Amid the confinement and isolation of lockdown, the UK has fallen in love with running according to a new study by ASICS to mark Global Running Day. Some 43 percent of regular exercisers in the UK are exercising more now than they were before lockdown. Some 82 percent of UK runners say running is helping to clear their minds. Not surprisingly, 78 percent of UK runners say running is helping them feel more in control.
The study of 14,000 regular exercisers across 12 countries, found that more than a third (36 percent) globally and 43 percent in the UK are exercising more now than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic began – despite most sports being brought to a standstill by social distancing measures.
Meanwhile, figures from the fitness-tracking app, Runkeeper, show that runners of every level are clocking up more strides, more often. During April 2020, the app saw a 667 percent rise in registrations in the UK and a 105 percent increase in monthly active users compared to the same time last year. It also reported a 98 percent spike in the number of people in the UK heading out for a weekly run.
Running and feeling free
Yet the ASICS study also reveals that, for the majority of people, this activity surge is down to more than just physical health. Two-thirds (67 percent) say exercise helps them cope mentally when faced with challenging situations like the one we are in now, while eight in ten (78 percent) runners say that being active is making them feel saner and more in control. Some 82 percent say running is playing a key role in helping them clear their mind.
Linda van Aken, VP Running, ASICS EMEA says: ‘Despite the lockdown and social distancing measures, exercise and running, in particular, have become central to many people’s daily lives. Our study’s findings prove that a run is much more than just a run, especially in times of crisis. It’s a way for people to put aside the mental pressures and challenges of this pandemic and feel free.’
Dr. Brendon Stubbs, one of the world’s most influential exercise & mental health researchers, based at King’s College London says: ‘As one of the first multi-country studies, the results demonstrate that during the lockdown, running has become a lifeline for many people to boost their physical and mental wellbeing. These findings support previous evidence which has demonstrated that regular exercise is effective to prevent and treat mental health conditions. Overall, the study by ASICS reinforces what we instinctively know: physical activity makes us feel better and never has there been a more important time to become active and experience the mental health benefits from movement.’
Running past COVID-19
Furthermore, exercisers across the board are keen to keep their active habits going when this crisis is over. Nearly three-quarters of UK runners (72 percent) say they want to continue running as much as they are now after the COVID-19 pandemic comes to an end, while six in ten (61 percent) people who exercise regularly are determined to hang on to the important role sport and movement is currently playing in their lives. Perhaps most encouragingly, among those who only took up running after the COVID-19 crisis started, nearly two-thirds (62 percent) globally say they plan on sticking with it in the future.
Helping the world run to feel free
Linda van Aken adds: ’80 percent of Brits told us they feel best when their mind and body are in balance – and never has that balance been more important than it is now. ASICS was founded on the belief that movement can help anyone achieve a sound mind through a sound body. So, with our products, services, and events, we want to help runners of every level go further, perform better and protect themselves against injury – both during this pandemic and beyond.’
ASICS’ goal is to support everyone to enjoy the mental freedom that running brings. This is why ASICS aims to ensure every runner is running in the right shoe – for complete peace of mind.
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