You know how some long-distance runners look kinda gaunt? The sunken eyes, the hollow cheeks, the squeegee at the traffic lights... There’s a name for that haggard, skin-and-bones look: Runner’s Face.

Runner’s Face is a real thing and not something we just made up because it sounds funny. Perhaps you, the guy with the dried-out noggin reading this, have Runner’s Face. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. If anything, having a head like a Halloween pumpkin in February is a badge of honor for O.G. distance runners. But what if you’re vain and would prefer a regular, not-unattractive, completely un-dehydrated face that doesn’t bring to mind a wizard with an opiate problem? Is there anything you can do? Yes, there is. Welcome to HIGHWAY TO HEALTH.

Photography & Video: Ben Murphy / Model: Liza

The cause of Runner’s Face is running (duh). But why does it only happen in our sport? Why isn’t there such a thing as Tennis Face or Basketball Head? There’s no clear answer to that question, but there are theories. One theory: you can only shake your face up and down so many times before the skin starts to stretch and leave you looking like Rip Van Winkle’s scrotum. If a woman with sizeable breasts were to run without a sports bra, she would quickly develop the same sagging we see in cases of Runner's Face. This theory sounds a bit dopey, though, and skincare specialists squint and go ‘Hmmmm’ if you mention it to them.

The most plausible theory is that runners, for the most part, run outside in the sun and, as we all know, too much sun is no good. As we age, the collagen in our skin naturally depletes, but exposure to the sun speeds up the process, making us look older and more witch-like. The sun’s UV rays damage the collagen in your face, making it as shrivelled and leathery as Topper Rigney’s baseball glove (or Topper Rigney for that matter—he’s been without water since 1972). 

Fat loss is another contributor to Runner’s Face. The subcutaneous layer of fat that makes a person’s face nice and smooth is eaten up with all the other body fat when you’re a long-distance runner (particularly if you train at high intensities) and can leave you looking like a souvenir coconut monkey. A third obvious contributor is dehydration (again, Topper Rigney), and a fourth and less obvious cause of Runner’s Face is stress on the body, which produces free radicals that damage your DNA. But that’s nerd shit. Let’s discuss what you can do to avoid Runner’s Face, even though you are runner. With a face.

Even if you’re not a runner, your skin needs water, but if you run, you better hydrate properly to maintain your skin’s elasticity and ensure it doesn’t dry up. In general, we all need between two and three liters of water every day, but you’ll need to drink and extra liter or two if you’re a long-distance runner (drink one liter of water for every 1,000kcal you burn daily).

Jump on YouTube and search ‘Face Yoga’. It’s hilarious. And if the comment section is anything to go by, it works? Doing Face Yoga or performing any other facial exercises may or may not strengthen face muscles, improve blood circulation, and generally make you look less like a Skeksi. Give it a shot!

Antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. You need these in your diet if you want to maintain healthy skin. Fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy—HEALTHY—fats will support the health of your skin and, as an added bonus, support the health of every other part of the body you were born into, despite the odds being four hundred billion to one (no shit, look it up).

Finally, getting adequate sleep each night will ensure your skin—and the rest of you—can repair and rejuvenate and not look like hell the following day. You know when you don’t get enough sleep and you look like one of Harry Dean Stanton's elbows? That’s because your face skin hasn’t had enough sleep either. Get some sleep and have a nice face. Easy.