Statistics and Research
Since its inception, Running USA has been the go-to resource for road running research and statistics in the United States. With a variety of reports published each year, including our annual National Runner Survey and State of the Sport reports, journalists, brand executives, race directors and other industry insiders have turned to Running USA for the top insights on the sport of running.
To view Running USA's full program of research in 2016, please visit the Research Calendar.
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2016 National Runner Survey
The biennial National Runner Survey, compiled and produced by Running USA, is a comprehensive survey that includes demographics, technology and lifestyle trends, attitudes, habits and product preferences of the core running population nationwide. More than 10,000 runners responded to this survey and represent "core runners" (i.e., active adult participants who tend to enter running events and train year round) - Order Your Copy Today!
2015 U.S. Road Race Trends
The U.S. Road Race Trends report takes a snapshot of the key statistics in the industry, including overall participation numbers, most popular event distances, number of races held and runner demographics - Read the Full Report
U.S. Finishers by Distance
In 2015, the 5K maintained the #1 position of all race distances with 7.6 million finishers, claiming 45% of all finishers in the U.S., while the half-marathon again held the #2 position with approximately 12% of the finishers, followed by the 10K (7%). All distances declined from 2014 to 2015.
|
Distance |
2015 Totals: Finishers |
% of Total |
’14 to ’15 Change |
|
5K |
7,643,600 |
45% |
-8% |
|
Half-Marathon |
1,986,600 |
12% |
-3% |
|
10K |
1,275,600 |
7% |
-9% |
|
Marathon |
509,000 |
3% |
-8% |
|
Other Distances |
5,700,000 |
33% |
-12% |
|
Total |
17,114,800 |
|
-9% |
SOURCE: Running USA powered by Athlinks
2015 Marathon Report
The number of U.S. marathon finishers declined for the first time (exception 2012 when the New York City Marathon was canceled). In 2015, there were a total of 509,000 finishers in the marathon in the U.S., down from the record high of 550,600 finishers in 2014, seeing a net loss of 8% year-over-year. There were 1,100 U.S. Marathon events, similar to 2014 - Read the Full Report
|
Top 5 U.S. Marathons |
|||
|
2015 Ranking |
2014 Ranking |
Event |
Number of Finishers |
|
1 |
1 |
TCS New York City Marathon |
49,365 |
|
2 |
2 |
Bank of America Chicago Marathon |
37,395 |
|
3 |
3 |
Boston Marathon |
26,612 |
|
4 |
6 |
Marine Corps Marathon |
23,184 |
|
5 |
5 |
LA Marathon |
21,940? |
SOURCE: Running USA powered by Athlinks
2015 Half Marathon Report
After a record year in 2014, the number of U.S. Half Marathon finishers declined in 2015. Following similar trends other race distances, the half marathon distance experienced a net loss of 3% year-over-year - Read the Full Report
|
Top 5 U.S. Half Marathons |
|||
|
2015 Ranking |
2014 Ranking |
Event |
Number of Finishers |
|
1 |
1 |
Brooklyn Half Marathon |
26,479 |
|
2 |
4 |
Nike Women’s Half Marathon San Francisco |
25,100 |
|
3 |
3 |
Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas |
23,092 |
|
4 |
2 |
OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon |
22,466 |
|
5 |
7 |
Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend |
22,083 |
SOURCE: Running USA powered by Athlinks
2015 Largest U.S. Races Report
In this year's Largest U.S. Road Races report, a number of the largest races in the United States retain their top ten positions, including the largest race in the AJC Peachtree Road Race, but there are a number of races climbing the ranks, along with seven races moving into the top 50 - Read the Full Report
|
Top 5 Largest U.S. Road Races |
|||
|
2015 Ranking |
2014 Ranking |
Event |
Number of Finishers |
|
1 |
1 |
AJC Peachtree Road Race |
54,752 |
|
2 |
2 |
TCS New York City Marathon |
49,365 |
|
3 |
3 |
BolderBOULDER |
45,336 |
|
4 |
4 |
Lilac Bloomsday Run |
42,294 |
|
5 |
5 |
Bank of America Chicago Marathon |
37,395 |
SOURCE: Running USA powered by Athlinks
2014 Women's National Runner Survey
The Women's National Runner Survey from Running USA is a comprehensive survey designed to assess the demographics, lifestyle, attitudes, habits, and product preferences of the female running population nationwide. More than 14,000 runners responded to the survey and represent "core runners"; that is active adult female participants who tend to enter running events and train year round - Order Your Copy Today!
Questions?
For questions about Running USA research, running trends and runner demographics, please contact Running USA Director of Communications Scott Bush, scott@runningusa.org.
