How exercise with friends saves lives

And how you can help

In 1897, French sociologist Émile Durkheim was studying suicide when he noticed something. 

He saw that when people lacked strong relationships, their well-being suffered, and their risk of suicide went up. 

Durkheim was fascinated by how societal structures influenced behaviour and believed that building stronger community bonds could not only improve lives, but also strengthen society as a whole.

So he published his research, raising awareness and inspiring numerous initiatives to combat loneliness. But 120 years later, loneliness still remains a silent killer, with many struggling to form meaningful connections.

This raises the question: how can we make it easier for people to connect in a way that feels natural?

I believe the answer is a secret that’s been hiding in plain sight: Exercise with others. 

This is something parkrun, and to a lesser extent

Running for Resilience

(R4R), has stumbled upon, because exercise doesn’t just improve physical health. It creates the ideal environment for building relationships, which then reduces the risk of suicide.

But why does exercise help?

Well science shows that moving your body has a powerful impact on your mind.

It boosts confidence, lowers stress, and makes it easier to connect with those around us. Even something as simple as a walk or game of anything can stop overthinking, and help us feel more open and ready to connect.

As to why that is, the key lies in biochemistry. 

When we work up a sweat, our bodies release endorphins (nature’s painkillers) that make us feel good and help us relax. Group exercise also increases oxytocin (the bonding hormone) which enhances trust and connection.

Post run drink at R4R

Exercise also boosts serotonin and dopamine, chemicals linked to happiness and motivation, while also reducing the stress hormone cortisol, which lowers anxiety and helps us feel more at ease. Plus increased blood flow to the brain improves focus and mental clarity, creating the perfect mental conditions for a meaningful chat.

Once you understand all this, it’s easy to see why exercise has such a unique ability to bring people together. And this connection between community exercise and well-being couldn’t have been more clear to me than in the six months after I retired.

During the week I’d feel terrible.

I had a tight chest, was anxious and had brain fog as I worried about the future.

My first parkrun

But whenever I'd go to parkrun with mates, I'd feel great after as the simple act of running with friends re-energised me. Energy I desperately needed to help me navigate my career transition.

I’m lucky to have great mates, and know that exercising with friends isn’t everything when it comes to suicide prevention. 

But I’ll scream it’s benefits until I’m blue in the face, because I’ve heard countless stories of how it’s helped others in the same way it helped me.

Stories that strengthen our belief that we’re onto something with R4R, and inspire us to keep growing it. 

We’ll need to “connect people to their support they need” if we want to make Canberra suicide free. 

But we’ll also have to create more opportunities for more people to exercise with friends, whether its running, walking, strolling, riding or doing yoga. 

So as we scale up, we’d love your help.

 If there’s a location or time of the week you think we should start an R4R run, please get in touch. We’d love to hear from you!