In 2016 I was happily plodding around in a pair of ASICS, sipping water from a belt that made me look like a low-rent Batman, and uploading nothing to social media because nobody cared. Then I buggered off abroad, did a few marathons in places where rabid stray dogs were more of a hazard than chip timing, and more or less forgot about the running scene back home.
Fast forward to 2025. I’ve dipped back in properly for the first time in a decade and sweet Jesus, we’ve turned into a cult. I feel like Eminem in that Houdini video, when 2002 Slim Shady steps out of a time machine and just stares in disbelief at people using selfie stick and robots walking dogs, wondering what planet he’s landed on. That’s me now, except swap the selfie sticks for carbon-plated moon boots, Strava kudos, and running gear that looks more suited to riot control than marathon training.
Here’s what’s changed.
HOKA: The Shoe Brand Nobody Ordered
In 2015, if you said “Hoka” I’d assume you were sneezing. Now they’re everywhere. Entire walls of running shops have been colonised by these chunky moon boots, as if the marshmallow industry had launched a footwear division.
Back then, the big names were ASICS, Mizuno, Saucony, maybe New Balance if you were edgy. HOKA? Never heard of them. Now they’re the go-to for anyone who wants to look like they’ve stapled mattresses to their feet. Somehow, this tiny French company went from “what’s a Hoka?” to “you’re not a real runner unless you own six pairs”.
ASICS: The Nokia of Running Shoes
Speaking of ASICS, what the hell happened? In the mid-2010s they were everywhere. You couldn’t swing a sweaty singlet in a race start pen without hitting ten pairs of Gel-Kayanos. Now? They’ve got all the cultural relevance of a Blackberry. Once dominant, now clinging to life on clearance shelves, like your uncle’s Facebook memes.
It’s not that the shoes suddenly got bad. It’s just that everyone else turned up with carbon plates, weird foams, and marketing campaigns that made you believe running in them would get you laid. ASICS stayed solid, dependable, and completely boring. Turns out being reliable isn’t enough in a world addicted to “innovation”.
Nike: From Sidelines to Centre Stage
A decade ago, if you wore Nikes at a race, people assumed you’d got lost on your way to five-a-side. Sure, they had the Pegasus, but the “serious” runners were still in ASICS, Mizuno or Saucony.
Then Nike went full Bond villain. They rolled out the Vaporfly, a shoe so fast it basically turned every local 10K into a doping scandal. Suddenly, the same brand that once made fluorescent football boots was dictating marathon world records. Everyone else has been desperately slapping carbon plates into their soles ever since.
Nike went from novelty act to kingmaker in under five years. And if you don’t believe me, tell Eliud Kipchoge his shoes don’t count. Just make sure your next of kin are ready to identify your remains.
Headphones: The New Smoking Ban
Remember when headphone bans were rare. The odd race might wag its finger at you, but most organisers didn’t care if you listened to Beyoncé while getting overtaken by pensioners. Now it’s practically universal.
Every race briefing has a little section that’s basically, “Don’t you dare wear headphones, you antisocial prick.” It’s like the smoking ban all over again: one minute it was grand, next minute you’re standing outside in the rain with the other addicts.
What’s funny is that, just like the smoking ban, it was unthinkable maybe 15 years ago. Race organisers and national bodies always wanted it, but people said it would never work. Too hard to police, would undermine authority, nobody would comply. And yet here we are.
The rulebook hammer dropped in 2016 when UK Athletics brought in a nationwide ban on headphones in road races run on open single carriageway roads. Bone conduction earphones got the green light, but everything else was booted. Athletics Northern Ireland followed up in 2018 by enforcing the rule on all its permitted events, and since then it’s been game over for your Spotify comfort blanket. In the Republic, Athletics Ireland hasn’t pulled the trigger nationally yet, but plenty of AI-licensed races already ban headphones and there’s chatter it could become official sooner rather than later.
And the kicker: just like the smoking ban, most people actually do comply now. Turns out once the rules are in black and white, runners don’t fancy being the eejit arguing with a race marshal.
Hydration Vests: Stab-Proof Chic
Back in 2015, if you wanted to carry water you wore a belt. Simple. Maybe a bottle tucked into a holster at your hip. Now? Everyone’s rocking these chest-strapped hydration vests. Let’s call it what it is: you look like you’re heading to a knife fight.
I don’t know who decided that strapping two bottles to your chest like body armour was a good look, but apparently it drifted over from the trail world. Fair enough if you’re tackling 100 miles in the Alps. Less fair if you’re jogging the local 5K parkrun. Nothing screams “over-prepared” quite like turning up dressed as if you’re on patrol in an active war zone, just to run three laps of a park.
Strava: The Cult of Kudos
In 2011 I bought my first Garmin. It was basically a GPS brick that told me how far I’d gone and occasionally lost signal under a tree. That was it.
Now, the watch still does that, but the difference is you immediately upload the data to Strava so hundreds of strangers can “like” your jog. A harmless run around the block has become a content strategy.
Every Sunday morning is now a scrolling graveyard of “8 miles easy” posts from people you’ve never met but apparently care enough to click “kudos”. Strava has turned running into Instagram for people too sweaty for selfies. It’s not enough to run, it has to be perfomative.
Conclusion: Running’s Glow-Up (Or Meltdown)
So here I am, back in the sport after a decade, staring at a world where everyone dresses like a trail commando, brags about their shoes like they’re luxury handbags, and argues about headphone rules like it’s a UN summit.
And the worst part? I’ve joined Strava, and caught myself eyeing up a hydration vest. Turns out I’m not immune. Running hasn’t changed. Maybe I have.
But at least ASICS are still dependable. Like the memory of that one bad decision made on a university night out. Always there, waiting.
