Timed for Global Running Day, June 3, Asics released a global survey showing that more than one-third (36 percent) of regular exercisers are more active now than they were before lockdown.

The study, which Asics is conducting to better understand and support the changing needs of runners, spoke to 14,000 regular exercisers[ii] across 12 countries.

The survey also found two-thirds (67 percent globally) said exercise helps them cope mentally when faced by challenging situations, like the one we are in now, and 8-in-10 (79 percent globally) runners insist that being active is making them feel saner and more in control. A similar number (81 percent globally) said running is playing a key role in helping them clear their mind while two-thirds (65 percent globally) insist its mental benefits outweigh any other form of physical exercise.

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 252 percent rise in registrations globally and a 44 percent increase in monthly active users compared to the same time last year. It also reported a 62 percent spike globally in people heading out for a weekly run.

Yasuhito Hirota, president and chief operating officer, Asics, said: “For most of us, life is full of anxieties, uncertainties and restrictions at the moment. As our study’s initial findings prove, a run has therefore become much more than just a run. It’s a way for people to put aside the extraordinary mental challenges of this pandemic.”

“It makes perfect sense that people around the world have turned to run during this crisis. When you run, you literally sense yourself moving forward in life. You can feel your muscles propel you forward. Your actions take you somewhere. In a time when so many people feel trapped or isolated, running provides a direct, physical experience of release. By encouraging runners of all abilities to recognize, celebrate and share how running makes them feel, Asics is helping them fulfill their aspirations to keep moving,” said Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D., health psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University.

Going forward, the survey found nearly three-quarters of runners (73 percent globally) said they want to continue running as much as they are now after the COVID-19 pandemic comes to an end while seven in ten (70 percent globally) 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
Asics is, therefore, marking Global Running Day by launching a series of new initiatives aimed at helping runners connect, stay active and keep on experiencing the uplifting power of movement. These include:

  • Highlighting running in people lives by calling on them to share their stories of how it has helped them via #RunToFeel;
  • Offering free access to the Asics Studio at-home workout app for everyone from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic through the end of summer (August 2020);
  • Hosting virtual races powered by Race Roster and Runkeeper to motivate runners and let them compete together safely;
  • Allowing free access to the #RunToFeel Challenge in the Asics Runkeeper app – with new challenges being added each month;
  • Allowing free access for 90 days to training plans and all premium features of the Asics Runkeeper app as a benefit of OneAsics membership; and
  • Providing additional training content and guidance from the Asics FrontRunner community and athletes.

Yasuhito Hirota added: “Nine in 10 runners told us they feel best when their mind and body are connected, 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. Through our products and services, and by constantly deepening our understanding of their changing needs, we want to help runners of every level go further, perform better and protect themselves against injury, both during this pandemic and beyond.”

Illustration courtesy CureJoy