Darren DeMatoff, 57, had an interesting realization a few years ago: Many of his close friends were up to 30 years younger. And then it dawned on him why: They’d met in a running group. “Running is a great equalizer.
It is a place where people find common ground, face similar challenges, overcome similar obstacles, and achieve personal milestones,” DeMatoff, the owner of a Chicago interior accent design and manufacturing company, tells Fortune . “When meeting runners and running together, age doesn’t even enter the equation.” It’s a valuable lesson he’s learned through his involvement in the Chicago Area Runners Association (CARA), a group he has been involved with since he decided to run his first marathon in 1995.
Now he’s the vice president, and believes strongly that running, when done with others, can be a particularly salient—if surprising—antidote to the loneliness epidemic, currently affecting nearly 1 in 2 people in the U.S. Because while running is by definition a solo activity, it can also be done with others—which in turn brings layer upon layer of physical and mental health benefits.
U.S. Surgeon General Dr.
Vivek Murthy called loneliness an “epidemic ” in May of 2023. “We are called to build a movement to mend the social fabric of our nation ..
. each of us can start now, in our own lives, by strengthening our connections and relationships,” reads his advisory on the healing effects of social connection and community. Those in runn.