Let’s be honest: dating a runner is a different kind of endurance sport. It’s not always sunshine and runner’s high. If you’re thinking of getting romantically involved with someone who willingly wakes up before sunrise to suffer, read this first.
Here are 16 brutally honest reasons you probably shouldn’t date a runner—unless you’re ready for what’s coming.
1. Their idea of “fun” is a 10-mile long run at 6 a.m.
While you’re hitting snooze, they’re out doing a “casual” double-digit run and coming home exhilarated. You’ll wake up to the smell of sweat and coffee, and a partner who can’t understand why you didn’t want to join.
2. They talk about poop. A lot.
There’s no such thing as TMI in the runner’s world. Bowel habits, GI emergencies mid-race, and “that one time on the trail” will become regular dinner conversation. You’ve been warned.
Related:Â How to Poop Before a Run: 6 Tips to Empty Your Bowels
3. They eat. A lot. Constantly.
Dating a runner means sharing your meals, your snacks, and probably your side of the fridge. They don’t just eat like it’s their last meal—they eat like it’s their last meal before a marathon.
4. Their feet? Let’s just say “battle-hardened.”
Blisters, missing toenails, calluses that could survive a nuclear blast. You’ll learn to love them—or at least tolerate the sight of them on the couch. “Ugly” doesn’t quite capture them; think “functional, but terrifying.”
5. Your weekends? You mean their race days.
Don’t bother planning a weekend getaway without checking the race calendar first. From 5Ks to ultras, runners love spending their Saturdays and Sundays sweating in public while you hold their banana at the finish line.
6. Their mood depends on the quality of their last run.
Bad run? Bad mood. Missed PR? Existential crisis. Great run? Suddenly they’re invincible. You’ll learn to track their emotional state via Strava before even saying “Good morning.”
7. They’ll drag you into running “just for fun”…and then sign you up for a half marathon.
It starts innocent. A walk. A jog. A “fun run.” And then one morning you wake up with a race bib, mild shin splints, and a pace chart stuck to the fridge.
8. Your vacations become race-cations.
That cozy romantic weekend in Prague? It’s actually the Prague Half. The Airbnb was picked for proximity to the start line, not the view.
Related:Â 20 Reasons Why Runners Are the Worst People to Travel With
9. They’ll cancel a date if they’re tapering or carb-loading.
You thought it was a special night. They thought it was 48 hours pre-race and they “really need to stick to the plan.” You’re not being ghosted—you’re being periodized.
10. They’re loyal—to their training plan.
Nothing comes between them and their scheduled intervals. Not bad weather. Not family events. Not you. Especially not you.
11. Their laundry smells… aggressively.
Running clothes never seem to smell entirely clean. Even straight from the wash. And there’s always so. much. of. laundry.
12. You’ll become their personal race-day photographer.
Your new job? Standing at mile 6, with a phone in one hand and a bottle of electrolytes in the other, shouting “You look great!” while trying to get their “strong side.” And yes, they will ask to review the photos immediately.
13. They have more shoes than you—and can justify every pair.
And no, they can’t run in “just any sneakers.” There are road shoes, trail shoes, tempo shoes, race-day shoes, winter shoes, and their retired-but-still-sentimental pair. Closet space? Say goodbye.
14. Their medals live on the wall—and clash with your home aesthetic.
Your neutral, minimalist living room now features a “medal shrine” complete with finish-line photos, race bibs, and maybe even a display rack that says “Pain is temporary, pride is forever.” There’s no stopping it.
15. They wear running shoes with every outfit.
Brunch date? Sneakers. Wedding guest? Sneakers. Casual stroll downtown? Bright neon stability trainers. Getting them into “real” shoes takes more effort than convincing them to rest during injury.
16. Their runner’s high might be better than sex.
At least, judging by the way they talk about it. Post-run glow? It’s real. And they’re not sharing it with you unless you ran, too.
But jokes aside…
For all their quirks and obsessions, runners are some of the most loyal, passionate, and resilient people you’ll ever meet. They know how to commit. They show up even when it’s hard. They believe in progress, not perfection. And when they love you, it’s with the same stubborn intensity they bring to every run.
So yeah—dating a runner isn’t always easy. But if you’re up for it, it might just be the most rewarding endurance challenge of your life.
