The Research Behind Running for Resilience

What makes Running for Resilience more than just a run club?In this episode of the R4R Podcast, Ben Alexander sits down with Dr Joanna Wall Tweedie, Dr Andrew Flood and Dr Annaleise Naylor from the University of Canberra’s Research Institute for Sport and Exercise to unpack the research behind Running for Resilience and the role community, physical activity and social connection can play in mental health.What began as a simple idea, bringing people together to move, connect and talk, has now become the subject of academic research. Through more than 25 hours of interviews with Running for Resilience (R4R) participants, the University of Canberra (UC) research team has explored why people first come to R4R, why they keep coming back, and what makes the community feel safe, welcoming and meaningful.The conversation explores the “active ingredients” of R4R, including informal physical activity, peer support, psychological safety, mental health literacy, social identity and the powerful idea that people do not need to talk about their mental health in order to feel supported.This is a conversation about belonging, suicide prevention, community-led mental health support and what it really means to show up for yourself and others.Running for Resilience exists to save one life from suicide, as many times as possible, with the long-term goal of helping make the ACT suicide-free by 2033.