Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Health & Fitness
  3. News

How risky is running? Fresh data shows the true injury rate and time to heal

70% of runners have experienced an injury and the most common injuries take weeks to heal.

By
man and woman running outside jogging
Liliana Drew / Pexels

An injury is one way to take the fun out of running and hold you back from the track or trail. We’d all like to avoid injury if we can, and we try different prevention methods, from wearing the right running shoes and choosing certain terrains to staying hydrated and improving our sleep. Interesting research on distance runners found that eating healthy fats and fiber could lower your risk of running injuries. If you’re not consuming sufficient nutrition and calories, researchers have noted that your body can’t efficiently repair muscle tissue and could take nutrients from bones instead.

Of course, there’s always going to be a risk of injury when we lace up our shoes and set off on foot. So, how risky is running, and how long does it take to heal? Here’s the recent data.

What percentage of runners have experienced an injury?

man injured pain ankle leg
Kindel Media / Pexels

Sports Shoes released their 2025 running report that reveals:

  • 70% of runners have experienced an injury.
Recommended Videos

These statistics are in partnership with Censuswide, which surveyed 3,000 adults (aged 16+). Experienced athlete and Senior Marketing Executive at SportsShoes, Ben Mounsey, shares that “fitness trends can be a double-edged sword. While on one hand it’s fantastic to see people encouraged to try new sports or workouts, for those diving into trends sporadically and increasing their training load too quickly, there’s a real risk of becoming injured.” Overtraining is one of the biggest factors that drives up the risk of injury.

Ben Mounsey maintains that “you must allow time for your body to adapt to increased levels of physical activity. Always remember to prioritise rest, as well as incorporating different methods of training into your running journey to build up strength and prevent injuries.”

What percentage of runners are running too soon after an injury?

man running marathon
Cristian Camilo Estrada / Pexels

The data shows that:

  • 21% on average (about one in five) admit they continue running even while injured, risking long-term damage.

How long do running injuries take to heal?

injury foot pain runner leg ankle
Kindel Media / Pexels

Recovery times range from 4–9 weeks, with Morton’s neuroma and stress fractures among the longest to heal. According to the SportsShoes Running Report, here are the most common injuries, ranked by average recovery time: 

Running InjuryAverage Time to Heal
Morton’s neuroma 9.1 weeks
Broken bones (legs and feet)9 weeks
Achilles tendinopathy8.9 weeks
Broken bones (other)8.6 weeks
Stress fractures8.2 weeks
Plantar fasciitis7.4 weeks
Pulled groin7.3 weeks
Lower back pain5.9 weeks
Toenail damage5.9 weeks
Runner’s knee5.8 weeks
Hip flexor pain5.3 weeks
Black toenails5 weeks
IT band syndrome4.6 weeks
Shin splints4.8 weeks
Ankle sprain4.8 weeks
Steph Green
Steph Green
Steph Green (Steph Zee) is a singer-songwriter and professional writer with over 12 years of experience in healthcare and…
Topics
Tired of shaky workouts? Meet the MERACH UltraWalk W60 Plus – a walking pad built to last
Animal, Canine, Dog

Finding time to exercise is hard enough. The last thing you need is fitness equipment that feels unstable, sounds like it's about to fall apart, or struggles to keep up with your pace. Yet that's exactly what many budget walking pads deliver. Lightweight frames, noisy motors, and limited performance often turn what should be an enjoyable workout into a frustrating experience.

The MERACH UltraWalk W60 Plus aims to change that. Instead of simply offering another compact walking pad, MERACH has built a treadmill-grade under-desk fitness machine designed for long-term reliability, stability, and everyday convenience. Whether you're walking while working, squeezing in a quick cardio session, or looking to stay active without leaving home, the W60 Plus is engineered to make movement feel effortless.

Read more
From wheelchair to walking: The power of mindset, movement, and never giving up
Sometimes it's the hardest roads that lead us to a deeper sense of purpose
Steph Zee Christmas Secret Music Video Steph Green

I never expected I'd have to learn how to walk again. That journey took me from writing for doctors and magazines to spending thousands of hours researching health and autoimmune disease. When we have excellent health, many of us don’t give it much thought until those sneaky symptoms start to show, and one day it all comes crashing down. Now, our health becomes one of the most important priorities. When we feel good, we can be more productive and chase our dreams. When our health declines and we don’t feel so good, one of our biggest dreams is just to feel better. 

I became a health writer 12 years ago, shortly after graduating with my creative writing degree and getting a diagnosis of the autoimmune bone condition, ankylosing spondylitis. In an effort to improve my health, stay mobile, and help prevent my bones from calcifying and fusing, I spent thousands of hours studying everything from nutrition and naturopathy to conventional medicine and holistic healing. I heard this somewhere, so I can’t take credit, but I like to say I went to “save my ass university”, because pain and illness are some of the biggest motivators.

Read more
I tried Magic Mind for a month and here is what happened to my productivity
Does Magic Mind really help with your productivity or is it just another buzz.
Furniture, Business Card, Paper

I am proudly an all-brown beverage man. I say it often: I am coffee in the morning, bourbon in the evening, and Pepsi/Coke in between. I know what you're thinking: What about water? Well, all of those are mostly water. And who wants to drink the same thing they bathe in? That sounds gross. All jokes aside, the coffee addiction is real, and I am not alone. Who thinks they can truly conquer a day without a hard shot of caffeine? I would get it in an IV if it were feasible to do on the subway instead of a cup to go. But that doesn't have to be the only way you develop your productivity. Instead, you can look to the more natural and healthy methods to maintain and increase your effectiveness. I got my hands on some Magic Mind recently, one of the many different products that claim to elevate brain health, increase mental performance, and, of course, replace the coffee without losing the energy boost. But does it work?

The scientific hoolah

Read more