Is trail running really that good for you? Here’s what the science says.
And while many of us intuitively feel that trail running is good for us, there’s also plenty of evidence to back those vibes up. Trail running can help break up the boredom of asphalt, the drudgery of the treadmill. The unpredictable terrain and beautiful scenery add to the experience.
While there’s not a lot of evidence that specifically examines the benefits of trail running over road running, we can extrapolate from a couple of well-established facts. One, that running is good for you, and two, time outside is good for you. Trail running serves a perfect combo of both.
A study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health randomly assigned 39 participants who were not previously trained runners to a road running or a trail running program and found that the trail running group improved their balance and leg strength more than their road running peers and that both groups had measurable increases in cardiovascular fitness. The varied terrain involved in trail running could help runners improve lower limb strength, balance, and neuromuscular capability – essentially, how well your brain and body communicate. Fun fact: while many runners may promote running on soft surfaces, like trail, to reduce the risk of injury, there is no evidence that running on dirt vs. asphalt actually results in a lower instance of injury. In fact, in the study cited above, four runners in the trail group were ultimately excluded due to injury, versus one in the road group.
It’s time for Big Trail to fund a few more studies!
Most experts agree that the best exercise is the exercise you enjoy. And I’d argue that trail running, with its less pace-centric orientation than our road-bound brethren and emphasis on experience, is very enjoyable. Trail running has grown by 231% in the past ten years, according to RunRepeat’s annual State of Trail Running report.
A systematic review published in 2020 demonstrated that running was associated with a lower risk of death due to cardiovascular disease and cancer in men and women. A fascinating wrinkle of these findings shows no specific trend related to weekly volume, pace, duration, or even terrain. So, even lower volume and slower runners can reap the benefits of logging a few miles weekly. The study’s authors noted that more miles don’t equate to “more health,” so you don’t need to copy Kilian’s training to see the health benefits of running.
Running, regardless of the surface, is great for your health. A meta-analysis of 50 articles showed that running provided substantial health benefits, including improving body composition, resting heart rate, VO2 max, triglycerides, and HDL cholesterol levels.
A 15-year study of over 55,000 Americans found that running just 5-10 minutes a day, at a pace of under six miles an hour, was associated with reduced risks for all causes of death and correlated with several years longer life.
And it’s not just good for the body. Increasingly, runners are turning to the trails to boost their brain health. In a recent survey of more than one thousand runners by Trail Ultra Project, the majority cited mental health care as the primary reason they hit the trails. A study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health demonstrated that running improved participants’ mental health, particularly for folks with depression and anxiety disorders. The study’s authors even recommended that healthcare practitioners recommend running as an effective psychotherapeutic intervention. I’d like some prescription-strength trail running, please!
While some trail runners prefer to go it alone, many enjoy linking up with a group. Trail running groups are popping up across the U.S., from women’s trail clubs to BIPOC trail running groups. According to the Strava Year in Sport report, runners are 83% more likely to snag a segment PR in a group of two or more runners rather than solo. Let’s go, KOM!
A study published in Frontiers in Sports and Active Living found that runners who had more running partners completed more runs and had more total mileage over the study period. Researchers found that social networks helped runners maintain exercise habits and set and reach goals, such as signing up for a race.
You are who you run with. A 2017 study found that people adopt the exercise habits of those around them. People who were placed in a “high fitness” group logged harder workouts than people surrounded by participants who were categorized as having low fitness. If you want to be a trail runner– start by surrounding yourself with some Gore-tex-clad friends!
Running with a buddy will not only make you faster. Another study showed that people who exercise in a group improve their physical health and ability and report better mental well-being, emotional stability, and reduced stress levels. Now, that’s some peer pressure we can get behind.
Increasing evidence is showing that time outside is vital to our health.
While the cardiovascular benefits of running on the roads or trails are likely the same, there’s plenty of evidence that the benefits of running trail extend beyond just physical health. A 2020 study published in BMC Public Health reported that participants who logged 6.5 miles of running on trails self-reported better health and wellness scores on a survey– and these were trails in Indiana!
And it doesn’t have to be on a six-hour mountain run! A paper published in Scientific Reports found that people who spent 120 minutes outside reported better health and a greater sense of well-being than people who didn’t venture outside. The study found that it didn’t matter how frequently participants got outside, only that they accumulated two hours a week. Adding trail running to your routine is a quick way to rack up that time outside.
A meta-analysis (a study of studies) examined 143 studies published in Environmental Research and found similar results. Time outside resulted in a statistically significant reduction in diastolic blood pressure, salivary cortisol, and heart rate.
Time outside is great for mental health, too. A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences helps explain why. The study compared participants who took a 90 minute walk in a natural setting and participants who took a 90-minute walk in an urban setting and found that physical activity in nature profoundly disrupted rumination. When participants returned from their walks to the lab, researchers took fMRI scans of their brains. The scans revealed that the nature walk group had decreased neural activity in the part of their brain associated with mental illness, the subgenual prefrontal cortex.
Zoë Rom is a writer and editor at UltraSignup, host, and producer of the The Trailhead Podcast and Your Diet Sucks, a podcast about performance nutrition and diet culture. She is also co-author of Becoming a Sustainable Runner with Tina Muir.
Great article! I love when research backs up what I’ve been feeling! I’ve even seen a few research articles that show time and connection to nature can provide meaning and purpose for many – very important for mental health!
Well written article and a good read, thank you for publishing the research and findings to the study; I hope to share this article with some others while encouraging more trail groups – as their are safety in numbers. I discovered trail running so many years ago or maybe it discovered me, but either way I still enjoy it and as passionate about it all these many years later, thanks again.