Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
People are being invited to hit the ground running to achieve a personal feeling of self-betterment rather than working on being the fastest.
The Faster_Than campaign, launched by Adidas to empower runners, is backed by a comprehensive new trend study from Adidas Running in which the brand commissioned 6,000 runners from across six different key cities to share their insights.
These 6,000 respondents run at least once a month in Los Angeles, New York, London, Shanghai, Tokyo and Paris.
What has been revealed is that the art of running is no longer simply about being the fastest. Instead, the Why We Run study identifies how today’s runners are now more focused on the other benefits it can bring, with 87 per cent of those surveyed admitting they now run with a focus on transformation and personal betterment. Other lead findings from the study include:
Faster Than the Noise – 60 per cent of respondents agreed that regular running provided mental health benefits. 47 per cent say it allowed them to switch off from everyday stresses of modern life and 68 per cent admit it’s the only time their phones are left behind.
Faster Than Excuses – 18 per cent of runners feel more inspired after a run while 14 per cent say it gave them a sense of pride. 32 per cent confess to having increased confidence immediately after a run.
Faster Than Alone – Apparently, 34 per cent of those surveyed admit to having met a future friend while running and 20 per cent said they have met a future partner.
Faster Than Expected – The positive repercussions of running were revealed as part of the study as well. 34 per cent of the respondents linked their post-running ‘high’ to successes including finally achieving something they’d been putting off. 30 per cent found their creative flair and best ideas while running and 17 per cent got the courage to be more confident in certain aspects of their lives.
The faces of the campaign include Martinus Evans, a distance runner who turned his doctor’s negative body comments and laughter into a motivational tool, Noah Lyles, the current Men’s 200m World Champion and plus-size fitness model Chinae Alexander who overcame prejudice and adversity. Martinus Evans, founder of 300poundsandrunning, said: “You might expect me to say that running faster than others makes me feel powerful, strong and free. But to me, it’s not even about that. To me, it’s about giving it a go. Empowering yourself to get out there and run. Not worrying what others have to say, just worrying about the positive effect running can have for you. ‘Fast’ means something different for everyone. But you’ll never be fast – by your definition or anybody else’s – if you never get out there and run. I want to encourage even more people to experience their own personal feeling of ‘Fast’. You can’t worry about people’s prejudices or what others might say. Forget all of that. You only need to think of the positive effect it can have on you. That’s what ‘Fast’ means to me.”
Others include emergency liver transplant survivor turned World Champion runner Ellie Lacey and legendary women’s marathon runner Kathrine Switzer. Switzer became the first female numbered entrant to the Boston Marathon in 1967 and was controversially pushed off the course by male entrants but battled on and finished the race.
