Spectator attention transforms grueling endurance events into triumphant experiences

Evidence

And what about the faithful few who stand for hours in the bone-deep predawn cold along the high-altitude route of the Leadville Trail 100 ultra-marathon? We aren’t talking about the runners, now (stick them in “Amateurs,” above). The world of ultra-running (where competitors pound out the mileage equivalent of back-to-back-to-back marathons) is populated with FANS like this, who line the 100 miles of alpine track to cheer on the increasingly haggard runners filing past. There are no medals for these stalwarts who pass out orange slices and energy goo; their only comforts are thermoses of hot tea and sleeping bags. And yet they stand there all night, a shivering testament to the ways that attention can make otherwise excruciating feats into something triumphant, even fun. — The Friends of Attention, Attensity!, 413

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: A single moment of perceived glory can structure a lifetime of pursuit; Audience attention is generative of greatness in performers — The Friends of Attention, Attensity!: A Manifesto of the…, 414; Sports spectatorship trains people to accept inflicted pain as strength — Theodor W. Adorno, The Culture Industry: Selected Essays…, 129 (+2 more)
• yield-rescued: below the book’s yield-target cutoff, included anyway for connecting to: A single moment of perceived glory can structure a lifetime of pursuit; Audience attention is generative of greatness in performers — The Friends of Attention, Attensity!: A Manifesto of the…, 414; Sports spectatorship trains people to accept inflicted pain as strength — Theodor W. Adorno, The Culture Industry: Selected Essays…, 129 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Sports spectatorship trains people to accept inflicted pain as strength #complicates (0.78) — Theodor W. Adorno, The Culture Industry, 129