'How running changed my life': 3 runners on the strides that changed everything

Running for more than the high

From running through sobriety to finding newfound purpose and connection, three runners share what it means to have their life transformed by the simple act of putting one foot in front of the other.

It might have started with chafing and wheezing breaths that could drown out the local construction crew. But ask any runner about their journey with the sport and they’ll tell you about the moment it ceased to be exercise and became something more. From race aficionados to the hobby joggers and pre-dawn shufflers, running is a form of therapy, empowerment, ritual and connection. Is it any wonder we’re all chasing the runner’s high?

There’s no denying that, in 2025, we’re living amidst running’s renaissance. According to Government data, Australia saw an increase from 3.4 million adults who run in 2019 to 4.2 million in 2020, with the pandemic leading many to trade the gym for open vistas. In the years since, our appetite for running has only grown more insatiable. Races across the country are drawing crowds, with this year’s Gold Coast Marathon selling out in record time as 15,000 people signed up in a matter of days.

For these three runners, the decision to lace up and get out the door proved transformative. Here, they tell Body+Soul how the act of putting one foot in front of the other helped shape them into the person they are today.

Now coming up to five years of sobriety, the laps he shares with others are a source of strength, communion and healing.

Trent Knox

“Running in the dark has shown me light always follows”

Meeting each Saturday at 5am at Sydney’s Bronte beach, the 440 Run Club was founded in 2016 as a means of keeping Trent Knox out of trouble. Now coming up to five years of sobriety, the laps he shares with others are a source of strength, communion and healing.

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Since launching Sydney’s first Muslim run club in January, she’s created a safe, inclusive space for those in her community.

Jasmine Al-Zoubi

“When you hear the word muslim, you know you can belong here”

When this trailblazer first started running, her Mum received a phone call from a friend asking, ‘Why is your daughter running in the street?’ Since launching Sydney’s first Muslim run club in January, she’s created a safe, inclusive space for those in her community.

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Within that first month of running every day, I could already feel something shifting within me.

Jessica Baird Walsh

“I feel like I’ve rebuilt myself from the inside out”

In July 2022, this mother of three committed to running 5km every day for 30 days to prove she could push through hard times. Now over 1000 days into her run streak, she’s unlocked a resilience that extends to life’s greatest challenges and is on a mission to raise $1 million for the Indigenous Marathon Foundation.

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Originally published as 'How running changed my life': 3 runners on the strides that changed everything