall; Twitter: @RyanHall3; Instagram: @RyanHall3
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Kevin Hanson: For Coaching, Motivation and Professional Insight
Along with his brother Keith, Kevin Hanson coaches the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project and operates a chain of retail running stores around Rochester Hills, Michigan. Not afraid to share his opinions on any number of issues including—but not limited to—training and racing, the world of running retail, doping and sponsorship, Hanson provides a unique perspective shaped by his longtime involvement in many facets of the running industry. He also shares motivational mantras that will inspire aspirational runners of all ability levels. Twitter: @hansonsrun
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Nick Symmonds: For strong viewpoints about racing, sponsorship and pop culture.
Brooks-sponsored Nick Symmonds has strong views on a lot of subjects and fortunately he’s not hesitant to share them. The two-time U.S. Olympian likes to hunt and fish, once went on a date with Paris Hilton and famously bashed Russia’s anti-gay laws after earning the silver medal in the 800m at the 2013 world championships in Moscow. Photo: PhotoRun.net. Website: nicksymmonds.com; Facebook: Nick Symmonds; Twitter: @nicksymmonds; Instagram: @nicksymmonds
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Tyler McCandless: For insights on racing, workouts and recovery.
A hard-working, Newton-sponsored national-class runner and PhD. student who races distances from 5K to the marathon, McCandless has developed a healthy social media following and connects regularly with fans. He shares workout and racing snippets in a friendly, accessible tone that makes you want to root for him. Website: tylermccandless.com; Facebook: Tyler McCandless; Twitter: @trackty; Instagram: @trackty
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Steve Magness: For Science-Based Training Insights
An admitted exercise science nerd, Magness coaches cross country and track at the University of Houston. Prior to that he was Alberto Salazar’s assistant at the Nike Oregon Project. A 4:01 miler in high school, Magness recently authored his first book, “The Science of Running.” He Tweets about training, scientific studies that relate to running, his athletes’ accomplishments and happenings in the world of professional running. Photo: University of Houston. Website: scienceofrunning.com; Twitter: @stevemagness
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Competitor Magazine Editorial Staff
And lastly, a shameless plug for our own staff, which represents a wide range of interests and experience levels in the sport of running. Follow Editor-In-Chief Brian Metzler on Twitter (@brianmetzler) for running shoe news and insights, trail running images, racing highlights and running trends. Senior Editor Mario Fraioli (Twitter: @mariofraioli; Instagram: @mariofraioli) shares training and racing tips, photos of appealing trails, as well as insights and opinions on the world of professional running. Managing Editor Nicki Miller (@NickiOnTheRun on Twitter and Instagram) posts about her training and racing experiences and provides insight on some of the latest trends in nutrition. Associate Editor Caitlyn Pilkington (Twitter: @caitpilk; Instagram: @caitpilk) shares competitive running snippets and apparel sneak peeks, as well as quirky insights into her own training. On Twitter, Allison Pattillo (@allisonpattillo), senior contributing editor, gives insights about gear, trail running, running images and life in a small mountain town. Follow editorial assistant Emily Polachek Twitter: @empolachek; Instagram: @epolachek) for updates on travel, healthy fueling and running adventures as well as funny running stories on Junk Miles.
The post 20 Runners You Should Be Following On Social Media appeared first on Competitor.com.