| Return
to top / Return
to main page
2007 State of the Sport Part IIIa: American Road
Race Numbers Road running events in the U.S. grew across all distances and sizes in 2006 with a total of 8.535 million finishers. The annual RRIC estimates for the number of race finishers, road running events and active USATF certified courses are provided below. The average increase for running event finishers was 5% with a range between -2% for the 12K (the only decline) and a 10% increase for the half-marathon. The 5K – the most popular distance since 1994 – accounted for 38% of all finishers and 50% of the events in 2006. The half-marathon had the most momentum of the common race distances with at least 10% more finishers and 10% more events from 2005 to 2006. Estimated Finishers in U.S. Road Running Events
Source: Running USA RRIC The average growth for existing events would have been 6% overall if the largest events (10,000 finishers or more) with entrant limits had not been included. For races under 10,000 finishers, typical growth ranged from 5% for small events (under 500 finishers) to 7% for medium-sized events (in the 1500 to 3999 range). 2006 U.S. Road Running Events by Distance
Source: Running USA RRIC For the last decade, the RRIC has estimated that the number of off-track running events was somewhere between 12,000 and 15,000. Even though we are getting a higher percentage of race results every year it is difficult to estimate the total organized event universe which includes informal fun runs, untimed charity runs and kids runs. A new survey by SGMA hints at a very large ‘fun run’ population. Their estimate for ‘fun run’ participants in 2006 was 7.85 million (compared to 4.058 million in the 5K and 683,000 in the marathon). The marathon numbers are definitely too high because the RRIC is now able to process most of the country’s marathon results so it is likely that the other numbers are also somewhat inflated but the size of the fun run population relative to the organized run population may be greater than the RRIC has previously estimated. The ongoing Running USA / RRCA National Runner Survey should provide a more detailed view of running and racing habits in the U.S. which will contribute to next year’s report. USATF Certified Courses in 2005-2006
Source: USA Track & Field Running Event Distance Trends Not only did the half-marathon distance have the largest increase in number of finishers and certified courses from 2005 to 2006, it also had a substantial increase in the number of courses certified during the year – 114 new courses certified compared to 97 in 2005 – an activity increase of 17.5 %. In addition to an impressive increase of 12% for the same half-marathon results received in 2005 and 2006, there were a number of successful new events for the distance including NYC presented by Nike, Disneyland, Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose, New Las Vegas, Shamrock Sportsfest, Denver, Salt Lake City, Columbus, Philadelphia, OBX (Outer Banks, NC) and Post-News Colorado Colfax. Other distances with strong momentum include the 1 mile (up 18% for the same events), 5 mile (up 12%), 10 mile (up 13%), 8K (up 7%) and 10K (up 8%). Half of the 10K increase was contributed by the Cooper River Bridge Run which converted its 4+ mile walk into the full 10K distance. The 10K and 10 mile also enjoyed an increase in certified course activity. The former had 33% more courses certified in 2006 compared to 2005 and the 10 mile had almost three times more courses certified in 2006 compared to the previous year. The Race for the Cure continues to be the largest running event series with a total of 1.43 million participants and 114 U.S. events (5Ks and 1 miles) in 2006. The same Race for the Cure events tracked by the RRIC grew an average of 2% from 2005 to 2006. Running USA would like to thank event organizers, timers, Active.com and USA Track & Field for contributing to the results collection effort. The goal is to get all event courses certified and to get all results uploaded for use in Runner Rankings as well as the annual trends reports. The search engine for USATF certified courses can be found on www.usatf.org/events/courses/search. The Runner Rankings can be found on www.runningusa.org or www.active.com/rankings. Sources for Part IIIa RRIC = Running USA's Road Running Information Center. State of the Sport reports, many types of running data and lists of the Largest Races from past years can be found on RunningUSA.org in the 'Statistics' section. For other questions about running trends and demographics, contact Ryan Lamppa [ryan@runningusa.org] or Linda Honikman. SGMA = Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. Survey referenced is from new 2007 SGMA Sports & Fitness Participation Report (from partnership with 4 other trade groups – National Golf Foundation, SnowSports Industry Assoc, US Tennis Assoc and Outdoor Industry Association). For more information, go to SGMA.com. USATF = USA Track & Field is the governing body for track and field, race walking and long distance running in the U.S. For information, go to www.usatf.org.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Return to top / Return to main page Contact: Rich Sherman, (508) 737-7872, FalmouthRR@aol.com or John Carroll, (508) 737-7874, TrackJC@aol.com 2004 Olympic Silver Medalists Keflezighi,
Ndereba to Race at 35th Falmouth Road Race The scenic waterfront seven-mile course winds from Woods Hole to Falmouth Heights. A field of 10,000 is expected, and prize money totaling $90,300 will be paid to the top international and U.S. finishers including $10,000 to each race champion. Keflezighi will be challenged by the world's top ranked 10,000 meter runner, Micah Kogo of Kenya, and three-time Falmouth champion John Korir, also of Kenya. Kogo, 21-years-old, ran a 2006 10,000m best of 26:35.63. This year, he also ranks first on the 10K road list (27:07). Last year's top two U.S. finishers, Edwardo Torres of Boulder, Colo. and Peter Gilmore of San Mateo, Calif. and 2007 Pan Am Games 5000 meter champion Ed Moran of Williamsburg, Va. will also be near the front as well as Kenyan Olympian and 2006 race runner-up Tom Nyariki and countryman Nicholas Kamakya who won the recent Utica Boilermaker 15K and finished third at the Peachtree 10K on July 4. Ndereba, three-time Falmouth winner, headlines a women's field that will include Edna Kiplagat of Kenya, third last year, Romanian Luminita Talpos, who was fourth, 2007 Pan Am Games 10,000 meter gold medalist Sara Slattery of Boulder, Colo. and Victoria Jackson of Tempe, Ariz., seventh last year. Keflezighi, 32, will be making his debut in Falmouth, but the Team Running USA athlete has plenty of international experience. Born in Eritrea in East Africa, he moved with his family to California when he was 12. He became a U.S. citizen in 1998 and starred for four years at UCLA. His impressive credentials include the Olympic Marathon silver medal at the Athens Games, when he became the first American man to win an Olympic medal in the event since Frank Shorter's silver in Montreal in 1976. Keflezighi has also finished second and third at the ING New York City Marathon and was third in the 2006 Boston Marathon. He holds the U.S. 10,000 meter record at (27:13.98) and has won 16 USA titles (track, roads and cross country). A Falmouth victory by Keflezighi - who has raced well and placed 4th at Bix 7 and Beach to Beacon 10K over the past two weekends - would also mark the first for a U.S. man since Mark Curp of Missouri won in 1988. With the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials scheduled for November in New York, Keflezighi, a two-time Olympian, is looking for a fast Falmouth finish to be a springboard to his fall training and a berth on the U.S. Olympic team for Beijing. In recognition of its 35th running, this year's race will also include the first Falmouth champions from 1973, David Duba of Mt. Pleasant, Mich. and Jenny (Taylor) Tuthill of Alexandria, N.H. In addition, four former champions who helped stamp Falmouth as a showcase race will again be running: six-time champion and 1984 Olympic Marathon gold medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson; three-time champion and Hall of Famer Bill Rodgers; two-time champion and 1972 Olympic Marathon gold medalist Frank Shorter and Falmouth's first non-U.S. winner, 1972 Olympic medalist and New York Marathon champion Rod Dixon of New Zealand. For more race information, go to: FalmouthRoadRace.com Return to top / Return to main page American McCarthy Surprises with 4th at World
24 Hour Run Championship Unheralded American Phil McCarthy of New York City, a pianist who works in the music publishing industry, was the big surprise of the U.S. team's venture to the 6th annual 24 Hour Run World Championship, held July 28-29 in Drummondville, Canada. McCarthy, a journeyman ultrarunner of only a few years, had already pulled off a surprising 3rd place at the Ultracentric National 24 Hour Run Championship in Grapevine, Texas last November to make the national team. But his performance (just under 140 miles) was modest on an international scale, and didn't even put him on the global radar screen. At the World title event, national champ Alex Swenson led the Americans early on in extremely humid conditions with daytime high temperatures in the 80s Fahrenheit. After many of the international stars faltered or retired in the oppressive conditions, Swenson moved into the top 10, with McCarthy shadowing him. During the long, muggy night (after a 2:00pm Saturday start), McCarthy moved past Swenson and then gradually into the top 5, eventually creeping into 4th place in the final hours. Swenson, also done in by the humidity, was forced to retire just prior to the 20 hour mark. Scott Eppelman of Coppell, Texas, after a much more cautious start, gradually made his way from 60th place to 17th. Even with Swenson relegated to the sidelines for the final 4 hours, McCarthy's shocker at the front (154.48 miles), and Eppelman's relentless assault from behind, kept the American men in 3rd place in the national team standings until the final 15 minutes, when the Germans, with three men still moving, jumped past them. The men's gold medal was won by Ryoichi Sekiya of Japan (163.76 miles). The Japanese and French men's teams finished first and second. Russian Lyudmilla Kalinina, who covered 147.17 miles to win women's world title, led the Russian women to a team rout over Japan and France. The American women, fronted by national champ Carolyn Smith (14th), placed 5th in the team competition. Rebecca Johnson and Deb Horn completed the U.S. scoring. 6th World 24 Hour Run
Championship MEN MEN'S TEAMS WOMEN WOMEN'S TEAMS Return to top / Return to main page Qualify Times, Distances Announced for the 2008 Wirefly
National Marathon WASHINGTON, DC - (August 8, 2007) - The Wirefly National Marathon, in preparation for its 3rd annual run on Saturday, March 29 2008, announced a new program created to help runners achieve qualifying times in conjunction with the posting of qualifying times necessary to enter the race. "I received many emails from runners looking for a qualifying race last year," explained Wirefly National Marathon Race Director Keith Dowling. "Rather than point them to a race calendar, I wanted to direct them to races that traditionally yield the bulk of our qualified runners." Wirefly National Marathon qualification is possible at any race which publishes timed results; however, race organizers have partnered with regional road races to suggest specific, well established road races in which runners may gain their qualifying time for the Wirefly Marathon or Half Marathon. The MLK 5K, St. Patrick's Day 8K and the Acumen Jingle All the Way 10Kk are the first races welcomed into the new program, with more races expected to join. To qualify for the 2008 Wirefly National Marathon and Half Marathon, a runner must meet one of the following qualifying times between January 1, 2002 and March 29, 2008: Marathon - 5:00:00 For more information regarding qualifying times, "Partners in Time", and how to register, please visit: NationalMarathon.com Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Director |
|
Coming Events
|
| Major Sponsors |
 ING New York City Marathon |
 Visit Mammoth Lakes |
| Sustaining Patrons & Partners |
| Atlanta Track Club > MarathonFoto > Chevron Houston Marathon > |
| Active Network > Gen-A Media & Marketing > Runner's World > |