Running: Will It Wreck Your Body?

Running: Will It Wreck Your Body?

From Science Vs by Spotify Studios

April 16, 2026 · 31 min

About this episode

This episode explores the health implications of running, including injuries and the phenomenon of runner's high.

Lots of us love — or love to hate — running. And we do it because it’s supposed to be healthy, right?! But then we hear tons of stories about runners getting hurt — sometimes so badly that they have to hang up their sneakers. And there are people on social media going even further, claiming it’s one of the worst things we can do for our bodies. So IS running secretly bad for us? And could too much of it actually bring you closer to a heart attack? We’ll explore the science on all of that, and we’ll also dig into runner’s high: What is going on in the brain to cause this feeling? With help from Dr. Rasmus Østergaard Nielsen, Professor Duck-Chul Lee, and Dr. Michael Siebers, we look at the science to find out if running is the key to a healthy life or if there are peer-reviewed reasons to be a hater. Find our transcript here: https://tinyurl.com/sciencevsrunning In this episode, we cover: (01:48) What’s the deal with running injuries? (10:51) How to get hurt less (15:03) The secret to a longer life (19:34) What is the runner’s high? (28:58) How to get runner’s high This episode was produced by Ekedi Fausther-Keeys with help from Blythe Terrell, Michelle Dang, Rose Rimler, Meryl…

People in this episode

Host: Wendy Zukerman

Guests: Dr. Rasmus Østergaard Nielsen, Professor Duck-Chul Lee, Dr. Michael Siebers

Topics covered

  • running
  • health
  • injuries
  • runner's high
  • exercise science

Keywords

  • running
  • health
  • injuries
  • runner's high
  • exercise

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Spotify Studios

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