Harry Styles Stars on the Cover of ‘Runner’s World,’ In Conversation With Haruki Murakami

Haruki Murakami’s 2007 memoir What I Talk About When I Talk About Running has inspired millions to lace up their shoes and go the distance — and that includes Harry Styles.

On Tuesday, Styles appeared on the cover of the magazine Runner’s World as he prepares to release his fourth solo album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally. He chatted with the legendary Japanese novelist, one of his favorite authors, about the new record, fame, and the discipline and art of marathon running.

Styles ran his first two marathons last year, in Tokyo in March (finishing in three hours and 24 minutes), and Berlin in September (two hours and 59 minutes, an astonishing feat). “One of the things I really loved in your book about running was that it freed me from the idea that music had to be an unhealthy profession and I had to be this tortured soul,” he told Murakami. “Your point is that being healthy makes you able to be an artist for a long time, that you can be a structured, healthy person and make great work. So I have a lot of gratitude to you for that.”

Styles revealed his running routine, consisting of electrolytes over water to prevent peeing beforehand, then hydrating during the marathon. And in one very relatable quote, he says that prior to every long run he eats “the biggest croissant I can find.” He also discussed being spotted while running in public: “I think with people who see me, it’s a bit more ‘Was that…?’ rather than, ‘Oh look it’s him!’” he said. “And by that time, you’re already gone.”

He also opened up about the isolation he has felt due to his fame, and how he has protected himself, at times too much. “Over the years, I had to say no to everything I was invited to, whether it was a friend’s birthday, a trip somewhere amazing, an opening,” he said. “I started to wonder if I was saying no because I really was so busy or because it was more comfortable than saying yes. When you close yourself off to protect yourself from people who might bring negativity into your life, you’re also missing out on positive experiences.”

Styles changed this after he turned 30 in 2024, and decided to travel — particularly to Berlin, where he fell into the nightclub scene. “I wanted to recreate [what] I had on the dance floor, being lost in instrumentation and the musicality,” he said. “It was so immersive, like, this is how I want to feel when I’m on stage too. I don’t want it to feel like a sermon I’m delivering. I wanted it to feel like, oh, we’re in this music together. Like I’m in it with you.”

He also told Murakami how the author’s books have shaped him and his outlook on life, especially the way that Murakami finds beauty in simple, everyday moments. “One of my favorite things you ever wrote was, don’t feel sorry for yourself, only assholes do that,” he said. “Something else I like in your work is the poetry of simple things, like how you describe sitting down to eat breakfast, or having a beer. That has definitely influenced the small moments that I take to myself when I sit down and appreciate the everyday things in front of me. It changes the way that you see the world.”

The two artists also discussed where their mind goes when they run. Murakami, who says his new novel will arrive this summer, admits his mind is “kind of empty” during a run, while Styles says he’s able to process his life and art more clearly.

“The thing that I’ve found, in the rest of my life but particularly in running, is the idea of trusting myself to do exactly what I say I’m going to do,” he says. “To say to myself, I know that you can do something difficult, and that you can get up and train when you don’t want to train, and that you’re able to push through hard things. Having that kind of self-integrity — no one can run a marathon for you. Whereas there are a lot of people who help me make music, put the music out, put on a show and make me look good at it! But running is a conversation with myself.”