Back in the 1960s, jogging was something only athletes and boxers really did. Normal people mostly didn’t do it – and when they did, it was cause for concern. The New York Times ran an amused trend piece in 1968 on the handful of unusual freaks who chose to run in their free time.
The earliest joggers attracted attention from the police
In 1968, the Chicago Tribune profiled the brave breed of “joggers” who ran for an entire mile. The men profiled said they ran in the morning because police became suspicious if they ran at night.
- The biggest theme was self-consciousness.
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New Zealand to thank for the jogging trend
Recreational jogging on sidewalks and roads for exercise was unheard of in the United States up until the 1960s
- Bill Bowerman introduced the concept to the U.S.
- In 1962, he visited New Zealand and was inspired by meeting Arthur Lydiard, a New Zealand coach who developed a cross-country running program
- He brought jogging back to the US and published a best-selling book on the subject
- Jogging is credited with kick-starting a movement
Jogging becomes mainstream
Celebrities like Steve Prefontaine and companies like Nike helped popularize the new sport
- People stopped thinking jogging was unusual and started to do it themselves
- In 1968, one jogger gave the New York Times his thoughts about the sport
