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Imagine leaving the house with nothing but your house keys. No phone in your pocket, no music in your ears, no smart watch on your wrist – no noise. Just you, the road and the question every runner eventually faces: how far are you willing to go?

NO NOISE: Stories from Running Obsessives explores the runners rejecting distraction, the psychology driving their obsession and why the road has become a form of resistance in a frictionless modern world.

[Meet the Obsessives]

London

Berlin

Paris

LOIS, 39

I’ve run every day for 2,200 days. And counting.

Run with LOIS

LOIS, 39
London

Four years ago, Doctor Lois Haruna-Cooper decided to run every single day – no exceptions. Since then, not even the birth of her third child has broken the streak.

Learn more about the Pegasus 42 Running Shoes worn by Lois at nike.com

ROWAN, 24

I’m 24. I ran an ultramarathon in the Sahara. Twice.

Run with ROWAN

ROWAN, 24
London

Most runners will never touch an ultramarathon. 24-year-old Rowan Keech has taken them on in the Sahara desert – twice. Beyond the pain, heart and exhaustion, there’s something that keeps her going back for more.

Learn more about the Pegasus 42 Running Shoes worn by Rowan at nike.com

HABIBA, 24

Endurance isn’t only for running. It’s for everything.

Run with HABIBA

HABIBA, 24
Berlin

Habiba Halimi runs with a purpose: she won’t stop until women and girls everywhere are free to run too. Growing up in a place where running wasn’t ordinary for women, she risked it all just to move.

Learn more about the Pegasus 42 Running Shoes worn by Habiba at nike.com

VINCENT, 28

I run for as long as it takes until I reach that flow state.

Run with VINCENT

VINCENT, 28
Berlin

Poet Vincent Reimann runs to unlock something deeper. When writer’s block hits, he laces up, hits the road – and doesn’t stop until it clicks.

Learn more about the Pegasus 42 Running Shoes worn by Vincent at nike.com

BARBARA, 86

I set the record for 24 hours of continuous running at 86.

Run with BARBARA

BARBARA, 86
Paris

Over 130 races. More than 50 marathons. A 125 km continuous running record at 86 years old. Barbara Humbert proves obsession doesn’t slow down with age.

Learn more about the Pegasus 42 Running Shoes worn by Barbara at nike.com

IMRAN, 23

I hated running. Now I’m on over 100 km a week.

Run with IMRAN

IMRAN, 23
Paris

Running is in Imran Naaji’s blood. The son of a French athletics champion, he resisted the sport for years – until the road pulled him back in. Now, he’s forged his own identity on the road. And he can’t get enough.

Learn more about the Pegasus 42 Running Shoes worn by Imran at nike.com

The age of NO NOISE Running

01

Inside the minds of running obsessives with Dr Peter Olusoga

02

In photos: NO NOISE Running obsessives

03

NOTHING GIVES ME THE SAME MENTAL FREEDOM THAT RUNNING DOES. NOTHING COMPARES.

SOME PEOPLE HAVE COFFEE, SOME PEOPLE NEED MEDICINE. MY MORNING SHOT IS RUNNING.

I WANT THE WORLD TO SEE ME RUN.

I RUN FOR AS LONG AS IT TAKES UNTIL SOMETHING CLICKS.

I KNOW I'M OBSESSED WITH RUNNING, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHY. SO I KEEP GOING – TO FIND THE ANSWER.

I BELONG TO MYSELF WHEN I'M RUNNING.

NO NOISE: Stories from Running Obsessives is our series that explores what happens when runners strip everything back – no music, no metrics, no distractions. Just the run.

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