Is hiking a sport? Well, there are multiple definitions of the word “sport”. Therefore, there can be quit some debate about whether or not hiking is a real sport. Do you want my straight to the point answer? Yes hiking is a sport.
What is the definition of sport?
In order to answer the question “Is hiking a sport?” we must first understand what the meaning of the word sport is exactly. Let’s take a look at some definitions.
By Oxford Dictionary:
An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.
Source: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/sport
By Cambridge Dictionary:
a game, competition, or activity needing physical effort and skill that is played or done according to rules, for enjoyment and/or as a job
An interesting thing to note is that they have a slightly different definition for British English
all types of physical activity that people do to keep healthy or for enjoyment
Source: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/sport
It seems that American English has a slightly different meaning for the word sport. The first dictionary states that there has to be a certain competition factor. The second dictionary gives a broader definition – even for the American version.
So the question that comes next is: which definition is correct? Is competition required in order to use the word “sport”.
Is competition required in sport?
The answer to this question might depend on your personal interpretation. This interpretation will probably be influenced by your mother tongue.
I found out that most Americans seem to agree that competition and sport go hand in hand. Simply take a look at the following Quora post: What are some non-competitive sports?
Logic argument: There is something I have always found rather odd. Let’s take running for example. I don’t think anybody will disagree with the fact that running is a sport. There is physical activity and competition involved. However, when you simply go out for a run, on your own with no competition involved, you still call it a sport, right. When you are running – even in a non-competitive way- you are still doing sports. Following this logic, competition is not required in order to use the word sport.
Language argument: Note that I am not a native English speaker, and this gives me a different points of view. My native tongue is Dutch. In this language it is very clear that competition is not required to use the word sport. Fun fact: in Dutch, we use the exact same word: “sport”, we use this word as both a noun and a verb. My point is, when you literally translate the word sport to another language, you will notice that definitions for that word in that language will almost never mention the requirement of competition.
In the end, I cannot give a conclusive answer to this question. However, from my perspective I would say that competition is not required in sport. Both the logic argument and the language argument can be used as arguments to defend my opinion.
Can hiking be competitive?
If you agree with my statement about sport and competition, you should already agree with the fact that hiking is a sport. However, if you are one of the people who think that competition is a requirement for a sport, we need to take a look at the following question: “Can hiking be competitive?”.
Short answer: There isn’t a lot of competition in hiking. However, there is some competition, and since there isn’t any statement about how much competition there needs to be in order to qualify as a sport, we can assume that hiking is considered a sport.
So what kind of competition exists in hiking? Well, for starters there are regular races. Often, competitors have to race each other and try to reach the top of the mountain or the end of a trail as quickly as possible.
Some people might claim that this would fall under trail running, or even regular running, and not under hiking. That might be your opinion, however, there are also competition like hiking the Appalachian trail as quickly as possible. The current record is set by Karel Sabbe at 41 days. Hiking a trail like the Appalachian trail cannot be considered running or trail running. Definitely not when doing it unsupported. This means that they have to carry their own sleeping setup, food, etc. Basically, they experience the full hiking experience and this is definitely some form of competition in hiking.
Additional reasons why hiking is considered a sport
First, let’s ask Wikipedia for a list of sports. There you go, it’s listed both under climbing and walking. According to that article, hiking is a sport and I couldn’t agree more with Wikipedia’s list.
Additionally, try to do some research in other languages, you will find that hiking is indeed considered a sport in most other languages.
Is hiking an Olympic sport?
Some of the confusion about hiking not being sport might start with the fact that hiking is not an Olympic sport. However, I want to make clear that there are plenty of real sports that are not in the Olympics.
Don’t look at the Olympics as a reference for all sports. Consider it a competition for various sports of the organisations choosing. Obviously all the popular sports will be included.
I want to mention that rock climbing is one of the latest accepted sports in the Olympics. This might be the first step towards including hiking in the Olympics? Note that Wikipedia did list hiking as a subsection under climbing.
Is hiking a good cardio workout?
Related questions that are frequently asked about hiking would be: “Is hiking cardio?” and “Is hiking a good workout?”.
The answer on both of these questions would be a simple yes.
Hiking is definitely cardio. I don’t want to get to theoretical about the definition of cardio, but it’ a physical exercise that increases your hearth rate and burns a lot of calories. Therefore, we can conclude that it falls under cardio.
Hiking is a great workout. Not only can you burn calories, you can also keep your body in shape, improve your condition, etc… You can even build muscle while hiking. Sure, it’s not the optimal activity for building muscle, but it is definitely a great activity to tone your muscles (not only your legs).
How many calories does hiking burn?
In the past I have made the estimation that hiking burns 500 calories per hour on average.
However, there are so many factors that come into play. Therefore, the chances of this estimation being accurate are rather low.
Your body weight, your backpack weight, the changes in altitude, the difficulty of the trail, your hiking speed, the weather conditions and even your genetics are all important factors. The best way to get a more accurate idea about how many calories you will burn while hiking, would be to use some sort of a calculator. I would recommend using omnicalculator.
For a complete explanation about this topic I would recommend reading the following article: How many calories does hiking burn?.
Conclusion
There can be debate about whether or not competition is required in order to use the word sport. That said, my opinion is that competition is not a requirement.
However, even if competition is required in order to use the word sport, hiking would still be a sport. The reason for this is that competitive hiking events do exists. There is little competition in hiking, but there is some, and that’s enough to be considered a sport by any definition.
My conclusion is simple: Yes hiking is a sport!