2009 Marathon and State of the Sport Reports

RRIC Annual Marathon Report

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Contact: Ryan Lamppa, (805) 696-6232; ryan@runningusa.org

Another record year for finishers; healthy growth of U.S. marathons with 1,000 finishers or more; ING New York City again largest ; record 20 marathons worldwide with more than 10,000 finishers

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - (April 16, 2009) - Although the recession has hit hard financially and psychologically, marathons in the U.S. and the world, on average, have weathered the economic storm well, particularly in participation growth as 2008 was another record year in numerous categories as the following Running USA Road Running Information Center annual marathon report indicates. This year also looks promising with marathon sell-outs and record fields across the country including Monday's 113th Boston Marathon which closed its 25,000 plus field on January 26 - its earliest ever.

Table 1: Gender, Age and Median Times


1980 1995 2000 2006 2007 2008
Women 10.5% 26% 38% 40% 40% 41%
Men 89.5% 74% 62% 60% 60% 59%
Masters (40 yrs+) 26% 41% 44% 46% 46% 45%
Open (20 to 39 yrs) 69% 57% 54% 52% 52% 53%
Juniors (under 20) 5% 2% 2% 2% 2% 2%
Median Age
1980
1995
2000
2006
2007
2008
(Mean)
Males
34
38
38
40
40
39
(39.9 yrs)
Females
31.3
35
35
35
36
35
(36.1 yrs)
Median Age Overall
37
38
38
38
(38.4 yrs)
Median Times for U.S. Marathon Finishers
1980 1995 2002
2006
2007
2008
Males
3:32:17
3:54:00
4:20:01
4:19:31
4:20:04
4:20:04
Females
4:03:39
4:15:00
4:56:46
4:49:57
4:49:48
4:43:31

2008 Marathon Snapshot
In the U.S., there was a solid 3.7% increase in finishers for the same 243 marathons for 2007 and 2008 (398,874 vs. 413,644), while outside the United States, the same 75 marathons in both years grew 4.3% (345,237 vs. 360,104).

Overall, in the U.S., there was a 3% increase in the estimated number of marathon finishers (425,000). More than 18 U.S. marathons debuted in 2008 and two of them had more than 1,000 finishers: 26.2 with Donna in Jacksonville Beach, FL (1,680) and Indianapolis Monument (1,114).

Year Estimated U.S. Marathon Finisher Total
1976 25,000
1980 143,000
1990 224,000
1995 293,000
2000 353,000
2004 386,000
2005 395,000
2006 410,000
2007 412,000
2008 425,000 (record total)

Record number of U.S. marathons with more than 1,000 finishers.
Last year in the U.S., 77 marathons had at least 1,000 finishers. The previous record was 73 U.S. marathons in 2007. Ten years ago, there were 41 U.S. marathons with 1,000 finishers or more. Also, in 2008, twelve U.S. marathons had more than 7,000 finishers in the same year (see the listing further below).

Table 2: 2008 U.S. Marathons (>1,000 finishers) with the...

Fastest Median Times
1995
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
U.S. Men's Olympic Trials
2:23:29
2:22:34
U.S. Women's Olympic Trials
2:48:25
2:45:25
Boston 4:19:42 3:53:03
3:44:47
3:48:40
3:46:13
Steamtown 3:54:29 3:55:36
3:54:24
4:03:05
3:56:13
Suntrust National
4:01:36
3:58:01
Grand Rapids
4:07:30
3:58:15
Slowest Median Times
1995
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Bataan Memorial March
7:45:52
7:38:57
7:47:50
Honolulu
5:50:19
5:42:41
5:39:40
5:43:29
5:50:11
5:49:00
City of Los Angeles
4:50:30
5:53:01
5:26:49
5:23:454
5:36:57
5:31:57


Most sub-4 hour finishers
1995
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Boston
6467-68%
5490-33%
10260-59%
13341-68%
12996-64%
14547-66%
ING NewYork City
10750-34%
8270-22%
12168-32%
11959-31%
13106-35%
Bank of America Chicago
4280-50%
8868-27% 10740-33%
11608-35%
3643-14%
6382-21%
Philadelphia
2770-45%
3149-47%
3193-43%


… Most >6 Hour Finishers
2006 2007 2008
Honolulu
10428 (42%)
9450 (45%)
8761 (44%)
City of Los Angeles
6764 (33%)
7881 (39%)
6420 (37%)
Walt Disney World
2572 (23%)
3217 (25%)


Most Finishers in certain Age Groups
Event
2007 Subtotals
2008 Subtotals
Female Juniors City of Los Angeles
1279
1256
Male Juniors City of Los Angeles
1799
1726
Females 20-29 Bank of America Chicago
3670
5073
Males 20-29 Bank of America Chicago
3194
4023
Females 30-39 Bank of America Chicago
4438
4543
Males 30-39 ING New York City
8206
7554
Female Masters 40+ ING New York City
5507
5595
Male Masters 40+ ING New York City
14911
14667
Females 50+ Honolulu
1895
1960
Males 60+ Honolulu
1516
1540


… Highest Percent Women
2005 2006 2007 2008
Nike Women's 91.3% 94.0% 93.0% 93%
26.2 with Donna 62%
Portland 55.5% 56.5% 54.0% 52%
Rock 'n Roll San Diego 53.2% 53.3% 52.0% 52%
Highest Percent Men
2005
2006
2007
2008
Bataan Memorial March 69.3%
75%
Rocket City
73.0%
72.0%
71.0%
69%
Suntrust National 68.5% 69%
ING New York City
67.3%
67.5%
68.0%
66%
… Highest Percent Masters (40+ yrs)
2005
2006
2007
2008 (mean)
Steamtown 58.9% 54.8% 57% 56% (41.2 yrs)
Boston 56% (41.1 yrs)
Baystate 54% (40.1 yrs)

20 marathons worldwide had more than 10,000 finishers in 2008
The ING New York City Marathon kept its crown as the world's largest marathon based on finishers with 38,096 in 2008 - the second largest marathon ever (only the 2007 race was larger). For the first time, 12 marathons had more than 16,000 finishers and 20 marathons surpassed the 10,000 finisher total in the same year. The U.S. again had 7 of the 15 largest marathons in the world (see the listing below).

2008
World's Largest Marathons (finishers):

1) ING New York City, NY 38,096
2) real,- Berlin, GER 35,746
3) Flora London, GBR 34,603
4) Bank of America Chicago, IL 31,343
5) Paris, FRA 28,846
6) Tokyo, JPN 26,672
7) Boston, MA 21,945
8) Honolulu, HI 20,061
9) Naha, JPN 18,654
10) Marine Corps, DC 18,228
11) City of Los Angeles, CA 17,247
12) Rock 'n' Roll, CA 16,873
13) Conenergy Hamburg, GER 15,782
14) Arakawa Shimin, JPN 13,867
15) Stockholm, SWE 13,542
16) Standard Chartered Singapore 13,028
17) Walt Disney World, FL 12,964
18) Ibusuki Nanohana, JPN 11,215
19) Rome, ITA 10,511
20) Chosunilbo Chunchon, KOR 10,073

U.S. Largest Marathons (finishers):
1) ING New York City, NY 38,096
2) Bank of America Chicago, IL 31,343
3) Boston, MA 21,945
4) Honolulu, HI 20,061
5) Marine Corps, DC 18,228
6) City of Los Angeles, CA 17,247
7) Rock 'n' Roll, CA 16,873
8) Walt Disney World, FL 12,964
9) Medtronic Twin Cities, MN 7,979
10) Portland, OR 7,879
11) Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio, TX 7,618
12) Philadelphia, PA 7,341
13) Grandma's, MN 6,876
14) P.F. Chang's RnR Arizona 6,499
15) Chevron Houston, TX 5,516
16) California Int'l, CA 5,204
17) St. George, UT 5,033
18) Nike Women's, CA 4,916
19) AT&T Austin, TX 4,835
20) Cincinnati Flying Pig, OH 4,734

Source: Running USA - www.RunningUSA.org


Running USA's State of the Sport 2009: Part I

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Running USA's State of the Sport 2009: Part I

Part I - Running Industry Expected to Place Well in U.S. Recession Marathon

The results are in. Considering that just about every running related stat is up, Americans have provided evidence with their feet and credit cards that running – as an industry, a fitness activity and a competitive sport – is indeed recession resistant.

Modest Declines Seen by Majority of Sport Related Companies

The 2008 wholesale figures for U.S. sporting goods provided by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA) are not bad considering that was a year when the stock market dropped 33.8%.  Compared to 2007, the total wholesale dollars shipped were down only 3.2% to $66.3 billion, the sports apparel component was down 2% to $28.9 billion and athletic footwear shipments dropped 4.6% to $12.4 billion. NSGA’s “Sporting Goods Market Report Historical Data” offers a similar view of recent declines and provides a 28-year context. In 1998, sporting goods retail sales totaled $69.83 billion dollars in the U.S. After peaking in 2007 at $91.4 billion, NSGA’s estimate decreased to $79.6 billion in 2008 and is projected at $72.1 billion for 2009. Footwear sales also peaked in 2007 but is predicted to stay at the same level for 2009. Sports apparel, on the other hand, has been flat for the last five years and in 2008 with $10.6 billion in sales, was considerably lower than the 1998 total of $12.85 billion. 

But Running Products and Services Fared Well

In contrast to the overall sports industry, the growth seen in many areas of the running world from shoe sales to road race participation was impressive, especially in the context of the economy. NSGA’s “Sporting Goods Market in 2009” reports that retail sales dollars of the running/jogging category of footwear were up 5% (to $2.3 billion), numbers of running shoe units were up 2% and running apparel increased 1%. The larger corporations like Nike, adidas and Finish Line had their financial difficulties, but it was not due to their running products declining in popularity. And in the case of Runner’s World magazine which saw a decline of 0.8% in dollars and 6% in number of pages after strong growth in recent years, significant ad revenue disappeared from non-running entities like the auto industry.

Table 1: Jogging & Running Footwear Sales in U.S. (NSGA - 1)

1988 1998 2007 2008
Running Shoe Units 25.31 million 29.41 million 39.18 million 39.99 million
Running Shoe Dollars 987 million 1.47 billion 2.19 billion 2.31 billion
Sales Channels - % of Units
Department Stores 17.7% 16.1% 19.2% 19.2%
General Sporting Goods 22.0% 15.9% 17.1% 16.3%
Specialty Athletic Footwear 22.1% 22.1% 16.6% 16.0%
Discount Stores 16.0% 14.8% 12.1% 12.8%
Family Footwear 12.4% 10.4% 10.7% 11.0%
Online Internet - - 8.6% 9.4%
Factory Outlet - 7.0% 7.4% 7.4%
Specialty Sport Shops 3.0% 4.9% 5.5% 4.7%
Mail Order 2.6% 5.7% 1.1% 1.4%

Running Specialty Stores

The 713 U.S. running specialty stores represented  by Leisure Trends Group retail sales tracking reported $649 million (a 5% increase) in sales for the rolling year ending in March of 2009. This compares very favorably to other industries tracked for the same time period – all outdoor retail (up 1%), specialty outdoor (down 4%), all snow retail (down 4%) and snow specialty (down 8%). The heart of the running specialty stores – running shoes – showed an even healthier record of 10% growth for the 12-months ending in March 2009. The apparel sales were down 12.3% for the same period. Running specialty stores are helped by the relatively small percent of apparel (16%) compared to shoes (70%). The best sellers were stability road running shoes, casual shoes, bra tops, insoles and socks. Leisure Trends predicts possible trouble ahead, because stores have decreased inventory.

Millions of Americans Running Away from Troubles

One reason the industry is healthy is that there has been a parallel increase in the running population. NSGA estimates that the total running population in 2008 was 35,904,000 – an increase of 18.2% over 2007! The Outdoor Industry’s estimate for number of U.S. trail runners in 2008 was 4,857,000, an increase of 15.2%.

Table 2: U.S. Running Participation Numbers for 2008

SGMA (1) Total Runners Run/Jog at least once 41,130,000
SGMA (1) Core Participants Run/Jog 50 days/yr 23,402,000
SGMA (1) Frequent Runners Run/Jog 100+ days/yr 14,974,000
OIF (1) Total Trail Runners Run on Trails at least once 4,857,000
NSGA (2) All Runners Run/Jog 6 days/yr 35,904,000
NSGA (2) Frequent Runners Run/Jog 110+ days/yr 7,783,000

Stories with headlines like “Sales of Marathon Goods Still Strong” (by Shira Springer, Boston Globe, April 20, 2009), “Running for Lean Times” (by Cameron Stracher, Wall Street Journal, May 19, 2009) and “Fast Times for Jobless Runners” (by Reed Albergotti, wsj.com, July 8, 2009), have helped promote the cost effective physical and mental health benefits of running to new audiences. The authors have observed strong interest in running products, event participation and training in spite and in some cases a result of the recession. Running is described by Albergotti as a way for the unemployed to run through their stress, get in shape with more regular training time and train for a cause that makes them feel that they can still be productive.

Upcoming State of the Sport 2009 reports will examine runner demographics, trends in race participation and the Largest Races in the world and U.S.

Sources for Part I

SGMA = Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. = 2008 SGMA Sports Research Partnership (with other trade groups - National Golf Foundation, SnowSports Industries, Tennis Industry Association and Outdoor Industry). Online survey was given sample of 40,174 people who represent the U.S. population. For more information, go to: SGMA.com

NSGA = National Sporting Goods Association. (1) = “NSGA Sporting Goods Market in 2009” and the Sporting Goods Market with Historical Data CD, based on retail sales in the U.S. projected from consumer interviews, (2) = NSGA Sports Participation in 2008, Series I. To obtain information on any of the NSGA products and services, email: info@nsga.org, phone (847) 296-6742 or go to: NSGA.org

OIF = Outdoor Industry Foundation. “Outdoor Recreation Participation 2009 Topline Report”. For more information visit www.outdoorfoundation.org.

Leisure Trends = Running Specialty Store Retail Sales Tracking as reviewed in webinar “How Healthy is Running Specialty?” by Elisabeth Stahura, Retail Analyst. For more information go to www.leisuretrends.com. To participate in the specialty store panel and have access to complete details during the year, contact Greg Shoenfeld at gshoenfeld@leisuretrends.com.

RunningUSA.org = 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].

Running USA's State of the Sport 2009: Part II

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Running USA's State of the Sport 2009: Part II

Part II - U.S. Runner Demographics

The relatively new sport of road running which had a female / male ratio of 28 / 72 for race participants just fifteen years ago has evolved to mirror the overall U.S. population in more recent years. Today, buyers of running shoes, finishers in running events and more casual runners who run once or twice a week have about a 50 / 50 gender split.

Table 1: Gender Distribution in Running Populations - Female% / Male%

1993 1998 2002 2006 2008
Running/Jogging Shoe Users (NSGA-2) 38.4 / 61.6 43.0 / 57.0 44.3 / 55.7 52.1 / 47.9 53.0 / 47.0
All Running Event Finishers (RUSA) 28.0 / 72.0 39.0 / 61.0 49.8 / 50.2 52.0 / 48.0 53.0 / 47.0
Timed Road Race Finishers (RUSA) 28.0 / 72.0 36.0 / 64.0 45.5 / 54.5 48.9 / 51.1 51.0 / 49.0
Runners, ran at least once/yr (NSGA) 45.7 / 54.3 46.0 / 54.0 47.8 / 52.2 48.0 / 52.0
Runner's World Subscriber Study (RWMG) 38.7 / 61.3 53.7 / 46.3 47.4 / 52.6 48.6 / 51.4

As Running USA has noted in the past, participants in the sport and activity of running look like the typical extended American family with a better than average income and education. The son runs in recess, the daughter runs to stay in shape in between college courses, the father runs to relieve stress and to improve his best time, the mother runs to lose weight and raise money for her favorite charity and the grandfather enjoys his daily jog around the neighborhood and the annual turkey trot. Thus running can be a very flexible vehicle for marketing – representing the entire population or just one member of the ”family” depending on the desired objectives.

Running Magazine Subscribers: Affluent and Well Educated

Runner’s World Media Group (RWMG) has surveyed the subscribers of Runner’s World magazine (RW) and published useful runner demographics for more than twenty years. In 2008, they also surveyed the slightly more competitive population of Running Times (RT). Excerpts from the 2008 Subscriber Study are provided below. These demographics provide a view of typical road runners as opposed to the more general population of runners and joggers described by NSGA. The latter include many young people who run as part of their regular school day.

Table 2: Runner Profile Highlights from 2008 Runner’s World Subscriber Study [and Running Times]

Gender: Women 51.4% / Men 48.6% [RT: Women 35.1% / Men 64.9%]

Median Age: 40.6 years old [43.8 years]

College Educated: 93.5% [93.0%]

Graduated College+: 74% [72.8%]

Married: 68% [70.9%]

Number of people in household: 2.7 people [2.8 people]

Individual employment income before taxes, mean average: $75,200 [$81,900]

Household employment income before taxes, mean average: $133,000 [$145,000]

Household net worth, mean average: $785,000 [$1,033,000]

From 2008 Runner's World and Running Times Subscriber Study, Erdos and Morgan

Age Group Distribution in Running Populations

As the table below illustrates, there has been no significant change in the average age of running event finishers compiled by Running USA from 2003 to 2008. The typical male race participant in 2008 was 38 years old and about 3 years older than the typical female. The difference was closer to 3.5 years in previous years and the age of the males seems to be decreasing, but it will take another year or two to see if this is a meaningful trend. The modest increase in female Junior runners (19 years or younger) seen in the previous 5 or 6 years has leveled off and was replaced by growth in the younger male segment in 2008.

Table 3: Average Age (Mean) in Running Populations

2003 2005 2006 2008
Timed Road Race Finishers: Average Age (RUSA) 36.8 yrs 36.8 yrs 36.6 yrs 36.3 yrs
Female Finishers in Timed Road Races: Average Age (RUSA) 34.9 yrs 34.9 yrs 34.8 yrs 34.8 yrs
Female Frequent Runners/Joggers, 110+days/yr: Average Age (NSGA) 29.5 yrs 26.3 yrs 31.3 yrs 32.6 yrs
Male Finishers in Timed Road Races: Average Age (RUSA) 38.5 yrs 38.6 yrs 38.3 yrs 37.8 yrs
Male Frequent Runners/Joggers, 110+ days/yr: Average Age (NSGA) 34.4 yrs 29.1 yrs 30.5 yrs 35.5 yrs

The trend toward a slightly younger running event population is also seen in the breakdown of Juniors, Open and Masters runners (40 years and over) from 2002 to 2008 (see Table 4). The percent of females that are masters has decreased from 35.6% to 34% during the seven years whereas the percent of male masters has decreased from 47.3% to 45%. The senior men and women (60 years+) remain a small group with only 6.1% and 2.9% respectively of their gender.

Table 4: Age Group Distribution of Timed Road Race Finishers (Running USA)

2002 2005 2006 2008
Females: Juniors 19 & under 8.6% 9.2% 10.0% 9.8%
Females: Open 20-39 yrs 55.8% 56.3% 55.7% 56.2%
Females: Masters 40 yrs+ 35.6% 34.5% 34.3% 34.0%
Females: Seniors 60 yrs+ 2.9% 2.6% 2.7% 2.9%
Males: Juniors 19 & under 7.8% 9.1% 10.0% 10.6%
Males: Open 20-39 yrs 44.9% 43.1% 43.1% 44.3%
Males: Masters 40 yrs+ 47.3% 47.8% 47.0% 45.0%
Males: Seniors 60 yrs+ 5.3% 5.7% 5.8% 6.1%

Look for State of the Sport Part III Growth Trends in Road Races and Part IV Largest Races in upcoming Running USA wires.

Sources for Part II

Active.com = The Active Network provided Running USA with comprehensive running event results to use in Running USA’s data compilation and analysis for this report. An event calendar and complete race results for many U.S. events can be found on Active.com.

NSGA = National Sporting Goods Association. NSGA Sports Participation in 2003, 2005 and 2006 and 2008 Series I. (2) = NSGA Sporting Goods Market in 1993, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2008. To obtain information on any of the NSGA products and services email [info@nsga.org], phone (847) 296-6742 or go to NSGA.org.

Running USA and its RRIC (Road Running Information Center) compile running statistics and publish the annual Marathon and 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. All running event data comes from comprehensive results which in the last 3 years have been collected by Active.com. In even numbered years, Running USA publishes results of the National Runner Survey which profiles the U.S. active road running population. For other questions about running trends and demographics, contact Media Director Ryan Lamppa [ryan@runningusa.org] or Research Director Tracy Yoder [tracy@runningusa.org].

RWMG = Runner’s World Media Group is the leading authority on running information with more than 50 million touch points worldwide. They publish both Runner's World and Running Times magazines, serve the world's largest online running community at www.runnersworld.com and www.runningtimes.com, and deliver custom multi-media events nationwide. Subscriber highlights are from the 2008 Runner’s World Subscriber Study conducted by Erdos and Morgan. For more information, contact Sue Hartman, Associate Publisher/Marketing at [sue.hartman@rodale.com] or (610) 967-8316.

 

Running USA's State of the Sport 2009: Part III

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Running USA's State of the Sport 2009: Part III

Part III - U.S. Road Race Trends

Road running defies the recession with another record year of participation

Despite a recession year, road running events continued to grow across the vast majority of distances in 2008 with a total of 9.4 million estimated finishers, a 6% increase from 2007, and a record number of finishers in the U.S. See Table 1 below. The 5K is still the dominant distance, accounting for 38% of all event finishers and more than 50% of all events, but the half-marathon continues to lead the pack with another year of double digit growth. Since 2003, the half-marathon has been the fastest growing road race distance in the U.S. and for three consecutive years, the total number of 13.1 mile finishers has grown by 10% or more in this country. For 2008, Running USA reports approximately 900,000 half-marathon finishers (a new high), an increase of 665,000 finishers since 1987 (235,000). It is expected that the half-marathon will increase steadily as women continue to dominate the 13.1 mile field at 56% and the distance continues to gain popularity among males and females, ranking #1 as ‘favorite race distance,’ according to Running USA’s National Runner Survey (2007).

Table 1: 2008 U.S. Road Running Event Finishers

Distance 2008 Totals % of Total ’07 -’08 Change
5 km 3,594,000 38.1% 5%
10 km 1,164,000 12.3% 3%
Half-Marathon* 900,000 9.5% 13%*
8 km/5 mi 704,000 7.5% 5%
1 mile 515,000 5.5% 0%
Marathon 425,000 4.5% 3%
10 mile 352,000 3.7% 2%
15 km 237,000 2.5% 3%
4 mile 235,000 2.5% 2%
20/25/30 km 135,000 1.4% 0%
12 km 104,000 1.1% 1%
Others 1,073,000 11.4% 4%
Total 9,438,000 6%

*Half-Marathon finisher totals adjusted based on a larger sample size compared to previous years. Due to the adjustment, the percentage change from 2007 to 2008 is reflective of comparing the same races for the two years as opposed to the growth in finishers from the year prior. A race by race comparison for 2007 and 2008 revealed a 13% growth for the half-marathon.

Source: Running USA RRIC

The following three tables provide an overview of the number of events and certified courses reported for 2008 standard road race distances.

Table 2: 2008 U.S. Running Events Summary

Distance # of Events % of Total ’07 -’08 Change
5 km 8,400 51.2% 6.3%
10 km 1,950 11.9% 1.0%
8 km/5 mi 870 5.3% 1.2%
Half-Marathon* 830 5.1% 10.0%*
Marathon 445 2.7% 4.7%
Others 3,900 23.8% 3.9%
Total 16,395 5.7%

*Half-Marathon event totals adjusted based on a larger sample size compared to previous years. Due to the adjustment, the percentage change from 2007 to 2008 is reflective of comparing the number of events based upon the new results data, as opposed to the number of events reported the year prior.

Source: Running USA RRIC

Table 3: USATF Active Certified Road Courses (2007 – 2008)

Distance Certified ‘07 Certified ‘08 ’07 -’08 Difference
5 km 726 881 +155
10 km 153 182 +29
Half-Marathon 119 187 +68
Marathon 73 120 +47
8 km/5 mi 69 77 +8
1 km/1 mi/2 km/2 mi 54 58 +4
12 km/15 km/10 mi 53 53 +0
4 mile 16 16 +0
20/25/30 km 15 13 -2
Ultras 3 12 +9
Others 34 35 +1
Total 1,315 1,634 +319

Source: USA Track & Field

Table 4: Total USATF Active Certified Road Courses (as of June 2009)
Course certification expires after 10 years

Distance # of Events % of Total
5 km 6,817 54.8%
10 km 1,643 13.2%
Half-Marathon 931 7.5%
8 km/5 mi 725 5.8%
Marathon 687 5.5%
1 km/1 mi/2 km/2 mi 461 3.7%
12 km/15 km/10 mi 425 3.4%
4 mile 203 1.6%
20/25/30 km 137 1.1%
Ultras 80 0.7%
Others 332 2.7%
Total 12,441

Source: USA Track & Field

Sources for Part III Running USA = 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 Media Director Ryan Lamppa [ryan@runningusa.org] or Research Director Tracy Yoder [tracy@runningusa.org] USATF = USA Track & Field is the governing body for track and field, race walking and long distance running in the U.S. For information on certified courses, go to: www.usatf.org/events/courses/search