The Impact of Color on Marathon Runners
Hey runners! Today, we’re diving into how colors impact your body and mind while running—way more than you might think! Based on the 2024 study “The Impact of Color on Marathon Runners” by Linjun Zhang, we’ll explore how colors affect your physical performance, mental focus, and emotions. Plus, I’ll toss in some friendly tips on picking the right colors for your running gear—shirts, shoes, socks, you name it. Let’s get started!
How Colors Affect Your Body as a Marathon Runner
When you’re racing a marathon, the colors you wear can mess with your focus and performance. Too many bright, clashing colors can distract you, especially when you’re sizing up the competition. A chaotic mix of colors can blur your vision, throw off your rhythm, and tank your race flow. Training in super colorful environments for too long? Not great either.
Colors don’t just mess with your eyes—they also tweak how your body works, like your heart rate, blood pressure, hormones, and nervous system. These effects can be good or bad, depending on the color. Here’s the breakdown:
- 🔴 Red → Red gets your nervous system fired up. Your heart pumps faster, adrenaline spikes, and blood flows quicker. But stare at red too long, and you might feel dizzy or struggle to see clearly 😵💫.
- 🟢 Green → Green eases eye strain, reduces fatigue, and even helps your muscles work better. But too much green for too long can make you feel chilly and curb your appetite by slowing digestive juices.
- 🔵 Blue → Blue sparks creativity, calms nerves, helps with insomnia, and lowers blood pressure. On the flip side, too much blue can leave you feeling drained or even a bit down.
- 🟡 Yellow → Yellow balances your mood and boosts appetite. But overdo it, and it can sour your vibe.
- ⚫️ Dark Black → Most road marathons are on black asphalt, which can make you feel a bit gloomy.
- 🟤 Earthy Yellow → Trail runners deal with earthy yellow dirt paths. Staring at it too long can make you feel wiped out, bored, or weak, dragging down your mood and spirit.
How Colors Affect Your Emotions as a Marathon Runner
Studies show colors hit your brain in ways that shape your emotions and behavior. In a marathon, your mood directly impacts your performance and results. Different colors trigger different feels:
- Red → Bold, warm, and energizing—red gets you pumped to fight.
- Blue → Serious, graceful, and chill—blue eases stress and tension.
- Green → A symbol of hope and life, green calms you and helps you recover from race fatigue.
- Orange → Bursting with energy, orange warms you up and fuels your fighting spirit.
- Purple → Gentle and calming, purple makes you reflective and serene.
- Black → Tends to make you feel sad or sluggish.
- Warm Tones → Think red, orange—full of energy and hype.
- Cool Tones → Blues, greens—calm and relaxing.
⚠️ In marathons, runners often pick bright, warm-toned gear. These colors spark excitement, boost enthusiasm, and give you that extra race-day fire. They also make you feel part of the pack, which sharpens focus and speeds up recovery from fatigue.
How Colors Affect Your Focus as a Marathon Runner
Focus is all about locking in on one thing, and it’s a mental game-changer. Using colors smartly in a marathon can help you stay dialed in and boost concentration. The right colors help you control your pace and keep your performance steady, especially when they match your mood and race needs.
- Red, Orange, Light Yellow, Light Blue → These boost focus (but don’t stare at someone else’s red shirt too long—it’s a no-go).
- Fluorescent Yellow & Fluorescent Green → These crank up excitement and performance.
- White & Black → Can fire up your fighting spirit but might backfire in some cases.
✅ Best Colors for Race-Day Shirts & Shoes
- Green → Improves muscle function and balances emotions. Perfect for hot weather or long races.
- Fluorescent Yellow & Fluorescent Green → These spark excitement and boost performance. Shoes in these colors are awesome since your eyes naturally lock onto them. Pick any recommended shirt color that makes you feel confident.
- Red → Great for short races—ignites passion and power.
- Orange & Warm Tones → Pump up energy, enthusiasm, and fighting spirit.
- Blue & Cool Tones → Calm, focused, and stress-relieving. Ideal for runners who start fast and need steady pacing.
- Colors You Love or Mean Something → Think national flag colors, a shirt from a past PR, or team gear. These build unity and can be strategic during a race.
❌ Don’t Follow Runners Wearing These Colors
- Multicolored/Patterned Shirts → Too chaotic—throws off focus and tanks performance.
- Red → Overstimulates your nerves, ramps up pressure, or messes with your pace. Plus, staring too long makes you dizzy.
- Blue → Too much can tire out your nerves.
- Yellow → Long stares can sour your mood.
- Earthy Yellow → Drains energy and makes you feel weak.
- Black → Blends into the road, hard to see, and can make you feel down.
✅ Stick Close to Runners in These Colors… It’s a Win!
- Green → Reduces eye fatigue, feels natural, and keeps you calm and comfy.
- Moderate Fluorescent Colors (Green/Orange/Yellow) → Sparks excitement and boosts performance.
- Orange → Full of warmth, energy, and fighting spirit.
- White → Fuels your drive to compete (if no better colors are around).
Picking Colors for Training Days
- Green → Training on green fields or parks feels relaxing and easy.
- Red, Orange, Warm Tones → For track days or testing your limits, these ramp up alertness and energy.
Matching Colors to Weather
- Summer Running → Cool tones like white, blue, or light green keep you physically and mentally cool.
- Winter Running → Warm tones like red, orange, or yellow make you feel cozy and fired up.
Matching Colors to Running Locations
- City Running → Go for reflective colors like fluorescent yellow, green, or orange to avoid eye strain.
- Rural/Mountain Running → Soft colors like light yellow, pink, or green feel relaxing.
- Beach/Bright Areas → Stick to soft, eye-friendly colors and wear sunglasses for harsh sunlight.
Happy running, and pick your colors wisely! 🏃♂️