It starts with the mind and ends with the body.
What’s on a runner’s mind? The answer to that depends on when you ask the question. What people think about when everything is still easy and what they think about when the going gets tough differ immensely. At the beginning of a run, the mind is free to wander yet when the session is in full swing, everything is focused on running and one’s body: ‘It starts with the mind and ends with the body’.
But this section is not just about what the runners think about. It also delves into what bothers them, which nation gets most bothered about which things, what reasons they have not to run, and what keeps them going.
The British runners’ sense of duty to the sport sets them apart from the rest of Europe, yet it turns out that it is all too easy for them to find an excuse so as not to run. More than any other European country, they cited ‘too dark outside’ (31%), ‘any excuse will do’ (32%), and ‘my favourite TV program is on’ (16%) as reasons to avoid a session. Reflecting the fact that this is a race that has started running more the most since the credit crunch, it is only natural that British runners think about their financial situation the most while running too (22%). They are the most bothered nation about being alone while running (22%), most bothered about funny remarks being made about them (18%), and the highest-ranking nation (together with the Germans) who will not run if it is dark outside (women 38%, men 23%).