Why so many people quit running within a few months, and what helps you keep going

By Luis Carvajal · Updated 1 October 2026

How many people quit running

There's no single figure. It depends on who starts, in what setting, and what counts as "quitting". But there is solid data.

• Among beginner runners. Fokkema and colleagues followed 774 participants in Start to Run, a six-week Dutch programme for people taking up running. At 26 weeks, 29.5% had stopped running. Almost half of them, 48%, stopped because of an injury.
• In gyms. A study of the records of 5,240 members of a gym in Rio de Janeiro found that 63% dropped out before the third month and fewer than 4% kept going for more than 12 months in a row. It isn't running, but it shows how fragile the start is with any kind of exercise.

The Dutch study also looked at who was most likely to stop: women, people who weren't sure they'd carry on after the programme, and people who started out less fit. Having done some running in the previous year, on the other hand, was protective.

In other words: quitting is normal, not a personal failing. And almost all of it happens early on.

Why people quit

1. An injury from doing too much, too soon

It was the number one reason in the Dutch study of new runners. Your body adapts to running more slowly than your motivation rises. In the first few weeks you want to do more, and that's exactly when it's least wise. If you're coming back after a break, we cover it in returning to running after years.

2. You have a bad time while you run

Panteleimon Ekkekakis is one of the researchers who has studied most closely how we feel during exercise. In his 2011 review he found that, below the ventilatory threshold, most people experience it as pleasant. Above it, pleasure drops for almost everyone.

That matters because how you feel predicts whether you come back. David Williams and his team measured how 37 sedentary adults felt during a moderate effort on a treadmill. Those who felt better were doing more physical activity 6 and 12 months later. The systematic review by Rhodes and Kates, covering 24 studies, found something similar: what counts is how you feel during exercise, more than how you feel when you finish.

Put in running terms: if every run is a fight to hold a pace, your mind learns that this is what running is. And you stop wanting to go.

3. Someone else sets your pace

In a 2008 paper, Williams proposed a model linking intensity, feelings and adherence, and made the case for self-paced exercise. Ekkekakis also found that when you choose the intensity, you tolerate harder efforts better. A 2025 trial with 90 inactive women living with obesity saw it in practice: with a self-selected intensity, the session felt more pleasant and their intention to repeat it was higher than with a prescribed intensity.

4. You run because you have to, not because you want to

Self-determination theory distinguishes between doing something because it comes from you or because you truly value it, and doing it out of pressure or guilt. A systematic review of 66 studies, by Teixeira and colleagues, found that more autonomous forms of motivation are linked to doing more exercise, and that intrinsic motivation, the kind that comes from enjoying the activity itself, is the best predictor of keeping it up over the long term.

5. It isn't a habit yet

At first, going for a run is a decision you have to make every time. With repetition it becomes almost automatic. In the study by Lally and colleagues on how habits form, reaching that point took a median of 66 days, with a huge range: from 18 to 254. Among new gym members, Kaushal and Rhodes found that it took training at least four times a week for six weeks for the habit to settle.

What helps you keep running

All of this leads to a few simple guidelines. None of them takes heroic willpower.

• Run at a pace where you can talk. It's the practical way to stay below the threshold where pleasure drops. The talk test explains how.
• Choose the day's intensity yourself. Some days you'll feel like it and some days you won't. Both are fine.
• Set goals for showing up, not for performance. "Go out three times this week" is up to you. "Get under 30 minutes for 5 km (3.1 miles)" depends on a lot of things. For reference, the WHO recommends that adults get 150 to 300 minutes a week of moderate activity, or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity.
• Make it easy to repeat. In the Kaushal and Rhodes study, what helped most to build the habit was consistency, keeping the activity simple, surroundings that made it easy, and the sense that it was enjoyable. Same time, same place, shoes within reach.
• If you miss a day, it's fine. Lally and colleagues found that skipping once didn't wreck the habit. What counts is going out the next time.
• Build up gradually. If injury is the main reason people quit, patience is the best prevention.
• Add some variety. A run with a few free changes of pace, like a fartlek, breaks the monotony without forcing you to suffer.
• If you want to measure your fitness, don't do it flat out. There are ways to see whether you're improving without emptying the tank, and we explain them alongside the Cooper test.

Coached Run

Coached Run is built on this research. A coach with a real voice keeps you company over your own music and tells you if you're going too hard for the session, but never tells you what pace to run. No pace, zones or heart rate on screen. What the app celebrates is getting out the door: your weekly minutes goal, your streak of weeks, and achievements for showing up, never for performance. Three full runs free, then a one-time purchase, no subscription.

Frequently asked questions

How many people quit running soon after starting?

It depends on the group. In a Dutch study of 774 beginners, 29.5% had stopped running after six months. In gyms the figures are much higher: in a Brazilian study, 63% of new members dropped out before the third month.

How long does it take to make running a habit?

It varies a lot from person to person. In the landmark study on habits, the median was 66 days, with cases from 18 to 254. In the gym, it took training at least four times a week for six weeks.

Is it normal not to enjoy running at first?

It's very common, and it almost always comes down to running too hard. Above the ventilatory threshold, pleasure drops for almost everyone. Slow down until you can talk and the experience usually changes.

I've stopped running. How do I get back into it?

Without rushing and without comparing yourself with what you used to do. Start with less than you think you can manage, alternate walking and jogging if you need to, and think in weeks, not days. There's a fuller guide in returning to running after years.

Sources

• Fokkema T et al. Reasons and predictors of discontinuation of running after a running program for novice runners. J Sci Med Sport, 2019;22(1):106-111.
• Sperandei S, Vieira MC, Reis AC. Adherence to physical activity in an unsupervised setting: explanatory variables for high attrition rates among fitness center members. J Sci Med Sport, 2016;19(11):916-920.
• Ekkekakis P, Parfitt G, Petruzzello SJ. The pleasure and displeasure people feel when they exercise at different intensities. Sports Med, 2011;41(8):641-671.
• Williams DM et al. Acute affective response to a moderate-intensity exercise stimulus predicts physical activity participation 6 and 12 months later. Psychol Sport Exerc, 2008;9(3):231-245.
• Rhodes RE, Kates A. Can the affective response to exercise predict future motives and physical activity behavior? A systematic review. Ann Behav Med, 2015;49(5):715-731.
• Williams DM. Exercise, affect, and adherence: an integrated model and a case for self-paced exercise. J Sport Exerc Psychol, 2008;30(5):471-496.
• Da Silva et al. Self-selected vs. prescribed aerobic exercise intensity: impacts on pleasure in women with obesity. Front Psychol, 2025;16.
• Teixeira PJ et al. Exercise, physical activity, and self-determination theory: a systematic review. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act, 2012;9:78.
• Lally P, van Jaarsveld CHM, Potts HWW, Wardle J. How are habits formed: modelling habit formation in the real world. Eur J Soc Psychol, 2010;40:998-1009.
• Kaushal N, Rhodes RE. Exercise habit formation in new gym members: a longitudinal study. J Behav Med, 2015;38(4):652-663.
• World Health Organization. WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour, 2020.