Keeping physically active is constantly touted as a salubrious way of life. Going for a jog and running on a treadmill are often perceived as common, ‘healthy’ pastimes. However, with the ageing process, which includes our bodies becoming more brittle and susceptible to injury, as well as socio-cultural factors that may prevent access to exercise, should we all be aiming to run later in life?

By Rylee A. Dionigi, Professor in Socio-Cultural Dimensions of Exercise and Sports Science, in the Charles Sturt University School of Allied Health, Exercise and Sports Sciences

Running can be a beneficial leisure pursuit for older people, but it is not accessible nor attainable for most after the age of 65. Therefore, running should not be promoted in policy or popular press to address population health outcomes associated with ageing.

What are the benefits and risks of running in later life?

Running at an older age has many mental, social and physical health benefits.

Running in marathons and masters athletics provides competition and a sense of camaraderie, identity and personal empowerment in later life.

However, running also has risks, such as injury and falls, and medical clearance from a health professional should be given before beginning running or exercise in later life.

Who typically runs in later life?

While not specific to running, ABS data indicated that in 2020-21, 41.8 per cent of people aged 65 years or over participated in 30 minutes of physical activity on most days, yet the intensity of such activity is unclear. The more vigorous the activity, the lower the participation rates.

Typically, people who run tend to have the health, ability, time and resources to support active leisure as they age.

Alternatively, there are many older people who cannot run due to ill health, disability, financial constraints, unsafe neighbourhoods, lack of support for caring responsibilities and/or lack of access to supportive services. For example, ABS data shows that the most socio-economically disadvantaged groups or individuals in society are the least likely to be physically active.

Why should running be a leisure option in later life, but not promoted in policy?

We live in a time and culture where staying active and taking care of our health as we age is seen as a moral duty, especially when physical activity is promoted as a means to solving population health issues.

However, when it comes to ageing, positioning physically active leisure pursuits such as running primarily as a health measure in promotion and policy is problematic given the randomness of many age-related diseases, the inevitability of the physiological ageing process and the socio-economic, political and socio-cultural determinants of health outcomes.

Therefore, running in later life is merely a leisure pursuit that should be made available for those who have the means, ability and desire to begin or continue participating in it, yet it should not be positioned in policy or popular press as a tool to address population health outcomes associated with ageing.