Yes, Running Marathons Can Make You a Better Person
It’s commonplace to say that sports build character, but less common to ask how.
Illustration: Fabien Corre by Bloomberg
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During graduate school, there was a hill where I ran repeats. Sometimes I set a timer and ran up and down as fast as I could. Other times, I ran a set number of ascents, finishing the last one faster than the first. I ran that hill every week, sometimes twice a week, for years.
In between hill repeats, I studied a branch of moral philosophy called virtue ethics. Unlike moral theories that assess duties or the consequences of actions, in virtue ethics, we examine character. Instead of asking “What is the right thing to do?” we ask, “What kind of person should I be?”