ArticlePloS one2021
Running behaviors, motivations, and injury risk during the COVID-19 pandemic: A survey of 1147 runners.
Article in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 34 papers.
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Who cites it
34 citing papers in PubMed.
- Effect of gait retraining with visual biofeedback on chronic pain, function and biomechanics parameters in runners with plantar fasciitis: a clinical trial.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2026Article
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- Associations between the standard deviation of apparent temperature and sudden cardiac arrest during the Taipei Marathon, 2013-2024.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Article
- Lower Extremity Musculoskeletal Injuries Associated with Marathon Running.Current reviews in musculoskeletal medicine · 2025Review
- Five Years Later-The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Physical Performance and Cardiometabolic Health Using a Smart Home Gym: An Ecological Case Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Low energy availability surrogates are associated with Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport outcomes in male athletes.British journal of sports medicine · 2024Article
- Relationship Between Training Frequency and Training Session Duration on Vitality in Recreational Runners: A Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2024Article
- Exploring the Relationship between Running-Related Technology Use and Running-Related Injuries: A Cross-Sectional Study of Recreational and Elite Long-Distance Runners.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- What was the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on unintentional injuries, in Canada and globally? A scoping review investigating how lockdown measures impacted the global burden of unintentional injury.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- Article
- 'Every Run Is Hard': Endurance Athletes' Experiences of Return to Sports Participation After COVID-19-A Mixed Methods Study.Translational sports medicine · 2024Article
- Protracted exercise tolerance post-coronavirus disease 2019 in endurance athletes: A survey.The South African journal of physiotherapy · 2024Article
- The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mood and family relationships of runners.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Article
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on training and technology use among Chilean amateur athletes.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2024Article
- Exercise behavior, practice, injury, and symptoms of respiratory tract infection of 502 Brazilian adults during lockdown oscillations in two years (2021-2022) of the COVID-19 pandemic.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2023Article
- Understanding Social Exercise: Desire and Intention to Participate in Running Crews.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Ankle Sprains in Athletes: Current Epidemiological, Clinical and Imaging Trends.Open access journal of sports medicine · 2023Review
- Article
- A Study on the Injury Rate of Spanish Competitive Athletes as a Consequence of the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Dietary Intake of Recreational Endurance Runners Associated with Race Distance-Results from the NURMI Study (Step 2).Nutrients · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has influenced activity behaviors worldwide. Given the accessibility of running as exercise, gaining information on running behaviors, motivations, and running-related injury (RRI) risk during the pandemic is warranted. The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on running volume, behaviors, motives, and RRI changes from the year prior to the pandemic to the timeframe during social isolation restrictions. Runners of all abilities were recruited via social media to complete a custom Qualtrics survey. Demographics, running volume, behaviors, motivations, and injury status were assessed for the year prior to the pandemic, and during social isolation measures. Descriptive statistics and Student's t-tests were used to assess changes in running outcomes during the pandemic. Logistic regressions were used to assess the influence of demographics on running behaviors and injury. Adjusted RRI risk ratios were calculated to determine the odds of sustaining an injury during the pandemic. Alpha was set to.05 for all analyses. A total of 1147 runners (66% females, median age: 35 years) across 15 countries (96% United States) completed the survey. Runners reported increased runs per week (Mean Difference with Standard Error [MD]: 0.30 [0.05], p < .001), sustained runs (MD: 0.44 [0.05], p < .001), mileage (MD: 0.87 [0.33], p = .01), and running times of day (MD: 0.11 [0.03], p < .001) during the pandemic, yet reported less workouts (i.e. sprint intervals; MD: -0.33 [0.06], p < .001), and less motives (MD [SE]: -0.41 [0.04], p < .001). Behavior changes were influenced by running experience and age. There was 1.40 (CI: 1.18,1.61) times the RRI risk during the pandemic compared to prior to the social isolation period. The COVID-19 pandemic influenced runners' behaviors with increased training volume, decreased intensity and motivation, and heightened injury risk. These results provide insights into how physical activity patterns were influenced by large-scale social isolation directives associated with the pandemic.
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