Darren DeMatoff, 57, had an interesting realization a number of years ago: Many of his close friends were as much as 30 years younger than him. And then the explanation dawned on him: They had met in a running group.
“Running is a great equalizer. It’s a place where people find common ground, face similar challenges, overcome similar obstacles and achieve personal milestones,” says DeMatoff, the owner of a Chicago interior design and fabrication company. Assets“When you meet runners and run together, age doesn’t matter.”
It is a helpful lesson that he has learned through his involvement within the Chicago Area Runners Association (CARA), a bunch he has been involved with since 1995, when he decided to run his first marathon. Today he’s vice chairman and firmly believes that running, when done with others, generally is a particularly effective – if surprising – antidote to the loneliness epidemic that currently affects nearly one in two people within the United States.
Although running is by definition a solitary activity, it may well even be done with others, which in turn brings quite a few advantages for physical and mental health.
Why it’s obligatory
US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy called loneliness an “epidemic” in May 2023.
“We are called to build a movement to repair the social fabric of our nation… each of us can start now in our own lives by strengthening our connections and relationships,” he said in his advisory concerning the healing power of social contact and community. Those who’re in running groups imagine that is a superb place to begin.
“I think everyone is looking for new friendships throughout their lives, and as we get older it can become more difficult,” said Rob Simmelkjaer, CEO of the non-profit New York Road Runners (NYRR), tells Assets.
In 1997, he trained for and ran his first marathon alone. The experience was “quite great,” he says. “But it was nothing compared to doing it again years later with a team, meeting people in the park every day to train with,” he adds. That gave him each responsibility and time to socialize, which led to a greater time in his next marathon. But Simmelkjaer admits that he’s not likely fascinated with running.
New York Road Runners
“It’s about the people you surround yourself with,” he says. “You talk about your career, your life story, your family. But running is a nice common ground to have with other people… You get something completely different out of it when you do it with other people.”
But why run?
First of all, it has long been known that running has many physical advantages – even for five to 10 minutes per dayfor instance, even at a slow speed, can significantly reduce your risk of dying from heart disease. It also has a positive effect on brain health. According to Johns Hopkins MedicineRegular cardiovascular exercise, resembling running, can improve working memory and concentration, in addition to boost your mood.
And a review of 2020 in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Running results in improvements in mental health, particularly depression and anxiety disorders. The stress hormone cortisol is released through regular exercise, meaning running may be a healthy option to regulate your stress response, in response to a recent study. Article from Runners world. Running also helps trigger the discharge of endorphins, dopamine and serotonin, all chemicals who are sometimes affected by mental disorders.
Added to that is the advantage of social connectionAccording to the CDC, this will reduce the chance of heart disease by 29%, stroke by 32%, and dementia by a whopping 50%.
Research by AARP Services, UnitedHealthcare and OptumLabs present in 2023 that moderate and vigorous physical activity were related to as much as a 30% reduction in severe loneliness and social isolation. Likewise, a 2023 study showed that physical activity – so long as it’s enjoyable and never too strenuous – can reduce feelings of loneliness.
If you might be already certainly one of the 50 million For Americans who run for exercise, joining a bunch or running with friends may very well be an easy but effective antidote to loneliness.
“If you can take a deep breath and overcome the feeling of loneliness, running is your salvation,” says Shawanda Weems, 48, an English teacher and track and field coach at a middle school within the Bronx. Assets“It can free you. Running is an over-the-counter tool for dealing with loneliness that is available to everyone.”
Shawanda Weems
Simmelkjaer says he knows individuals who met their spouses, close friends and mentors through NYRR, where it is not uncommon for CEOs to work with entry-level employees who’ve similar qualifications.
Weems would agree with that statement. She says she has seen how athletics has brought her students together, and she or he has “built long-lasting friendships with those same students as they grew up,” including 28-year-old Kiara Fernandez Chavez. The two ran the New York City Marathon together in 2016 through NYRR, and Weems says she would not have done it if it weren’t for her friend’s encouragement.
“The fact that she suggested we embark on this adventure was not my goal at the time,” Weems says. But completing it together was “one of the highlights of my adult life,” she adds.
This is only a testament to the facility of running with other people. “If you join the right group, you’ll find that running is the mechanism that brings people together,” says Simmelkjaer. “And that’s what we all really need in life.”
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