One More KM... Then I'll Stop

How much running is enough?

Before you answer that question, allow me to quickly register for GPO - Limuru 50km ultra that’s happening next month.

I’m worried your answer might convince me not to.

Every runner has a reason for running.

For many, it’s about improving their health; losing weight, controlling blood pressure, keeping diabetes at bay, or just living a healthier life.

In my case, it started much more simply.

Getting out of the house, meeting people, enjoying the trails, and chasing the vibes.

I was fortunate to join KRC when it was still relatively young. Back then, the longest regular distances were about 15km for the men and 10km for the women. Nobody felt left behind. We’d run, have breakfast together, laugh about life, and head home.

Fast forward four years, and the club has grown tremendously.

These days, hardly anyone talks about 10Ks anymore. Half marathons have become the new normal. Full marathons are common, and we now have well over ten members running ultras.

Watching that progression made me stop and ask myself:

Is there an off-ramp, or do we just keep signing up for one more KM?

The funny thing is that a regular 10km is probably enough for most of us.

It keeps you fit, lets you enjoy good company before, during, and after the run, and perhaps most importantly, leaves you with enough energy to function like a normal human being for the rest of the day.

If your primary goal is simply to stay healthy, science seems to support this argument too. WHO recommends 75–150 minutes of vigorous exercise, such as running, together with at least two days of strength training each week (Bull FC et al., 2020).

More recently, a systematic review by Jayedi et al. (2024) concluded that around 150 minutes of exercise per week is enough to produce meaningful improvements in health and body composition.

In other words, from a health perspective, many of us had probably gotten to that end goal, long before we signed up for our first marathon.

Yet very few runners ever stop there.

To be fair, runners are some of the most disciplined people I know. Give one a goal and they’ll quietly chip away at it until it’s done.

First 10km. Then a half marathon. Then a full marathon. Then an ultra.

And almost immediately after crossing one finish line, another goal mysteriously appears.

The finish line keeps moving. So does the training.

Then comes the part that makes me uncomfortable.

I’ve met runners who’ve undergone knee surgery. Others who run while limping, and others who ignore warning signs from their bodies because “it’s only a few more kilometres.”

Some even finish races looking more relieved than happy.

Which makes me wonder:

Are we chasing medals?

Trying to prove something to ourselves?

Feeding our egos?

Or have we simply become addicted to moving the goalposts?

Don’t get me wrong, I admire the progress.

I admire the discipline.

I admire the consistency.

But I also wonder whether, in our pursuit of longer distances, we’ve quietly forgotten why we started running in the first place.

Are we still enjoying it?

Or have we convinced ourselves that suffering is part of the fun?

Maybe the answer is yes.

Maybe it’s no.

Maybe it depends on who you ask.

As for me…

I’ll think about it properly.

Right after I finish paying for that 50km ultra.