Lately, it seems like every 20-something is running a marathon. What was once a niche feat reserved for the elite and disciplined has now turned into an impulsive, oddly casual way for restless young adults to find structure and purpose in a decade that rarely offers any.
On TikTok, enthusiastic Gen Z’ers have managed to make training look aspirational: 6 a.m. long runs and color-coordinated gear are now a status signifier. Meanwhile, run clubs have evolved into something far bigger than fitness, doubling as social (and dating) hotspots. And this isn’t just a fleeting online trend: According to New York Road Runners, the nonprofit organization that hosts the New York City Marathon, more than 12,000 20-somethings signed up for the race in 2024—a notable jump from 9,987 in 2023 and 8,039 in 2022.
But the question at hand isn’t just why is Gen Z taking up running—it’s why so many, myself included, are going from the couch to 26.2 almost on a whim.
So, why a full marathon?
“A 5K isn’t enough anymore,” says Salina Grilli, LCSW, the founder of Manhattan Modern Psychotherapy, who has observed this new trend among many patients. “A lot of young people are going straight to the marathon, since it’s a big, lofty goal. It’s different. It’s special,” she tells SELF.
Of course, there are other respectable and (likely more achievable) races to consider—a 5K, a 10K, even a half marathon. But none of these, Grilli says, “have the uniqueness of saying you ran a full one.” Perhaps that’s the real draw for Gen Z. Running a marathon is less about fitness and more about the optics of effort: the matching, $300 race-day set; the Strava screenshot uploaded with a humblebrag caption; the notes-app Instagram caption you’ve had mapped out in your head announcing that, yep, you’re a marathon finisher. We’re not just proving we can do hard things—we’re making sure everyone knows we did.
The allure of bragging rights is hard to ignore or downplay—and 25-year-old Arianna Pollack, who lives in New York City, would be lying if she said it didn’t play a role in why she signed up for her first-ever marathon this year. (Pollack ran the New York race last weekend.) Though she had dabbled in a variety of other athletic pursuits like yoga, soccer, and weightlifting as an adult, “running had been something I felt I wasn’t ‘good’ at,” Pollack tells SELF. Taking on a challenge outside of her comfort zone offered a rare chance to build confidence and reclaim a sense of purpose during a turbulent stretch of life, which, for Pollack, included a recent breakup and burnout at her demanding job.