Half marathon distance experiences fourth largest finisher total in history

WICHITA, Kan. – (June 20, 2017) – A total of 1,900,000 runners finished a half marathon in the U.S. in 2016, down from the record high of just over two million finishers in 2014 and slightly down from the 1,986,600 total in 2015. While participation dropped, there were a record 2,800 U.S. half marathon events in 2016, up from 2,700 in 2015.

The Airbnb Brooklyn Half Marathon retained the top spot as the largest half marathon in the United States with 27,428 finishers, while the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon and Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon ranked second and third with more than 22,000 finishers each.

The top 15 half marathons in the U.S. remained fairly consistent, with minor movements overall. New editions to this year’s list include Disney’s Star Wars Half Marathon and the Wine and Dine Half Marathon, while the Nike Women’s Half Marathon in San Francisco did not occur, moving off the list after hosting 25,100 finishers in 2015. Overall, there were 31 half marathons with 10,000+ finishers.

Running USA members can access the full 2016 Running USA Annual Half Marathon Report in the member content library by logging in here. Not yet a member, learn more.

Year

Estimated U.S. Half Marathon
Finisher Total

1990

303,000

1995

420,000

2000

482,000

2004

612,000

2005

658,000

2006

724,000

2007

796,000

2008

900,000

2009

1,113,000

2010

1,385,000

2011

1,610,000

2012

1,850,000

2013

1,960,000

2014

2,046,600

2015

1,986,600

2016

1,900,000

Top 15 U.S. Half Marathons

2016 Ranking

2015 Ranking

Event

Finishers

1

1

Airbnb Brooklyn Half Marathon

27,428

2

4

OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon

24,768

3

3

Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas

22,086

4

5

Walt Disney World Half Marathon

21,495

5

6

NYC Half Marathon

20,140

6

Star Wars Half Marathon – The Dark Side

18,162

7

8

Country Music Half Marathon

18,144

8

7

Disney Princess Half Marathon

18,094

9

14

San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon

16,814

10

9

Rock ‘n’ Roll USA Half Marathon

14,498

11

16

Lifetime Miami Half Marathon

14,205

12

11

Pittsburgh Half Marathon

14,132

13

10

Disneyland Half Marathon

13,082

14

Wine and Dine Half Marathon

12,651

15

12

Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon

12,248

SOURCE: Running USA with Athlinks