I disagree. Amateur runners are runners.

I was able to run two Ragnar relay races, even though I’m a 275lb dude, partially due to this idea. I don’t run anymore because of continued injury but I became a runner and did so for over a year. It likely helped my fitness tremendously. And, I wasn’t lying to myself or anyone else. I was running three times a week and competed in two races. I was learning and designing my own interval running patterns. I was a runner.