The State of the Sport
Every two years, Running USA takes a survey called the National Runners Survey. The survey assesses the demographics of the running population nationwide and reflects the core runner. I.E. – the active adult participants who tend to enter running events and train year-round.
This year’s survey had some interesting highlights:
We’re Smart: Today’s core runners are highly educated with 79% having earned a college diploma, compared with only 27% of the United States population (ACS, 2006-08).
We’re Fit: Core runners, like the readers of Colorado Runner, are active participants who train year round, reporting running an average of 224 days and logging 1,357 miles per year, a significant difference compared with the typical fitness runner who runs approximately 85 days per year.
We’re Addicted To Shoes: The average respondent purchased 3.2 pairs of running shoes in the last year contributing to the $2.31 billion in running footwear sales reported by the National Sporting Goods Association.
We Go Long: Runners favorite race distance is the half-marathon. The half-marathon has been the fastest growing distance in the U.S. since 2003. For four consecutive years (2006-09) the 13.1 mile distance has grown by 10% or more in the U.S., according to Running USA.
We Love Marathons: In 2009, U.S. marathons overcame the “gloom and doom” of the recession by posting another year of record participation with 467,000 estimated finishers, as well as the largest percent increase (nearly 10%) in more than 25 years. Check out the biggest of the bunch.
2009 World’s Largest Marathons (finishers):
1) 40th ING New York City, NY, 43,660 (largest marathon ever)
2) Flora London, GBR, 35,370
3) real, – Berlin, GER, 35,016
4) Bank of America Chicago, IL, 33,701
5) Paris, FRA, 30,334
6) Tokyo, JPN, 29,108
7) Boston, MA, 22,843
8) Marine Corps, DC, 21,405
9) 25th Naha, JPN, 20,860
10) Honolulu, HI, 20,323
U.S. Largest Marathons (finishers):
1) 40th ING New York City, NY, 43,660
2) Bank of America Chicago, IL, 33,701
3) Boston, MA, 22,843
4) Marine Corps, DC, 21,405
5) Honolulu, HI, 20,323
6) Walt Disney World, FL, 14,948
7) City of Los Angeles, CA, 14,125
8) Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego, CA, 13,391
9) Medtronic Twin Cities, MN, 8,474
10) Portland, OR, 8,166
11) Philadelphia, PA, 7,494
12) P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona, 6,444
13) Grandma’s, MN, 5,998
14) Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio, TX, 5,906
15) Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas, NV, 5,888
Happy trails!
Derek