RUNNING HAS THE POWER TO CHANGE ALL OUR LIVES FOR THE BETTER. IT’S OUR PROACTIVE, POSITIVE SUPERPOWER

Words: Louise Pyne

Running delivers a life metaphor on a plate – and provides the ultimate outline for the best selfhelp manual for women. Using lessons learnt in running, we can carve out the much soughtafter physical and mental ‘best version of ourselves’ – and the best version of society at large. Running is good for our heart, lungs, bones and all-round health, and it’s the ultimate tonic for a healthy mind too.

Running is a movement that can be transformative for women, taking them from ordinary to extraordinary. Running is a way to break through glass ceilings as women grow in confidence at work and at play. And when we run, we reap rewards in all areas of our lives and at key stages: from childhood to the menopause – and into old age. Running is a positive force for good, and not just for us, but for society as a whole. Some would go as far to say that running can help to fill a spiritual void in our secular world. Running solves problems for individuals and the many (via fundraising). Running is the solution.

A SUPERPOWER FOR WOMEN

The growth of the sport is being driven by women; ordinary women who’ve discovered running can make you feel extraordinary. According to research by Run Repeat – which looked at events between 2008 and 2018 with a total of 19.6 million participants – recreational running has grown by almost 50 per cent in a decade. At the first London Marathon back in 1981, fewer than 300 of the 6,300 finishers were women. In 2020 179,000 women from the UK have applied. For the third successive year, there are more female than male first-time marathon runners from the UK: 54.4 per cent versus 45.6 per cent. Run Repeat’s research found that globally there are less women running marathons but growth of numbers taking part in marathon running is still quicker than for men: in the period 2008 to 2018, women’s participation increased by almost 57 per cent compared to men’s almost 47 per cent for men. And we give more. A 2018 joint report from Active Network and JustGiving found that women created almost 59 per cent of pages for running events.

SUPERPOWER 1

MEETS BASIC HUMAN NEEDS: EMOTION IN MOTION

Anyone who has run a big city marathon will agree, we see humanity at its best. In a 2018 study of a large group of Polish runners published in The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, it was found that marathons and half marathons fulfil a number of important sociopsychological factors including enabling people to build “a sense of connection and integration”. Sporting events, “satisfy the desire to experience strong emotions and psychological needs, which are at the top of hierarchy of post-modern human needs”, it concludes. The study compared men and women and found the desire to feel strong emotions associated with participation in sporting events was experienced by two thirds of the women, a little more than in men.

SUPERPOWER 2

GIVING

Here at Women’s Running, we believe that running can make a difference to women’s lives, which is why we support A Mile In Her Shoes (amileinhershoes.org.uk), who lead and support running fitness groups for women who may be vulnerable or homeless. As we runners set and achieve our goals in running events from 5K and beyond, we help to nurture a giving culture as others support our fundraising efforts. In 2019, The London Marathon launched its #ThanksABillion campaign as the race was set to surpass the £1bn fundraising mark. Running continues to top the giving tables, with 60 per cent of pages created in 2018 being for running events, according to the 2018 Active Network and JustGiving report. Even though there was a slight drop off in the number of event registrations, since 2014 there was a 30 per cent increase in the amount of money raised across running events. As we hit the 2020s the report showed that more of us are focusing our ‘giving superpowers’ on virtual running events and crowdfunding, but giving remains at the heart of what we do.