Rundefeated

Taking great running photos is a modern runner’s rite of passage. Because let’s be honest — if you ran 10K in a beautiful park and didn’t post a killer action shot about it, did it even happen? The problem is, running mechanics aren’t exactly designed for constant photogenic moments. Unlike a well-posed yoga handstand or a casual post-latte sneaker shot, running involves flailing arms, uneven strides, weird facial contortions, and occasional spit strings nobody asked for.

Most new runners believe a friend with a good phone can snap their perfect running shot. Spoiler alert: no, they can’t. Unless your friend is Annie Leibovitz moonlighting at your local park, you’re going to get a mix of blurry knees, awkward heel-strikes, and a face that suggests you’re halfway through a sneeze. That’s because running gait is a cycle, and not every phase of that cycle looks heroic. Some look like you’re chasing a stolen wallet.

Enter the iPhone. More specifically, the Live Photo feature. You know, that setting you usually leave off because it captures 1.5 seconds of unnecessary pre- and post-photo movement? Well, turns out, for runners, it’s a gift from the tech gods. When you take a running photo using Live Photo, it captures a burst of frames you can later scroll through. Meaning you can skip the ones where your legs look like tangled spaghetti and choose the exact millisecond where you look like an Olympic finalist.

The secret sauce here isn’t just Live Photo — it’s the timer. Set it for 3 or 10 seconds, prop your phone on a rock, a wall, your water bottle, or your long-suffering friend’s backpack, and then dash past like you’re auditioning for a sportswear ad. The trick is to run at a decent clip — around a 4:00 min/km pace if you can. Why? Because slow running photos look like you’re jogging to catch a bus you don’t really want to board. Faster paces give your form some flight, some power, and make those gravity-defying mid-air moments possible.

Now, I can hear someone asking, “But what if I can’t run at 4:00 pace?” Good question. Then fake it for ten meters. This isn’t a race, it’s photography. Your heart rate can spike for a few seconds for the sake of content. Nobody’s going to ask for your Strava link; they’re just going to double-tap that photo where you look like you’re floating above the path with a backdrop of golden hour light.

Once you’ve completed your dash, stroll back to your phone (which hopefully hasn’t been stolen — welcome to urban running photography), open the Live Photo, and tap Edit. There’s a little slider that lets you choose the frame you want to make your Key Photo. Scroll through and marvel at the range of emotions your face made in 1.5 seconds. Happiness, effort, confusion, horror — it’s all there. Choose the one where your form looks snappy, both feet are off the ground, and your face hasn’t fully contorted into trying not to die mode.

You’ll notice that not every frame in a running gait is flattering. Some phases, like the double-support phase (both feet near the ground), look like you’re trudging through invisible mud. The magic happens during the flight phase — that split second when both feet are off the ground and you look like you’re soaring. That’s your money shot. Crop it, brighten it, slap on a moody filter if you must, and boom — Instagram-worthy running pic achieved.

And for bonus points, wear your sharpest running gear. Nobody needs to see your faded finisher tee from 2014 with the logo peeling off. Fresh kicks, clean singlet, maybe a cap if your hair’s doing weird things. Because if you’re going to lie to the world about how effortlessly you run, you might as well dress for it.

So there you have it — your foolproof, slightly cheeky guide to running photos that make you look faster than you are. Because running is about health, personal growth, and chasing those PBs… but let’s be real, it’s also about having at least one photo where you look like Eliud Kipchoge’s long-lost cousin.