The stereotypical runner

I read an article this morning in the New York Times about mp3 players being banned in marathon races. The following is part of the article:

“Years ago, the picture of people running marathons was these lean, mean Type-A male running machines, but today people running are your neighbors, just regular people,” said Tracy Sundlun, executive vice president for Elite Racing, which organizes marathons. “It’s a different sport now and we have to cater to these new people, not exclude them."

This is interesting to me. It's true that the stereotypical runner in the past has been a long and lean male or woman. It's encouraging that all types of people are now running marathons and choosing that as their sport. I'm sure the typical runner in someone's mind might still be someone fit and lean, but the fact that people feel comfortable making this their new sport shows that they do not feel bound to what a stereotypical runner must be. This is good news.

There are a multitude of sport-related stereotypes, all of which are commonly known. Basketball players "are tall and usually black", baseball players are "white guys who dip", etc. I don't think most people consider these to be negative stereotypes, which is why we are not bothered or feel we should change our thinking on them. What's funny to me is that, although we know they are not completely true, we still operate under them. For example, aren't we shocked that Yao Ming, a great NBA basketball player is a GIANT Asian!? (gasp!)