Sacha Barbagat

And is it true?

Should you be running too?

Joining me now is an expert in physiology, Emeritus Professor Mark Hargraves from the University of Melbourne.

Mark, thanks so much for joining us today.

Look, running is in the air and it feels like everyone I know is training for a half or a full marathon.

So am I missing out?

Should I be running too?

You mentioned the running craze of the 70s.

This isn't the first time we've kind of seen this happen.

But why do you think we are seeing a peak in interest at the moment in the last, I'd say, five to 10 years?

I suppose you can't also rule out the factor that is social media, people posting their running journeys, their, I don't know what the app is called.

There's an app where it tracks your run.

On that, you know, the idea of influencers, and I do think that has a big impact on people wanting to train for a marathon because they're seeing, you know, their favorite people they follow online doing it and encouraging them to do it, saying, oh, look, I did it.

I didn't run before.

Now look at me.

I'm running a marathon.

But is that a mistake where...

people aren't taking into account perhaps whether it's the best exercise for them?

Or do you think there's kind of this entry-level point where you can give it a go, it's not going to do you any sort of harm to attempt a marathon and fail?

Or, you know, should everyone essentially be attempting to follow, you know, this sort of exercise when, you know, it's based on what their favourite influencer is doing?