Vlogging

One of the latest trends in digital media has been the use of personal video blogs commonly referred to as vlogging. Instead of using the normal text, photos, and hyperlinks, vlogs give users the ability to share their story by video. Last week, I talked about how video was the most shared piece of content across the web. This week I want to dive into vloggers and how runners are using them for their own personal brand.

Nick Symmonds

A former gold medal Olympian in the 800 meter dash, Nick Symmonds is the proud owner of a thriving business called Run Gum. The product is a caffeinated piece of gum that contains the power of a cup of coffee. Even though Symmonds has retired, he has used vlogging to stay relevant and promote his new brand of gum. His vlog topics are focused around giving running advice to collegiate athletes like myself and sharing old running stories from his professional career. He currently sits at 11,232 subscribers on his account.

Ryan Trahan

Trahan has a unique story to the start of his running vlog. As a high school star runner, Trahan wanted to share his journey to becoming a division-1 cross country star. He succeeded at his dream of becoming a collegiate runner but had to give up his dream after violating the NCAA policy of accepting money for his YouTube page. Even though running sparked his YouTube success, he dropped the support to strictly work on his vlog. He became wildly successful with over a million subscribers.

Running With The Toad

Sounds like a goofy name for a running vlog right? Billy, the man behind the Running With The Toad series is a funny guy who interviews professional runners. While jogging laps with some of the best runners in the sport, Billy will ask a series of fun questions to get to know the human side of these elite athletes. The videos are fun, casual, and entertaining to see another side of your favorite athletes. Billy's YouTube page is relatively new and currently has 1,324 subscribers.

Emma Abrahamson

Ever wanted to know what its like to run for the most prestigious track and field school in the country. Watch Oregon Duck Emma Abrahamson will give you a look at what its like to run for one of the best schools in the country. Viewers will get to see the rigorous training and class work that goes on at Oregon. Her videos range from free gear she receives from Oregon to what runners should eat before a long run. Her videos are very popular among collegiate athletes as she has earned 39,875 subscribers.

Citius Mag

A magazine/podcast company who's writers vlog about various running experiences. Most of their vlogs are focused on recapping major races such as marathons and half marathons. They also do numerous post race interviews and small documentaries on running related topics. Citius Mag is most famous for documenting a new running fad called the Blue Jeans Mile. In this race athletes complete in blue jeans and race to break the world record mile time in a pair of jeans. Their videos have thousands of views but only have 233 subscribers.

There are numerous vlogs on YouTube that range from daily marathon training to some of the collegiate athletes I have highlighted. Running vlogs have become quite popular in the running community and have their place among other digital media platforms.