Neoliberal meanings of endurance experiences: A critical exploration of endurance running in contemporary consumer culture

There is no inherent meaning in endurance experiences. The experience is accorded meaning in dialogue with the world around us. In this critical exploration of endurance running, endurance runners’ accounts of their consumption of endurance are analysed to reveal what they indicate about contemporary society. The findings question the idea - prevalent in consumer research - that endurance experiences are an escape from the demands of everyday life. On the contrary, this chapter shows that, in contemporary consumer culture, the demands of everyday life (in the form of neoliberal discourses) discipline runners and shape the meanings of their experiences of endurance.