5 Ways Running Can Make You a Better Person
Beyond the health benefits, here are 5 ways that running can help you connect to your community, build stronger relationships and improve the environment.
Culture
You might be aware of the health benefits that come with a regular running or walking routine. Heart health, weight management and stress relief top the list of ways that running helps you feel better.
With a regular outlet to move your body and connect to a fitness community, you’re likely to discover the best version of yourself. Will your running high make you less likely to lash out at the person who cut you off in traffic? Quite possibly.
Beyond the health benefits, here are ways that running can help you connect to a larger community, build stronger relationships, support others and improve outdoor spaces.
1. Join a running group aimed at growing diversity in the sport
Running with others can make you happier. And welcoming all groups of people into the sport gives you more friends to choose from. There are plenty of running groups that aim to make running a more inclusive experience for all. Black Girls RUN!, Black Men Run and Latinos Run are just a few options to choose from. Check out their websites to find a chapter near you.
Learn more about these organizations here.
2. Support a group that uses running to help others
Whether you join a group, volunteer at an event, or help financially, supporting a group that runs for the greater good will give you all the warm fuzzies.
- Girls on the Run is a national non-profit organization offering running programs to young girls that also help teach them valuable life skills.
- National Black Marathoners Association (NBMA) is the country’s largest non-profit organization supporting Black distance runners. The organization provides high school athletes with scholarships.
- Walk Jog Run Club is not only a welcoming and diverse running club, they host the Civil Rights Race Series. Each race in the series aims to educate participants about civil rights history and encourages participants to get and stay active. Proceeds from the races are donated to charity organizations supporting local community development.
3. Volunteer at a race
Waking up extra early to hand out race bibs or fill up water cups might not sound like the ideal race morning, but it’s worth it once you see the grit and determination on each runner’s face.
“I’ve participated in many organized races, so it was nice to give back to the community and support an organization with a great cause,” says Danielle Griffin, a member of the West Boynton Road Runners Club who volunteers at Lake Worth’s Race for Faith. “Volunteering also allowed me to support my running friends and family and still make lots of fun memories together.”
4. Do trail work
It’s easy to underestimate what it takes to maintain a trail system. Whether you’re building stairs or keeping erosion at bay, volunteers and paid workers are essential to protecting the beautiful places where we like to run.
When you do trail work, you have a chance to develop a deeper connection to beautiful places, protect plants and wildlife and create more places for your fellow humans to explore and unplug from everyday stressors.
5. Pick up trash
Litter is trashy and harmful to plant and animal life. Make your community a better place by cleaning up. Going for a run while picking up trash, commonly referred to as “plogging,” can brighten up your community and encourage others to follow your lead.
Trash pickup can be extremely satisfying because it’s easy and you see a difference right away.
“I started picking up trash after my mom passed away. She did it and it made me feel closer to her. It quickly became addictive. I couldn’t go for a run and not stop and pick up everything I found,” says Samantha Gerrits, a runner and high school cross country coach in Viera, Florida.
Gerrits picked up over 700 pounds of trash during runs in 2020. In 2021, she focused solely on masks and collected 445 over the course of the year.
“After a plogging session, no matter how big or small, I always feel good,” she says. I know I did my part to make the environment a little safer for the wildlife, which is my primary goal.”
Whether you go out solo and listen to a podcast or bring friends and make it a social event, cleaning up local spaces will improve them for all who pass through and make you feel like you’ve made a difference. Just remember that pair of gloves!
