Why Is Running Cool Again?

For a long time, health conscience teens and 20 somethings would be primarily found in commercial gyms lifting weights and trying to look as big as possible with cardio reserved strictly for the summer cut and looked upon with distain and horror. But recently, that seems to have changed… cardio, specifically running, is now considered cool and run clubs are more popular than ever. So what has exactly lead to this rise in popularity amongst young people?

The largest reason for the popularity spike in running comes from, in my opinion, Covid-19, and the lockdowns specifically. Gyms were closed in 2020 for an extended period meaning a lot of the gym goers were left twiddling their thumbs and scared to loose their hard earn’t gains in fitness. So many turned to what they could do without access to a gym, running. Something they would never have done without the push from the lockdown and I imagine this opened a lot of peoples eyes to the joy of running and set them on a path to continue.

Also linked to Covid-19, I imagine a lot of people came out of it feeling disconnected from their peers and fed up with the solitude of the gym and social media and found the social aspect of running and the newly popular run clubs, very appealing.

Another reason for the rise in runnings popularity is the health benefits it brings. Yes, the gym is amazing for building strength but there comes a point where maturity shines through and shows that you can be as strong as you want but if you can’t get up the stairs without being out of breath, you are not that fit. This natural development is something I think a lot of people go through when they have exhausted going for a new bench press one rep max for a few years. The appeal of a new challenge combined with the desire to get fitter and push themselves makes running a great new challenge.

The final reason I believe running has increased in popularity is the reputation associated with the average runner- a runner used to be seen as a middle aged person with sweat bands and a hand held water bottle, gasping and sweating, where as now, this has changed considerably. With the increase in young runners has come a new style and brands like UVU, Puresport and Represent 247 have made running cool and fashionable. Also new sporting events involving running have done this. Even now the increased use of Strava has lead to an easier social signal to other people by linking social media into the mix. The power of this social acceptance and social signalling is very strong, especially amongst younger people.

As much as I believe the above reasons are very strongly linked to an increase in runnings popularity and yes, the data does show it has increased in participation amongst young people, maybe it’s not as much of a drastic uptake as I think. The fact that I am involved in fitness and running and I am part of a running club and a lot of my social media feed is full of running based content may lead to a morphed availability biased view of the popularity. To me, it is massively increased because my engagement with it has massively increased, that doesn’t mean it’s true for others. Yes, every time I go out now, I am passed by 10 runners and I could swear that never used to be the case, but I never used to look. Just the same way as soon as you get a new car, you see 10 times the number of that car.

All in all, the increase in runnings popularity and participation is a hugely positive thing and hopefully continues. Any move away from the disconnected, digital world and into a world of more movement and activity can only be a good thing.