Episode 7.4: Learning to love running

Meet Sharon Stoll, the director of the Center for ETHICS at University of Idaho and a leading authority in competitive moral education intervention techniques for college-aged students in America. She has been a consultant with many well-known organizations, including the U.S. military. She is discussing moral development in athletes and whether it’s possible to learn to love running.

Email us at vandaltheory@uidaho.edu.

How do you feel about running?

Is it really possible to learn to love running? Well, maybe. If lacing up feels like a chore rather than a thrill, you’re not alone, and this episode has you covered. Stoll dives into her refreshing approach to ethics in competitive spaces, focusing on aligning with an organization’s mission to foster values like character and justice, spanning fields from sports to the military. She shares how her research, sparked by a student’s question, revealed that sports don’t inherently build character — it’s something that must be nurtured as sports often emphasize winning over ethics. She then discusses her graduate students, who are digging into the joy of sports beyond the scoreboard and highlighting the personal and spiritual fulfillment that can make physical activity more rewarding. Stoll believes that shifting the focus from competition to joy can inspire lifelong movement, tackling health issues like type 2 diabetes and heart disease along the way.

Music

“Young Republicans” by Steve Combs via freemusicarchive.org, not modified.

“I’m Good, You’re Good” by Sam Cardon via Amphibious Zoo.