Runner's Mag interview | "The link between longevity and running follows a U-shaped curve"

In an exclusive interview with Runner's Mag Hungary we talked about how running, biomedical engineering and longevity research come together in my life. Everything changed at 21, at the moment of my cancer diagnosis – running became a key part of my recovery and later a life philosophy.

On the autumn season: after Szavanna Trail I moved into the specific, speed-building phase with track intervals and VO2max sessions. Every autumn race is also a celebration for me: I celebrate a healthy life through running. The goals are early 74 minutes for the half marathon and early 34 minutes for 10K – but if it doesn't happen, that's fine too: health always comes first.

The link between longevity and running follows a U-shaped curve. For most health-conscious people the optimal range is 2.5–5 hours a week, mostly low-intensity (Zone 2) work, plus 1–2 shorter higher-intensity sessions and strength training. If your night-time resting heart rate rises, HRV drops and fatigue becomes constant, you need more recovery: when recovery can't keep up with the load, running turns from health maintenance into an anti-longevity lifestyle.

About 80% of my training is in Zone 2, for mitochondrial health and a solid aerobic base. I decide between rest and training mainly from night-time HRV and waking heart rate trends (Garmin Forerunner 965 and Oura Ring), combined with subjective feel and sleep stages. From an engineer's point of view, the trend matters, not one isolated day.

Running alone is not a magic pill: it improves insulin sensitivity, cardiovascular health and cognitive function, and VO2max is one of the best predictors of healthy lifespan – but overdone, it does more harm than good. "Medicine in small doses, poison in large ones." Running is only one – admittedly decisive – piece of the longevity puzzle: it needs resistance training, mobility work, quality sleep and nutrition alongside it.

For anyone starting out with a longevity mindset: first walk, then build a rock-solid aerobic base with Zone 2; second, never skip strength and mobility work, and give recovery at least as much attention as training; third, measure, observe and recover. The goal is always measured in decades – not weeks, months or even years.

For the past two years my focus has been my PhD research at the intersection of longevity and AI: I build my own AI coaches tuned to a longevity lifestyle. Not chatbots, but the "3rd brain" concept, which is also the core of my upcoming book, Meta sapiens.

The full interview is available on the RunnersMag site.