The Run

Title: The Run

General Information about Item:

Informant Data:

The informant is from Marin, California, he is a Dartmouth Sophomore currently living part time in Hanover, New Hampshire. Raiden is an active member of the Dartmouth Ski Patrol at the Dartmouth Skiway. The informant has one younger sister.

Contextual Data:

Social Context: The informant went to school in Marin County California where he performed at the top of his class and had exceptional test grades. Throughout high school Raiden was very involved in cross country, competing at a very high level. After highschool the informant choose to focus on school and stopped running competitively.
Cultural Context: There are a number of traditions that runners on the informants cross country team shared. Members of Raiden’s cross country team lived by the motto, “student before athlete” and many members on the team took school very seriously. Being on a team helped spread the running folklore between team mates. Sports teams commonly share a variety of folklore.

Item:

Before every test, the informant and a few of his teammates would go for a run to decrease stress and increase performance.

Informant’s Comments:

My team introduced me to this superstition and I truly believe it has worked throughout the years.

Collector’s Comments:

This superstition can be backed by folklore and even scientific data, as it can be scientifically proven that running decreases stress before an anxiety-heavy situation like an exam.

Collector’s Name: Matt Moniz

Tags/Keywords:

Dartmouth Folklore Archive