1976 - 25,000 marathon finishers
2011 - 518,00 marathon finishers
1990 - 303,000 half marathon finishers
2011 - 1,610,000 half marathon finishers
In the U.S., there was a 1% increase in finishers from the same 367 marathons for 2010 and 2011 (495,135 vs. 500,206). Since 2000, there has been a 47% increase in the number of U.S. marathon finishers (353,000 vs. 518,000).
In 2011, there were an estimated 720 U.S. marathons, a record high, compared to approximately 200 in 1985 and 300 marathons in 2000.
Since 2003, the half-marathon has been the fastest growing road race distance in the United States, and for six consecutive years (2006–11), the number of 13.1 mile finishers has grown by 10% or more each year. No other U.S. road distance comes close to this growth rate during the Second Running Boom (circa 1994).
Since 2000, the number of half-marathon finishers in this country has more than tripled (482,000 to 1,610,000), an increase of 234%.
59% of half-marathon finishers were females (approximately 950,000, a record).
In 2011, there were a record number of 30 U.S. half-marathons with 10,000 or more finishers. This has nearly doubled since 2009 when there were 17 with 10,000-plus finishers; in 2000, there was only one.
So what is going on? Why are people taking to running? I talk to people everyday who tell me they run because:
They want to stay or be fit.
They want a challenge.
They enjoy it.
It is a cross train for them.
Stress relief.
It's meditation for them.
All are excellent reasons to run, but I wonder if people are seeking satisfaction in entering these races. I know from my point of view, I use races as a way to challenge myself, and see how I have progressed in my running. I learn something from every race. I look at my medals and t-shirts with great pride and satisfaction.
I'm sure a more detailed study would need to be done as to why people are taking to running record numbers. It is an affordable, or reasonably affordable sport. It is easy to do. It requires no lessons. Running can be done anywhere...or most anywhere.
Whatever the reason, running is a growing sport. These days the hot trend is the mud races. Personally I don't want to run through mud, muck or live electric wires(don't ask), but this is adventure running, and it's catching on.
The growth of our sport is good. It gets people off the couch, encourages community, and brings a great sense of accomplishment into our lives.
Charlie
2 comments:
I hear people talking about half-marathons a lot more too. In a way, they're a brilliant marketing device. Prior to this, there wasn't much between the 10k and the marathon, which is a huge leap. Now the half-marathon gives people a bigger challenge but it's manageable. The truth is, a whole lot of people just can't do a marathon but a half-marathon is attainable. And it's got the word "marathon" in it!
I also think a big part of the reason why there have been more runners in the past 5-7 years is the economy- people lose their jobs so they need some kind of attainable goal (unemployment is what drove me to start running).
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