Daniela Kleiser, 24, has been a triathlete since 2015 and as a professional this year. In 2021, she became the world champion in Ironman 70.3 in the 18-24 age group and was also the top athlete in all age groups. The SZ spoke to her about the runner’s high.
SZ: running can supposedly make you high?
Daniela Kleiser: Yes, running above a certain intensity and duration can make you ‘high’. However, I would describe this state more as a feeling where you forget everything around you and your legs run by themselves, so to speak. You no longer feel any pain or fatigue and you could keep walking like this forever.
When did you experience this for the first time?
I first felt this state when I accidentally ran my first marathon at the 2016 Wings for Life Run. In 3:10 hours, a time that I would never have expected of myself. Let alone run a marathon without special training. In this run, a car that starts half an hour after you drives behind you. When it catches up to you, the run is over. That was for me after 42 kilometers.
The scientific explanation is what?
There are two approaches to this: The older approach blames the endorphins that are released during running. This theory was tested on runners and examined with a marker. The newer approach blames endocannabinoids, which can be produced by the body itself. Cannabinoids are found in the hemp plant, among other things. The body can produce its own, which dock to the same receptors as those of the hemp plant. Endocannabionoids have analgesic properties and can suppress appetite, as well as alter sleep and mood.
How would you describe this state?
It’s a kind of happiness. There are no disruptive factors such as pain, fatigue or similar signs. The body runs by itself, the system is in harmony.
Triathlete Daniela Kleiser knows and likes runner’s high, but that’s not why she runs.
(Photo: Sebastian Gabriel)
Do you want to keep running? Doesn’t that entail the risk of expecting too much?
Yes, you want that. The danger is of course there. For me, however, as a professional athlete, this risk is now very low, since my training is structured and controlled by my trainer in such a way that I don’t expect too much. The runs that I run are too short and paced, I could get into this condition in a competition.
Does a beginner experience the runner’s high earlier, i.e. after a shorter duration?
Yes, if he runs long enough between his individual anaerobic and aerobic zones, he will reach runner’s high after a shorter run than a skilled runner. This is in a better training condition and therefore takes longer to reach its limit. Running past the sore spot can cause the runner to reach what is known as a runner’s high. But not everyone can reach this state, that too is individual.
Is it an important motivation for you?
No, and it never was. I like to run for the sake of running. Running has been a part of my life for a long time. For me, many types of sport are motivation. I really enjoy playing sports and trying new things. At the moment my biggest motivation in triathlon is to get a little bit better every day and do my best.