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Science creates the ultimate performance-enhancing song for running

Professor Costas Karageorghis from Brunel University has studied the bio-hacking abilities of music on performance for 25 years and is a world-leading expert on the psychology of music in exercise.

Prof. Karageorghis has worked with The Running Channel, a global YouTube channel dedicated to running, to provide a recipe combining all the elements of his extensive scientific research in order to create the ultimate song to enhance running performance.

The result is Run With Me – a dance-pop track built using a unique scientific combination of the ideal tempo, syncopation, instrumentation and rhythm with psychologically impactful lyrics to motivate and enhance performance. The track was produced by the team at Brother Music in Southeast London.

The project was inspired by Prof. Karageorghis’ work as a consultant to AIR:RUN, a brand new closed-road running event using the world’s first audio app that will guide runners – offering motivational tips, advice for specific sections of the course and a selection of performance-enhancing music, including Run With Me.

Some of the key ingredients in the extensive scientific prescription for the track are a tempo of between 130 and 140 bpm; a 4/4 rhythm with a moderate level of syncopation; the use of major harmonies; and a vocal that affirms aspects of the activity. The launch of the track is supported by this video documenting the creation, including interviews with Prof. Karageorghis.

Karageorghis said: “I’ve been passionate about music’s impact on people’s lives since I lived just above a second-hand record store as a child. We have been able to show scientifically that the right music can improve many aspects of a runner’s performance by elevating their mood, syncing music’s rhythmic qualities with their body’s movements, or distracting them from physical discomfort. Music is a powerful tool of which any runner can take advantage in their training or racing – imagine how much faster Eliud Kipchoge may have been able to run the marathon with the right soundtrack!”

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