It’s crazy to think, but there was a time that “running for the sake of running” was seen as novel. Seeing the habits of some runners today, there’s a chance that they were right for scoffing at the idea.

Regardless, looking back at news stories of the day, one can see just how weird people thought it was that we would start running not to avoid a predator or flee a battlefield, but just to be able to fit into our old jeans again.

This report from 1967, for example, shows a bewildered man interviewing female runners about the new trend, while a separate report from the U.K. a few years later warned that engaging in running for the sake of it could pose a health risk. But who are the Brits to tell us what’s good for our bodies?