Does music really boost your performance in road running and trail running?
Long viewed as an external aid akin to doping, music now accompanies many runners during competitions. While it may not improve performance, it profoundly changes the way the effort is experienced.
✓ An in-depth look with psychologist and neuroscience researcher Fanny Nusbaum.
“Music in the blood,” sang the all-female trio known as Zouk Machine back in 1990. And they were right: music permeates the sensory experience and directly influences physical performance. At road races, headphones are everywhere. At the Paris Marathon, many finishers crossed the finish line with headphones still on.
Faced with this practice, organizers have made a decision. Among amateur runners, music is tolerated, provided they remain aware of their surroundings. At the UTMB, for example, trail runners are asked to remove their headphones when crossing roads, approaching checkpoints, or interacting with security personnel. A regulated tolerance, then.
But this freedom hasn’t always existed. In 2015, the rules for off-track events still prohibited any audio devices, which were considered an external aid in the same way as a support person. A year later, the stance softened, though the ban did not disappear entirely. Even today, “the use of devices that allow listening to music during competition is tolerated under the sole responsibility of the user.”
On an international level, World Athletics maintains this ambiguity. While wearing headphones may be permitted on closed courses for amateur runners, it remains prohibited for elite athletes, who risk disqualification. A distinction that raises the question: is music merely a comfort… or a genuine performance enhancer?
| A distraction that reduces the perception of effort
First, music acts as a powerful distraction, helping to divert the sensation of fatigue, reduce the perceived effort, and even lessen pain. By capturing part of the runner’s attention, it shifts the focus from bodily signals to the rhythm or sounds, which alters the overall perception of the effort. Ultra-trail runner Arthur Joyeux-Bouillon says, “I put it on whenever I’m not feeling well.” It then becomes a tool for getting through tough moments. “It makes my effort less painful,” confirms Colin, an amateur trail runner from Haute-Savoie. Beyond the immediate physical effort, it also keeps the mind occupied. “It makes time go by faster when I’m bored on a long run,” he adds, echoed by Justine, a first-time marathon runner for the past two weeks, who doesn’t let distracting thoughts take over thanks to the music and stays focused solely on her stride. This impact on attention also explains why its use is regulated during races, and why organizers sometimes ask runners to remove their headphones to ensure safety and awareness of their surroundings.
| An emotional amplifier
Music acts as an emotional amplifier. It activates a part of the brain—the amygdala—that is involved in processing emotions. “It triggers all your fears of not being this, or of being too much of that,” explains Fanny Nusbaum, a psychologist and neuroscience researcher. Following this logic, motivation isn’t based solely on pleasure, but also on avoiding failure. “It’s not, ‘I want to be the best,’ but ‘I want to avoid the humiliation of being the worst.’”
Pain itself is not solely physical: “Pain has two components: a physiological one and an emotional one,” she explains. “To put it very simply, the second component determines how much it hurts.” By modulating this emotional component, music can transform the experience of exertion. Some even speak of a state of immersion. “I feel like I’m really in my own world, in my own bubble,” Justine describes. “Thanks to the emotion that music creates, it makes you forget negative emotions, but also pain and fatigue,” emphasizes the doctor of psychology.
« The only thing that can be said with certainty about music—whether from a scientific or empirical perspective—is that it primarily has an emotional impact. »
Fanny Nusbaum, neuroscience researcher
| When the reward system is triggered
The reward system—a network of neural pathways in the brain that relies in part on dopamine, a neurotransmitter that motivates action—plays a key role in how music affects the body. It helps make an activity more engaging and encourages repetition. “Music is a force,” agrees the elite trail runner, who finished sixth in the UTMB in 2024. Moreover, it acts as a real source of mental support. “It boosts my motivation and energy,” says Jugurtha, a runner in his spare time. It also fulfills a need for comfort and enjoyment. “It’s better with music,” confides Louise, a member of the Entente PUC-Stade Français, who feels less alone when listening to music during her runs or workouts without her training group. For Marianne Hogan, an ultra-trail runner who won the 45 km EcoTrail Paris in 2026, listening to music is a true pleasure. She thus combines two pleasures: crisscrossing the trails while enjoying her playlist, “something I love.” Some even use it strategically: on short runs, it accompanies the entire outing, while on long trails, it’s reserved for moments when morale is low. Hence the skeptical view held by certain authorities, who see this mental stimulation as a form of “doping,” even though music in no way improves physiological performance.
| An impact on the pace
If the music’s tempo picks up, it can affect the runner’s rhythm, even changing their pace. Jugurtha runs twice a week, covering distances ranging from 5 to 10 km. When you look at his pace per kilometer on Strava, you can’t help but be impressed by this young man, even though he spends more time partying at night than hitting the track. “I listen to energetic music with a pretty high BPM,” admits the construction foreman. “It affects my rhythm, and actually, if there are drops, I find myself pushing even harder.” Conversely, for Alexandra, a beginner who’s just starting out with running, music is more of a pitfall. “On my first run, I noticed that music was affecting my pace too much, and since I try to maintain a steady pace, I prefer to listen to podcasts,” says the Parisian, who usually trains in the Bois de Vincennes.
This phenomenon of influence is linked to arousal, the physiological and mental state that acts as a kind of biological gauge. Rhythmic music, generally at over 120 bpm, increases this state of arousal and promotes a feeling of energy, while calmer—and especially sadder—music tends to lower it. “Songs like Michael Jackson’s ‘Billie Jean’ or ‘Dancing Queen’ serve as benchmarks to get you pumped up,” explains the psychologist. But this relationship works both ways: your level of fatigue or fitness also influences your choice of music. Before a workout, if they’re feeling lazy, runners will opt for stimulating music, whereas before a competition, where they’re aiming to perform well, they’ll gravitate toward a more energetic playlist… It’s therefore a system of interaction between music and internal state.
| A key factor in recovery
Music has other unexpected benefits, such as aiding the recovery phase after exercise by promoting a return to calm and a sense of mental relaxation. According to Fanny Nusbaum, a neuroscience expert, soft music can facilitate learning. She observed this with a triathlete patient: “When she competed in an event she considered successful, she took time to allow her brain to make the most of what she had learned.” Her brain enters a state of relaxation. Breathing slows down, heart rate drops, and this naturally optimizes muscle oxygenation. “It’s an indirect process,” she emphasizes.
| A truly unfair advantage?
Music thus raises the question of fairness in sports. On the one hand, it can serve as a mental aid, but its influence must be viewed with caution. Listening to it before a competition can put an athlete in a favorable psychological state by boosting motivation and positive emotions. On the other hand, during the event itself, its psychological effect is less certain, as it can be overshadowed by other sources of stimulation. Justine is proof of this: she, who didn’t think she could do without music, ultimately found herself running with her ears to the open air during the Paris Marathon. “When she says, ‘I don’t understand what happened,’ it’s because nothing happened other than emotionally. When her friend caught up with her, it had the same effect as the music. And the crowd had the same effect. It also served as a distraction for her,” concludes Fanny Nusbaum.
It is clear that music does not enhance physiological capabilities and does not provide a measurable benefit comparable to a performance-enhancing drug. But it can nevertheless influence the perception of effort and the consistency of stride. Needs vary from person to person: some prefer instrumental tracks, such as techno or classical music, to establish a steady rhythm; others seek out songs with lyrics to latch onto mentally, like “Believer” by Imagine Dragons and its hammering chorus: “Pain, you break me down and build me up.”
One thing is certain: music does not artificially enhance athletic performance, whether physical or mental. In some cases, it can even be counterproductive by distracting you from the present moment. And be careful, because it can create a form of dependence on training with music—a habit that’s hard to replicate in competition, whether due to rules or a simple technical glitch. Listen to it without moderation… or almost.
Sabine LOEB
Journalist
08/04/2026
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