Since the 1950s, health researchers and policymakers have sought to address a rising epidemic of inflammatory diseases rooted in post-Fordism work practices and increased community sedentarism. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, advocates of distance road-running promoted jogging as a means of obtaining and sustaining healthy bodies. By the late 1970s, more populist authors were proselytising running as a lifestyle which offered good health; a sense of community; and opportunities for personal achievement – regardless of gender, age, or ability. The modern running boom was born. To the extent that place-making by runners has been theorised, two substantial research paradigms have emerged. First is the ‘universal health paradigm’ which remains rooted in historical narratives of running lore and posits an a priori assumption that runners are motivated by health concerns. Second has been a phenomenological approach which theorises running as a social construct premised on the ‘new mobilities paradigm’. We argue concerns of an emerging false good/bad dichotomy of running places which does not reasonably reflect the spatial and social values of the repetitive and mundane ‘training’ which underpins most running aspirations. Our research project aims to challenge this apparent orthodoxy through the investigation of place-making by runners in complex and contested urban places. A mixed-methods approach has been adopted to interrogate runners through an online survey of fifty-five respondents from the Brisbane running community and four participatory ‘run-along’ interviews conducted in places selected by each participant. Ultimately, we argue that running ‘careers’ are not constructed through the valorisation of extra-ordinary experiences – such as competing in iconic racing events or running in ‘nature’ – rather, we contend they are imagined and established in place through the mundane, day-to-day practices of individuals negotiating and navigating complex urban spaces.