‘Ploughing on’: a sociological investigation of ‘endurance work’ in competitive swimming and distance-running

ABSTRACT

Despite a burgeoning corpus of qualitative studies of sport and physical cultures, in-depth and embodied investigations of those requiring sustained engagement with ‘endurance work’ remain relatively under-developed. These physical cultures are sociologically interesting as they often demand of practitioners intense commitment in terms of time, energy, and (for many) finances devoted to endurance-training regimes. They also require substantial sacrifice with regard to social activities and family life, even for those not competing at elite levels. The nature of endurance and enduring still remains under-researched from a sociological and qualitative perspective, however, and we directly address this gap in the research literature by contributing fresh theoretical insights and empirical data on the lived experience of endurance in two different lifeworlds: competitive swimming and distance running. Employing a sociological-phenomenological framework, we analyse and conceptualise data derived from two separate ethnographic and autoethnographic research projects, and explore interesting commonalities in the shared lived experience of endurance and ‘endurance work’ in these two distinctive physical cultures.

KEYWORDS:

• Sociological phenomenology
• performance swimming
• distance running
• endurance work
• embodiment

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. DOMS – Delayed-onset muscle soreness that can be experienced post-exercise.

2. Here, we are using intersubjectivity to mean both the process and product of having experiences, knowledge, understandings, and expectations, all shared with others.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Gareth McNarry

Dr Gareth McNarry is Assistant Performance Swimming Coach and Para-Swimming Lead at Loughborough University. His research interests include the lived experiences of sport and physical cultures, coaching practice and coach development.

Jacquelyn Allen-Collinson

Professor Jacquelyn Allen-Collinson is Professor in Sociology and Physical Culture at the University of Lincoln, UK, where she is also Director of the Health Advancement Research Team (HART). Currently pursuing her interest in combining sociology and phenomenology, her research interests include the lived experience of endurance in sport and physical cultures, together with the sociology of the senses, weather, and identity work.

Adam B. Evans

Dr Adam B. Evans is Associate Professor in Sociology of Sport and Health at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, where he is director of the Sport, Health and Implementation Research Group. He is also editor if the European Journal for Sport and Society. His research focus lies in understanding the lived experience of sport and exercise, primarily in health-based settings amongst groups such as older adults and those managing chronic illness.