20% of runners run to reduce stress and anxiety

Around 18% of UK based runners run for mental health benefits above all else, according to a new study revealed by Runners Need, with 26% of Brits running to maintain a healthy weight.

After a tense year and a half, running can provide a productive way to let off steam and stay healthy. The Runners Need survey of around 2,000 respondents has revealed the UK’s top running habits: examining who runs, how far and often we run, why we run and even what our favourite running soundtracks are.

Why do we run?

The top reason Brits run is to maintain a healthy weight (26% of runners chose this as their top reason). Male runners were more concerned about their waistlines than women, as 60% of runners who ran to maintain their weight were male.

The second most common motivation for UK runners is to reduce stress and anxiety with 18% of runners heading out for this purpose: a 50/50 split of men and women cite this as their main reason to run. The Northern Irish were the most likely to run to clear their minds, with just under 30% of Irish respondents prioritising this factor. Scots were the least likely to answer that they ran to reduce stress, at 15%.

There was also a correlation between running to alleviate anxiety and avoiding beaches and parks in favour of well-lit roads.

Charitable runners, 3% of the UK, are more likely to be women (53% were female) whereas men are far more likely to run to socialise with others (70% were male). Around 10% of runners in the UK run to practice for competitions and for social purposes.

What are our running habits?

British runners’ favourite time for getting their exercise in was in the morning with around a third of all runs taking place before work. The second favourite time for Brits to run is in the evenings. Lunch breaks were British runners' least favourite time to exercise -- especially if they are women with 63% of lunch break runners being men.

Brits who run at night are actually the most motivated runners. Over 25% of people running at night run 5k and 9% run more than 10k -- more than any other time bracket. On the flip side, weekend and lunch break runners were found to be the least motivated runners, averaging the fewest kilometers with 63% of weekend runs lasting for under 5km.

The great British runner prefers to run during the cold rather than the hot with runners crowning clear and crisp mornings as the champion climate for running. 60% of men said that they would persevere through varying weather conditions, eclipsing the amount of women who would do the same.

What keeps us motivated?

The survey also examined our motivational music habits when running. Running without any headphones or earphones was the most popular option with 26% of respondents opting for this answer.

Podcasts, however, were found to be the most motivational running distraction. Around 35% of those running over 5k listen to podcasts. Jazz was found to be the least popular running soundtrack, with only 6% of respondents choosing this genre.

The data also revealed a shifting trend across the generations. 45-54 year olds represented the largest age group in those who run without distraction. Rock was favoured by short distance runners (45% of listeners ran less than 5k). Just under a third (32%) of those listening to techno and house on a run were aged 25-34, whereas 33% of those using rap music to motivate themselves were aged 18-24.