What is it about runners that makes them feel the need to put little stickers on their cars when they reach a goal? I can’t think of one runner I know who doesn’t have the 13.1 or 26.2 decal on their back window.
We’ve all done something great, something we’re proud of, or met long term goals, at some point. Yet I never see “climbed a mountain” or “mastered Japanese” or “walked on hot coals” on a car.
So what is it with the running people that I’m obviously missing?
There’s a subset of them that enjoys boasting.
I’m surprised I don’t see more parody stickers like this, or other numerical ones denoting various non-running achievements, like:
26.2 *(pounds I lost by not stopping at Starbucks every morning)
As someone who once ran a 5k, it might be because some of us never imagined doing anything like that, because we have been, for the most part, sedentary losers. In high school, I struggled with the mile run. So when we are able to surpass our expectations in a way that shatters our previously held beliefs about who we are, it feels like a big deal. Especially if we find ourselves enjoying something we never imagined that we could.
I stopped running after that. But I do actually miss it and I’m hoping to get in good enough shape to do it again someday, casually.
Better than TruckNutz.
And no, I never did the “boasting sticker”.
Personally, I could never stand running. Good forbid I should be alone with my own mind that long, and my joints weren’t made for that.
I’m more likely to have “watched every episode of Lost and understood it all!” on my window, but I don’t. Because who cares? Who cares that I can do the Sunday crossword in ink in however many minutes and who cares, other than you, that you can run 26 miles (which immediately tells me you’re out of your mind and love pain;) )
I’m not putting down anyone’s accomplishments; I know how hard it is to get there for a lot of people. But yeah, they seem to be a boastful lot.
Congrats! I would be super proud of that too. I wouldn’t get a decal thingie, but I’d definitely keep the t-shirt from that race.
First off, I run and several of my friends run, and none of us has a decal boasting of our marathons or halves (halfs?). So now you can think of some runners who don’t.
Second, I see bumper stickers all the time celebrating a variety of accomplishments - owning some dog breed, owning a yacht, being religious, being from some state, homebrewing, parenting an honor student, etc. Some people like to brag or advertise their hobbies, others don’t. Being a runner is pretty noncontroversial, so people might be a little more willing to advertise that.
Lastly, most people who put those stickers in their window aren’t trying to rub it in the face of non-runners. The target audience is other runners, as a way of indicating membership in a tribe. I’ve started conversations with people because I noticed a running sticker or (or beer sticker) on their car and knew I had something in common with them.
Fun fact: people with decals on their car are more likely to be aggressive drivers.
(Source: A book I read a long time ago, called Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do and What It Says About Us.)
FWIW, I have two decals, one for University of Michigan and one for University of Pennsylvania, schools from which I have acquired degrees. And yeah, it was pretty much a brag about something I felt was a big deal accomplishment at the time. You put a lot of time and effort and energy into something and you identify with it. That was a long time ago and I plan to remove them in favor of X-Men stickers or something equally nerdy.
I agree it’s definitely a tribal thing.
Used to be, I think, the idea was to strike up conversations with other runners, who were the only ones who knew what those stickers meant. Now, everybody knows what they mean, so it’s basically just bragging.
I’ve seen lifters now who have similar stickers for pounds on their max squat or deadlift. Three or four plates is 315lbs or 405lbs. 495 for five plates. Also weirdly specific numbers only a select few will understand. But it wouldn’t be long before those are commonly seen as just bragging too.
Which is fine. If you want to brag by adorning your car with stickers, go for it. It just isn’t my style.
Actually, I have, although I can’t think of any off the top of my head except for the picture I saw of the back of a man’s wheelchair that said “POLIO SURVIVOR - PLEASE VACCINATE” and a sticker that said “0.0”
Now that’s even funnier.
I think that’s funny but I wouldn’t put it because it is kind of a slap toward runners. I’m sedentary and prefer that but I’m happy other people have fun running.
I pass a bumper sticker almost every day that says “TV is to brains like maggots are to meat” and it pisses me off. I end up ranting internally about how there’s some really cool stuff on TV, like NatGeo that shows me things I would never see otherwise, and amazing dramas and funny stuff and , and… I’d rather they put something positive.
I always interpreted ‘‘0.0’’ as more self-deprecating than insulting. But I see your point.
When I got out of the Marine Corps I swore I’d never run another step, do another pull-up or get out of bed before dawn. Three for three, so far, and I have the body to show for it! And to hell with what my Dr. says, he gets paid either way!
And you can add me to the list.
My husband and I got completion medals for a race we ran in last year, and we slung them over the bedposts, one on his side, one on mine. No one sees them but us, and it’s kind of humorous to have medals on the bed 
I’m sure some runners are boastful assholes, but so are some non-runners.
Hiking peakbaggers and long distance trail hikers also put stickers on their cars, as do bikers and triathletes. Skiers but stickers from mountains they’ve skied, travelers put national parks or countries. Lots of folks have college stickers for them or their kids. It’s a pretty common thing.
I used to have magnets on my car for a marathon and ultra, but they were lost during repairs after I was rear ended and I haven’t replaced them.
Any recollection if the study broke it down into types of stickers? I can believe owners of “if you’re gonna ride my ass, at least pull my hair” stickers might be more aggressive. I’d be surprised if NPR-sticker holders were. I’d be amused if “Coexist”-ers were.
IIRC content was irrelevant. The theory is that people with car decals viewed their vehicles as an extension of their identities or something and thus took slights more personally on the road. It was an interesting book, in general. Kind of a mix of urban planning, social psychology, and sociology.
I haven’t run since the Bad, and am going to start up again, but I also have no decals, even when I was running halfs/halves…
I can tell you if my fat ass ever manages to run a marathon I am most definitely putting up a sticker. I am a person who enjoys expressing myself via symbols.