Only 8% of runners love running, with half saying that they either hated it or “merely tolerate it”, a new survey by fitness-tracking app Strava has revealed.
Strava – which tracks the sports activity trends of 50 million people in almost 200 countries – collected data from 25,000 runners around the world and divided the respondents into five groups.
This included “passionate runners”, who run in many social settings and enjoy benefits such as feelings of accomplishment and happiness; “mindful runners” – who tend to run alone – and “reluctant runners” who rarely compete in races and say they receive the least benefits of all the runner types.
So, why do it?
Strava says the findings show running is often “connected with a sense of stability at a deeper level” with runners describing “the need to run to maintain their sense of self and as a way to respond to adversity.”
“There’s a great realisation that to exercise the body also helps to exercise the mind – which is a muscle that needs just as much looking after as the other muscles,” said Simon Klima, Strava’s global marketing director.
Most of the respondents – over 80% – said they started running to get healthier, stronger or have more energy – and were willing to put aside their feelings towards running if it meant a longer-term increase to their happiness.
Personally, we think there are plenty of other ways to get active – but if hitting the open road, makes you feel more at peace with the world, that’s a good reason to lace up those runners.
