Reasons to Run: Running booms during national crises

The opening chapter of Christopher McDougall's book "Born to Run" shares a fact that surprised me. When the nation is suffering, more Americans take to running.

"Three times, America has seen distance-running skyrocket, and it's always in the midst of a national crisis. The first boom came during the Great Depression, when more than two hundred runners set the trend by racing forty miles a day across the country in the Great American Footrace. Running then went dormant, only to catch fire again in the early '70s, when we were struggling to recover from Vietnam, the Cold War, race riots, a criminal president, and the murders of three beloved leaders. And the third distance boom? One year after the September 11 attacks, trail-running suddenly became the fastest-growing outdoor sport in the country."

I'd argue there's been a fourth running boom, or maybe just an extension of the third — the recession.

You can see evidence locally. Specialty running store Salt Lake Running Company moved their flagship store to a bigger location in the midst of a failed economy. Local races such as the Ogden Marathon and Ragnar Wasatch Back Relay — both which host thousands of runners — sold out in days.

This shouldn't have surprised me. Especially since my own running increases when I'm going through personal struggles. And these stats provide hard proof that running is a great (and cheap) stress reliever, mood lifter and natural medicine.