Chasing runner’s high
It's the end of a long workday, and you're Zoomed out. The sun sags low as you lace up your running shoes, and unresolved work problems swirl in the back of your mind. Those thoughts keep digging at you, even as you set off on your run.
But after 30 minutes or so, something shifts. A lightness takes hold — some spontaneous delight in the right here, right now, and today's worries are left in the dust. You hear birds chirping and the rush of cars, while speckled light dances through the tree leaves and a light breeze cools your skin.
Later, after collapsing into a heap on the couch, your mind glows, unbothered by whatever occupied your thoughts earlier. Instead, there's freedom, joy and emptiness. You've achieved a runner's high — and are already thinking about the next one.
It's a feeling many runners wish to achieve, if they haven't already, and an experience not easily defined by science or the layperson. There's disagreement on the exact definition of the runner's high, although the terminology that runners use to describe it is captivating: some say it’s euphoria, others call it an immersive flow.
“There's science that shows that movement like running, but also other movement, can help you be more creative, spark ideas and find a flow state,” said Dina Weisheit, an Australian-born runner living in Zurich, Switzerland. “You may feel similarly after doing other sports, but the runner's high is more intense. You feel it in the moment and unfortunately it doesn't last very long.”
Novelist Haruki Murakami, an avid runner, wrote: “I run in a void. Or maybe I should put it the other way: I run in order to acquire a void.” In his 2007 memoir “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running,” he ponders his own compulsion to run and describes an exhilaration that can last into the next day.
While statistics on the frequency or prevalence of runner's high are difficult to come by, researchers have documented changes in the brains of mice and humans who run, leading to hypotheses on why running triggers the brain's reward center much like a drug.
For those who've never experienced runner's high — there's hope. One Ironman winner, Olivier Bernhard, is on a mission to make this ultimate running sensation more accessible for runners of all levels. As co-founder of Swiss performance sports brand On, the former pro athlete is leaning into years of elite class competition, cutting-edge technology and his own experiences running in what he calls a flow state to engineer running shoes and gear that help make running feel effortless — and bring people a few steps closer to achieving their own runner’s high. To understand the how, it’s first helpful to understand the why.
Evolving to embrace the Effects of exercise
Why would the brain respond to exertion with the reward of a runner's high? University of Southern California biological sciences professor David Raichlen has studied brain chemistry in runners since 2012 and developed a hypothesis that the brain benefits of physical activity are related to the evolution and foraging behavior of early humans.
When humans evolved to walk upright, our brains were required to boost balance and muscle activity while searching for food and avoiding threats. Strenuous hunting and gathering demanded more from the body's aerobic activity and the brain's motor control, memory and spatial navigation.
Today, a person out for a run who gets runner’s high could be experiencing an old but appealing evolutionary benefit — reward for completing a challenging task that’s good enough to consider doing it again.
Still, the term “runner's high” hadn't entered the modern lexicon in 1975, a time when researchers began investigating the potential biological factors behind the state of euphoria people reported having while running.
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WeeksHow much training it takes for the structures of the brain to change in ways that help you reach the high more readily.
While a 1982 article in the Journal of the American Medical Association claimed runner's high was a myth fabricated by those looking to profit from an increasingly popular sport, further research over the next 40 years has revealed that runner's high is a genuine phenomenon.
Raichlen's studies showed that when humans run, endocannabinoid neurotransmitters activate cannabinoid receptors—the same ones triggered by THC and CBD when humans get, well, a marijuana high. As recently as April 2021, researchers from University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf backed that observation and noted that the runners' endocannabinoids trigger increased euphoria and reduced anxiety. This physical response could be the coveted runner’s high.
Researchers have noticed long-term benefits of exercise, like running, that include increasing the size of the brain's hippocampus by inhibiting age-related grey matter loss. Exercise also seems to be associated with improvement or preservation of cognition and mental health.
The rewards of runner's high are noticeable after 30 minutes of moderate-intensity running, Raichlen said. For his work, moderate intensity is considered 70-80% of a participant's age-adjusted maximum heart rate. In layperson's terms, the Centers for Disease Control notes that moderate-intensity exercisers could pass the “talk test”—during exercise, you could talk, but you couldn't sing.
Training to be able to run for 30 minutes without stopping can take a long time for newcomers to the sport of running, Weisheit said. She suggested that new runners train up gradually.
“If you leave yourself wanting a bit more at the end of every run, you're not only more likely to head back out again tomorrow, but you'll also stay safe from injuries,” she said. “Building up slowly, you'll soon have the foundation of running fitness, where you start having fun. And having fun is the base of being able to hit that runner's high.”
Runner’s high, by design
Science supports the benefits of running for physical health, but when asked about runner’s high, multiple world duathlon champion and Ironman winner Olivier Bernhard described a focused, distraction-free “flow state.” Since he co-founded On 11 years ago with David Allemann and Caspar Coppetti, On has become one of the fastest growing sports brands in the world. The company piloted CloudTec, a cushioned sole that created a new running sensation by enabling runners to land softly on each step, then launch with a powerful takeoff. The brand’s popularity expanded beyond runners — even tennis pro Roger Federer was spotted consistently wearing On shoes, and he later joined the On team. In 2020, Federer co-created a collection of tennis-inspired all-day sneakers featuring the running shoe’s core technology.
Federer is just one of the dozens of athletes who have become On acolytes, perhaps due to the shoe’s assistance in achieving those aerobic highs. During a runner's high, Bernhard loses track of time but is still invigorated.
“You're giving everything and there's no pain,” he said. “You're just floating, and that's the moment when you start to break down those barriers or limits that you set [for] yourself.”
20 MINS TO 1 HOURHow long it can take to trigger the endocannabinoids that are responsible for runner’s high.
He understands that many don't experience runner’s high because of distractions that can include physical discomfort, temperature and even shoes that aren’t matched to their needs. This constellation of factors makes it impossible to guarantee a runner’s high to everyone, but Bernhard thinks his tech-driven, lightweight shoes might help more people get there. The newest edition of On’s Cloudflow shoe was designed to make people feel like they’re running atop clouds, and is even described as the “shortcut to a runner’s high.” Science supports that he may be on to something: The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology study showed that runners wearing On shoes had lower pulse rates and blood lactate levels.
On a more emotional level, runners who aren’t being distracted by discomfort with their gear may find it easier to achieve the mental release of a runner’s high and can likely train to run faster, longer.
“Of course, you need to make sure that your shoes and your gear are comfortable, and this helps you to perform at your best,” Weisheit said.
For those who are still new to running or who've only felt discomfort, Bernhard encourages persistence. It’s possible to gain increased coordination and learn to trust the body, shoes and running path, he said. “Then you start to enjoy everything because you are experiencing all your abilities.”
The results may be not be immediate, but it’s worth sticking with effort and practice until the goal is achieved. “It takes some time to get there,” Bernhard said of runner's high. “You have to earn those high flow states.”
Discover runner's high for yourself
To reach a runner's high you need to be fully immersed in your run, so wearing shoes that are comfortable is super important. The feeling of a runners high is like an intense version of a flow state. It's difficult to put into words. You're running almost on autopilot, but you're totally in the moment, like you're watching yourself from above, but also feeling as alive as ever. Even though the run is tough, you don't feel any pain or discomfort, just happiness. And you could run forever. When you realize it's happening, it feels good. There are chemicals in the brain at work, so it can be quite emotional, especially when you stop running and you realize that it's over. It's not easy to reach that kind of feeling. So I'm always grateful afterwards.
The preferred conditions for me to run in is actually going out in the rain. There's just something magical about being outside in a gush of warm summer rain. If you're wearing waterproof shoes and the right gear, you can also run on wet days and you'll always stay comfortable. And it's usually quite quiet out there. The sound of the rain on the ground in the trees helps me to get into the zone. Generally, being in nature helps me. It doesn't have to be a technical trail, but simply heading to the forest and running on that slim dirt track through the trees and shrubs makes me feel like I'm miles away from civilization.
There's a few qualities to look for in running shoes if you're exercising regularly, but it definitely differs for everyone. For example, if you're new to running, you might need a little bit more support. If you're running on the road, you want to focus on impact protection. And if you're running on trails, then the aspect of grip and traction becomes really important. The best advice is to see a specialist retailer where you can discuss your needs and get an assessment and try a few pairs. You can find retailers that stock on shoes near you using the dealer locator at On-running.com You'll also find a digital shoe finder tool which is there to help you and will make you find the right shoe.