More Runners May Have ADHD Than We Realized: What a New Study Means for Women Who've Always Been Drawn to Endurance Sports
If you've ever wondered why sitting still feels impossible but running for three hours somehow feels calming, you're not alone.
Many women I work with tell me they never thought they could have ADHD because they were "successful," disciplined, or athletic. They trained for marathons, triathlons, or ultramarathons. They showed up. They achieved big goals. But underneath that success, they were often working twice as hard as everyone else just to keep their lives together.
Now, new research suggests there may actually be more ADHD traits among endurance runners than previously recognized.
And honestly? I'm not surprised.
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What Did the Study Find?
A 2025 study surveyed 601 endurance runners, including half marathoners, marathoners, and ultramarathon runners, using the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-5), a validated ADHD screening questionnaire.
Researchers found:
Nearly 10% (9.7%) screened positive for ADHD traits.
This is substantially higher than estimates for the general adult population (around 3%).
Half-marathon runners had the highest screening rate (14.8%), although the difference wasn't statistically significant.
Men and women screened positive at similar rates.
Younger runners (under 40) were more likely to screen positive than older runners.
Elite runners were no more likely than recreational runners to screen positive.
It's important to remember that this was a screening study, not a diagnostic study. Screening positive does not mean someone has ADHD—it means further evaluation by a qualified professional is appropriate.
Still, the findings raise an interesting question:
Why might so many people with ADHD be drawn to endurance sports?
Running Gives the ADHD Brain What It Needs
We often talk about ADHD as a disorder of attention. In reality, it's more accurately understood as a difference in how the brain regulates dopamine. Dopamine helps regulate:
Motivation
Focus
Reward
Executive functioning
Emotional regulation
Running naturally increases dopamine, along with norepinephrine and endorphins. For many people with ADHD, this can temporarily improve:
Concentration
Mood
Mental clarity
Emotional regulation
Restlessness
Many runners describe finishing a run and thinking: "My brain finally feels quiet." That isn't laziness disappearing. It's neurobiology.
Endurance Sports Provide External Structure
Here's the part that gets left out of most anxiety content: a lot of women have both. General anxiety and ADHD can and do coexist, and when they do, they feed each other. ADHD makes daily life harder to manage, which creates more to be anxious about. That anxiety then makes it even harder to focus, plan, and follow through, which feeds the ADHD symptoms right back.
This is also why so many women get diagnosed with anxiety first and ADHD gets missed for years, sometimes decades. Anxiety was the loudest, most obvious symptom, so that's what got treated. But if the anxiety treatment never quite sticks, or you feel like you're managing the surface without ever fixing the root, undiagnosed ADHD is worth a real look.
The reframe that changes everything: you are not lazy, broken, or bad at coping. Your brain needs a different kind of support than the neurotypical tools you've been white-knuckling for years.
Why This Matters for Women
Historically, ADHD research has focused heavily on boys and men. Many women go undiagnosed because they channel their restlessness into achievement. They're the women who:
Run before work.
Never miss a training session.
Organize everyone else's lives.
Appear highly disciplined.
Yet behind the scenes they're struggling with:
Forgotten appointments
Emotional overwhelm
Burnout
Chronic self-criticism
Constant mental clutter
Athletic success doesn't rule out ADHD. Sometimes it's one of the ways ADHD has been managed all along.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
While these findings are exciting, it's important not to overinterpret them. This study cannot tell us:
That running causes ADHD.
That ADHD causes people to become runners.
That everyone who loves endurance sports has ADHD.
It simply shows that ADHD traits appear to be more common among endurance runners than expected and highlights the need for additional research.
My Take as Both a Therapist and Endurance Runner
As both an ADHD therapist and an endurance athlete, I see this every week. Many women tell me they always felt "normal" while training. Their brain seemed clearer. Their anxiety felt quieter. Their emotions felt more manageable.
Then life happened. An injury. Pregnancy. Parenthood. A demanding career. Suddenly they couldn't run the same way they used to—and everything they had unknowingly relied on to regulate their ADHD disappeared.
Sometimes the ADHD wasn't new. The coping strategy was gone.
Running isn't a treatment for ADHD. But for many people, it can be one powerful piece of an overall management plan alongside appropriate medical care, therapy, healthy sleep, nutrition, and supportive routines.
This study reminds us that ADHD doesn't always look like someone who can't sit still. Sometimes it looks like someone crossing the finish line of their tenth marathon while wondering why the rest of life still feels so much harder than it seems for everyone else.
And if that's your story, you're not alone.
My Favorite Running & ADHD Supports
While no product can replace appropriate medical treatment, I've found that having the right tools can make it easier to work with your ADHD brain instead of constantly fighting against it. These are products I genuinely recommend to help support both endurance training and executive functioning.
GPS Running Watch
A GPS watch takes the mental work out of tracking pace, mileage, heart rate, and training progress so you can focus on the run itself.
My recommendation: Garmin vívoactive 4S Fitness Smartwatch
Running Belt
Perfect for carrying your phone, keys, and fuel without having to remember multiple items before every run.
My recommendation: Waterfly Running Belt
Electrolytes
Hydration isn't a cure for ADHD, but dehydration can absolutely worsen fatigue, brain fog, and concentration.
My favorites:
Foam Roller
Recovery often becomes an afterthought for ADHD brains. Keeping a foam roller somewhere visible can serve as a helpful reminder to take care of your body after training.
My recommendation: TriggerPoint GRID Foam Roller
Magnetic Dry Erase Weekly Planner
Getting your training schedule, appointments, and to-do list out of your head and into a visual system can reduce decision fatigue and help you stay consistent during busy weeks.
My recommendation: Magnetic Dry Erase Weekly Planner
If this article resonated with you, I hope it reminded you of one important thing: ADHD doesn't always look the way we've been taught it should. Sometimes it looks like a woman crossing finish lines while quietly wondering why everyday life feels so much harder than it seems for everyone else.
Whether you're training for your first 5K, your tenth marathon, or simply trying to make it through the week, your worth has never been measured by your pace, your productivity, or how much you can push through. You deserve support that works with your brain—not against it.
The more we understand how ADHD shows up in women, the more we can replace self-blame with self-compassion and find strategies that actually work for our unique brains.
If you'd like more evidence-based content about ADHD in women, hormones, anxiety, executive functioning, and the latest research, I'd love for you to join my newsletter. You'll receive practical strategies, ADHD-friendly resources, research breakdowns, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox—so you never miss a new article. You're not lazy, broken, or failing—you've simply been navigating a brain that deserves to be understood.
*The information in this article is for educational purposes only and should not replace medical advice. If you think you may have ADHD, talk with a qualified healthcare professional about a comprehensive evaluation.*
Shannon Keleher is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Certified ADHD Clinical Services Provider (ADHD-CCSP), Certified Mental Health & Nutrition Clinical Specialist (CMNCS), and Certified Running Coach specializing in helping women with ADHD navigate anxiety, executive functioning challenges, and the overwhelm of high-functioning ADHD. Through evidence-based education and compassionate support, she empowers women to better understand their brains and build lives that work with them—not against them. For more research-backed insights on ADHD in women, anxiety, and executive functioning, follow her on Instagram at @unmaskedadhdtherapist or subscribe to her newsletter.