Large races led the way with 8.2% growth, while race churn remained near historic lows
Moorestown, NJ (June 30, 2026) – RunSignup, the leading technology solution for U.S. endurance events, released its 2026 Midyear RaceTrends Update, providing event organizers with a fresh look at endurance industry trends from the first half of the year. The update shows that race participation continues to climb; prices are also increasing while the overall market remains stable.
RunSignup’s data shows that per-race participation grew an average of 5.9% in the first half of 2026, a modest uptick from the 5% growth rate seen for all of 2025. Race registration revenue grew even faster, up 9.9% per race, a gap that’s likely attributed to rising prices and add-on purchases.
Large races, which struggled to recapture runners in the years immediately following the pandemic, posted the strongest growth of any cohort in the first half of the year. Races with 5,000 or more participants grew 8.2%, outpacing every other race size for the first time since COVID.
Race churn also remains historically low. Just 3.7% of races with more than 500 participants in 2025 did not return in 2026, continuing a multi-year trend that sits well below pre-pandemic churn rates of 5-7%.
“The endurance market is very solid,” said RunSignup CEO & Founder Bob Bickel. “Growth is steady, and churn is low. But that doesn’t mean race directors should be complacent – the market will always have ups and downs. The data suggests that now is the time for race directors to invest in reaching new runners and cultivating loyalty, while interest remains high.”
Other key findings from the midyear update include:
- Prices continued to rise across all distances, with marathons (up 5.3%) and 10Ks (up 3.7%) seeing the largest increases. Races are also adding more price increases throughout the registration cycle to boost revenue while keeping budget-friendly options.
- Runners appear to be registering earlier in 2026, with just 17.4% of registrations coming on race week, down from 23.7% in 2025. However, this is likely impacted by faster-selling spring races; it’s likely the trend will normalize somewhat by year’s end.
- Women continue to make up the majority of participants, at 53.2% in the first half of 2026.
- Young adult participation continues to rebound, with 18-29 year-olds making up 21.8% of participants so far in 2026.
- Mobile payments continue to grow, with 31.9% of all registrations paid via Apple Pay in May 2026, and 63% of transactions completed on a mobile device.
- Race day photos are increasingly easy to come by, with more than 84,000 photos uploaded via the RaceDay Mobile App in May 2026 alone.
The data used for this update includes internal RunSignup data from December 1, 2025 through May 31, 2026, representing 6.9 million registrants. RunSignup estimates that its data represents around 60% of the U.S. endurance market.
RunSignup releases a full Annual RaceTrends Report each winter, with this midyear update offering organizers a timely checkpoint on how the year is trending. The full midyear update, including detailed charts and recommendations for race organizers, is available here: https://info.runsignup.com/2026/06/22/2026-midyear-race-trends-update/.
About RunSignup
RunSignup, an employee-owned company, is the leading event solution delivering the art of technology to endurance events and nonprofits. More than 39,000 events use our free and open platform to register over 12 million annual participants, raise more than $3 billion and grow their events. Our expertly crafted, open and all-in-one solution powers event revenue generation and supporter engagement through flexible registration, free event websites, free email marketing, integrated fundraising, and a suite of RaceDay Real-Time products. RunSignup’s aggressive investment in AI technology ensures customers benefit from continuous innovation and industry-leading features at fair prices. No subscriptions, no plans, no monthly fees.
To find out why customers like the Richmond Marathon, American Cancer Society, and RaceDay Events use RunSignup, visit www.runsignup.com