Injured Distance Runners: A Case of Identity Work as Self-Help

Abstract

This article examines the importance of “identity work” for the maintenance of athletic identity in the face of prolonged injury, and the part that type of work played in successful athletic rehabilitation. It is based on collaborative autoethnographic research undertaken by two middle/long distance runners during a 2-year period of injury and rehabilitation. The narrative delineates the various kinds of identity work that were crucial to the process of rehabilitation, focusing in turn on routines and settings, appearance and embodiment, identity talk, and differential association. The article concludes by conceptualizing identity work as a strategy that can play a vital part in the recovery process of injured athletes.

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