In fact, we could have written this article in 2023 or 2024, because running has been incredibly popular for some time now. The Zevenheuvelenloop was not the only race that sold out in no time. Regional races saw a surge in ticket sales, and the 17,000 starting places for the Rotterdam Marathon in April this year were also sold out within two and a half hours.
The same was true for an evening with lectures on running, in the run-up to the Zevenheuvelenloop. During this evening, physiologist Maria Hopman once again listed the countless health benefits of running. She pointed out the positive influence on dozens of diseases associated with too little exercise, such as diabetes, heart disease, diabetes mellitus or conditions associated with a faltering immune system. She summarised that people who run are less often ill and take less time off work due to illness. This is related to increased heart activity and more intensive pumping of blood through the body.
She was able to reassure the audience, packed with Zevenheuvelenloop participants, that an important negative effect of running – overheating – is mitigated by the autumn season. At the finish line, the average runner's temperature is two degrees higher than at the start, around 39 degrees. But it only becomes risky at temperatures above 40 or 41 degrees. In any case, she nuanced the negative effects of intensive exercise. Only those who run extreme distances, and do so for long periods of time, can experience harmful effects, according to Hopman.
Risk of heart failure
What about the risk of heart failure, according to a question from a member of Nijmegen Athletics to Hopman. The professor of Integrative Physiology pointed out that heart failure does indeed occur more often than at home: it affects one in every hundred thousand runners. The slightly higher risk is offset by the relatively safe environment in which the stroke occurs: after all, the emergency services are quicker to respond during a run than at home.
Keep exercising, even in later life, advises Hopman: in addition to all the other benefits, training and competitions also offer an extra alarm button for any health problems. A single poor training session does not mean anything, but if you underperform for a longer period of time compared to your average training performance, you should consult your doctor. Hopman: ‘Intensive exercise is a good indicator of the state of your body. It teaches you to listen to your body better.’
Running buddies
Moderator Cees Leijenhorst presented sociologist Hidde Bekhuis with a few apparent paradoxes: running is an individual sport, which we often practise in groups, with our efforts being rewarded with massively attended competitions. And with the running app Strava, many runners share their efforts with others and comment on them. Bekhuis emphasised the social aspects of running. Often in a positive sense, because training with a buddy or in a running group, for example, creates some social pressure to show up.
A negative effect can be the stress associated with the gadgets: they can be beneficial, and it can be wise to train at your maximum heart rate using an app. But here too, don't overdo it. Hopman compared this to an app that determines whether or not you have slept well, after which you sleep even worse after repeated negative results. ‘Don't let it stress you out. Above all, listen to your body.’ Bekhuis is also wary of all those hearts on Strava that runners use to comment on each other's performances. ‘You should run because you enjoy it, not because of Strava.’
Keep moving
We need to emphasise the fun of exercise from an early age, according to Bekhuis. He advocated for attention to ‘exercise awareness’, starting in nursery schools. This can also get children moving in primary school, in addition to the good example set by parents, which should not be underestimated at that age. In secondary school, peers have a greater influence, alongside PE teachers. Bekhuis noted that the focus on exercise awareness in education is struggling to take off. It appears to be difficult to determine the results, he said, pointing to one of the main obstacles.
In the week after the Zevenheuvelenloop, Bekhuis sent the debutants a questionnaire, in which he and his research group want to find out what encouraged these people to register. How do you get people moving, according to one of Bekhuis' research questions, but also: how do you keep them moving? How can you influence the environment to get people moving? Bekhuis hopes that many within the research group will agree to a follow-up. Participating once is not enough, Bekhuis knows, being an avid runner himself. How do you keep society moving is, for him, an equally important question.
Photo: Miguel A Amutio via Unsplash