How the pandemic (and depression) hooked a new generation of runners

Just three years ago, I would have considered running a full mile without pausing to gasp for air nothing short of a miracle. Yet last month, I laced up my sneakers—a pair of Hokas, to be sure—and made my way over to Brooklyn’s Prospect Park for my first half-marathon, a whopping 13.1 miles. But that’s peanuts compared to what runners from all over the globe will face on Sunday in the iconic TCS New York City Marathon: 26.2 miles traversing the five boroughs.



It’s all part of a boom in distance running that became supercharged during the pandemic-era lockdowns and has kept pace ever since. New York Road Runners (NYRR), the nonprofit that organizes the New York City Marathon, identifies this as a major trend of the past few years.



“We have seen an unprecedented demand for our races this year with a whopping 96% of our races having sold out,” said Rob Simmelkjaer, CEO of NYRR, whose mission is to help and inspire people through running. “Much of the increased interest is because of the recent running boom coming out of the pandemic. So many people found running during the pandemic and have stayed with it to better their mental and physical health.”



When COVID first struck, it quickly became clear that not only was socializing a hazardous activity, but so was entering any environment that was dubiously ventilated or where people could not properly socially distance. Because of the nature of high-intensity workouts, fitness programs like Barry’s Bootcamp, ClassPass, and other studios posed a high risk of virus transmission, but they were also not listed among the industries to receive financial relief from Congress.



Formerly crowded indoor workout spaces became graveyards of decimated businesses, with some 25% of gyms in the United Sates permanently closing, according to the Global Health & Fitness Association. In New York, gyms that remained in operation were subject to strict guidelines to maintain health and safety regulations, including rules around wearing face masks, restricting use of equipment to enforce six-foot distances, erecting barriers, and closing amenities that were prone to dispersing transmission such as saunas, communal showers, and self-serve bars.



Deprived of both social and physical activity, with few alternatives and a growing hunger to venture outdoors and maintain a healthy lifestyle, especially in the wake of a malevolent, shapeshifting virus, countless people—including myself—turned to one of the few activities that remained an acceptable solution: running.



And many of us never stopped.



This year, NYRR received more than 153,000 applications for the guaranteed entry methods and drawing for the upcoming marathon, the second-highest number of applications in marathon history behind 2020. Exercise tracker Strava reported that the share of runners who raced in marathons roughly doubled on its platform in 2022 compared to the previous year, with runners in the Netherlands nearly tripling. Meanwhile, some runner-centric influencers have amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on social media with marathon-training tips and other racing-friendly content.



Racing into the mainstream



The recent growth of marathon hopefuls indicates a passion that rivals the running boom of the late 1960s and 1970s, when scores of individuals hit the road for leisure and fitness for the first time. Running has always boasted a low barrier to entry: all one needed was a pair of running shoes and a path forward, enabling people of all backgrounds to get involved.



However, the activity had traditionally been viewed as a form a track and field—a domain for athletes—and not particularly appealing to the masses. Then a series of events led to its spike in popularity.



In 1967, Kathrine Switzer became the first American woman to run the Boston Marathon as an official registrant: Prior to her historic run, race organizers considered women runners incompetent or “physiologically incapable.”  A few years later, Frank Shorter made headlines for his marathon victory in the 1972 Summer Olympics. Then, Nina Kuscik became the first woman to run both the Boston Marathon and the New York City Marathon—and win both.



This string of historic milestones helped reframe the way Americans saw distance running as accessible to the average person.



Education on the benefits of cardiovascular fitness also began to evolve in this era. In his 1968 bestseller Aerobics, Dr. Ken Cooper underscores the importance of exercising the cardiovascular system, drawing on over a decade of his military experience to develop fitness tests, and is credited with coining the term “aerobics”—which are physical activities designed to strengthen the heart and lungs and increase life longevity. In a similar vein, The Complete Guide to Running by James Fixx was another book that influenced millions of runners, highlighting the act of running itself.



Interest in running grew exponentially, leading to burgeoning jogging clubs and an increase in race registrations. Racing is arguably among the most democratic of sports, attracting runners from all demographics and social classes due to the lack of equipment necessary to participate. But over time, its popularity declined as other forms of exercise gained headway and boutique fitness studios took over.



The pandemic, depression, and a growing loneliness crisis  



With the start of the pandemic came sickness, death, orders for rapid isolation, business closures, and an unsurprising impact on mental health. Virtually every socialization effort was stifled, with people unable to visit restaurants, hang out with friends and family, go into the office, exercise in the gym. In this period, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that anxiety and depression levels rose by 25% worldwide. Running remained one of the rare activities that supported one’s mental well-being without breaking the rules.



“During the initial stages of the pandemic, running was one of the only escapes from the general gloom and uncertainty that was prevalent. It became more than just a way of physical exercise and really ended up helping with mental and emotional well-being too,” said Varun Deshpande, a 38-year-old physical therapist in Brooklyn.



Earlier this year, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released an advisory warning of a rising loneliness epidemic, no doubt exacerbated by the isolating factors driven by COVID-19. However, it isn’t simply existing around groups of people that resolves this dilemma, but rather, fostering a connection or community. Murthy goes on to add that this lack of connection is more harmful to one’s health than smoking cigarettes daily and is associated with “greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety, and premature death.”



Beyond racing for physical activity, the resurgence of running clubs—and friendships and team building they introduce—no doubt fueled the attraction toward running.



Neha Joshi is a 30-year-old machine learning engineer from Brooklyn who took up running during the pandemic following gym closures.



“The very first thing I learned was that exercise doesn’t mean run hard and sweat; it was slow running that made it fun and enjoyable for me,” Joshi said. “Most recently as I have more miles behind me. It still surprises me how running brings together people as a community, and how consistency pays off.”



Joshi notes the importance of running groups, sharing that being part of them “has given me lifelong friends who I can talk about life, and also bum out running plans and ideas.”



The road ahead 



In New York City, there is magic in the air in the days leading up to the marathon. Cheerleaders from all five boroughs show face, from the starting line ahead of Staten Island’s Verrazzano Bridge into Brooklyn, up toward Queens, and a brief stint in Manhattan before coursing through the South Bronx and returning to Central Park. They line the sidewalks, waving signs with encouraging messages, blaring enthusiastic music through portable speakers. Children reach out their palms to offer high-fives to passing runners, or sit perched on a parent’s shoulders, watching the event in wide-eyed fascination.



“The most exciting thing about the NYC marathon as a New Yorker is to experience the phenomenal vibe of this incredible city,” said Deshpande, who is running the marathon for the first time. “The immense support from the crowd and the level of hype just makes you feel like a celebrity,”



The application process to participate in the marathon is fierce, with applicants from all 50 states and 153 countries, according to the NYRR. That’s not to mention the hefty $295 entry fee in 2023, compared to the price of the first New York City Marathon on September 13, 1970—which was a mere $1.



Still, it did not deter people from trying to qualify, whether it was participating in the 9+1 program, entering lotteries, or seeking other means of gaining a footing in the coveted race. This year, 50,000 finishers are anticipated.



“I’m in awe of the fact that I get to be part of the world’s biggest marathon,” said Joshi. “It feels to me like a celebration of the city I love so much, and I’m very excited to be a part of that.”