Road Races Report: The State of Running 2019

[Fast Eddie]

Key conclusions

1. Event participation has declined by 13% since 2016, when it peaked with 9.1 million runners crossing the finish line. Growth continues in Asia.

2. Runners have never been slower - male runners in particular. In 1986 the average finish time was 3:52:35, whereas today it's 4:32:49 - a slowdown of 40 minutes and 14 seconds.

3. Runners have never been older aging from 35.2 in 1986 to 39.3 in 2018.

4. Spain has the fastest recreational runners on the marathon distance, Russia on the half marathon, Switzerland on the 10K and Ukraine on the 5K.
 
5. For the first time in history, there are more female than male runners. In 2018, 50.24% of runners were female.

6. Traveling to race has never been more popular than today.

7. The motives for participating in running are potentially changing from being acheivement-focused to being phycological, health and socially focused, which in part can be proved by more people traveling to race, slower finish times and how milestone-ages (30, 40, 50) now are much less dominant than 15 and 30 years ago.

https://runrepeat.com/state-of-running?fbclid=IwAR0g8WfSOBBq0kOLiciD1JKsuVOhE31ET_0-P1IoqC2BdgK0K3foyUoKhdQ

[SnarlyMarly]

Interesting about the male vs female numbers don’t coincide with what BAA says and it’s need to get more females. If  the male female ratio is pretty much the same and the men are slowing down more than women.  Why are the men’s times so stringent? 

And I should keep myself in the butt for writing this😗

[nadra's babydaddy]

I think 2 is largely redundant and related to 7.  There are definitely a lot more hobby-joggers, which slows the overall curve, but I don't think there are any fewer fast people, especially when you consider the progression of BQ times.  When I'd jump into road races back in high school (early 00s), you'd probably be in the back half of the field if you ran over 20 for 5k.  Now the fields are just bigger.  Plus there are a lot more gimmick events where the running is secondary to the whole experience (color runs, mud runs, etc.).  I think marathons in particular are drawing a lot more of the 'bucket list/stop and take a selfie every mile/run your best marathon on less than 10 miles a week and essential oils' types.  Not necessarily a bad thing, but lends itself more toward the casual crowd rather than hardened competitors.   

[CheryG]

Gonna agree with Lackey.  Plus, is there any data that includes ultras and trail runs?
  IMO those have seen huge increases.  The mountain running circuit is now much more competitive.

[CheryG]

https://www.wser.org/2019/11/29/2020-lottery-statistics/

[Coyote Mas Loco]

As has already been indicated here endurance sports are a lot more niche than a generation ago. Overall participation has gone up but not everyone is running 5Ks, HMs, and full marathons every other weekend. And there is a certain amount of bucketlistism in running. Cycling, tris, and mountain/trail/ultras have all probably grown more. 

With running you see a lot of, couch-5K to marathon, onto BQ attempts with a couple halves thrown in (no one wants to run a 10K anymore). And within two years it's onto 100 milers or or five day endurance challenges in Alps or Andes.

[Arrojo]

Also, Masters Track & Field participation is bigger than ever. But sprinters are invisible to normal runners.

[SnarlyMarly]

Gonna agree with Lackey.  Plus, is there any data that includes ultras and trail runs?
  IMO those have seen huge increases.  The mountain running circuit is now much more competitive.

I have a ton of triathlon friends that moved to ultras, they say the culture is more supportive.   I have always felt that.   I workout with a young triathlete and I find myself saying “runners just don’t do that”, more and more often.

This is a typical triathlete meet up,  “hey, snarly, good race last month.  Are you going to do “insert race” this year?  I am doing it, I qualified for nationals there last year”

Snarly confused..... for runners....there is some conversation in between after saying “thanks”

For a triathlete, the proper reply is “oh yeah, you had a great race there”.

I think I better start thinking that ultra on my bucket list.   

[SnarlyMarly]

As has already been indicated here endurance sports are a lot more niche than a generation ago. Overall participation has gone up but not everyone is running 5Ks, HMs, and full marathons every other weekend. And there is a certain amount of bucketlistism in running. Cycling, tris, and mountain/trail/ultras have all probably grown more. 

With running you see a lot of, couch-5K to marathon, onto BQ attempts with a couple halves thrown in (no one wants to run a 10K anymore). And within two years it's onto 100 milers or or five day endurance challenges in Alps or Andes.

Why go balls to walls for a 10k and finish midpack when you can walk a marathon and get cheered for finishing last?  In an ironman, the last person to cross the line gets more cheers than the winner.   I knew a person that purposefully tried to be last, he was the president of the local tri club🤨

[SnarlyMarly]

I am living up to my name today😂

I better get on that ultra and I can change my name back to foxy

[Coyote Mas Loco]

I have a ton of triathlon friends that moved to ultras, they say the culture is more supportive.   I have always felt that.   I workout with a young triathlete and I find myself saying “runners just don’t do that”, more and more often.

This is a typical triathlete meet up,  “hey, snarly, good race last month.  Are you going to do “insert race” this year?  I am doing it, I qualified for nationals there last year”

Snarly confused..... for runners....there is some conversation in between after saying “thanks”

For a triathlete, the proper reply is “oh yeah, you had a great race there”.

I think I better start thinking that ultra on my bucket list.

Each discipline has its own unique culture when it comes to interpersonal communication. Cyclists are more in your face, and very quick with a put down. Triathletes are in-between runners and cyclists. Runners have a PR pecking order. Cross country skiers will bash your technique if you beat them, "well, he/she just has a big engine!" With ultras it seems all about going the distance and the camaraderie seems higher than the other sports.

[SnarlyMarly]

Each discipline has its own unique culture when it comes to interpersonal communication. Cyclists are more in your face, and very quick with a put down. Triathletes are in-between runners and cyclists. Runners have a PR pecking order. Cross country skiers will bash your technique if you beat them, "well, he/she just has a big engine!" With ultras it seems all about going the distance and the camaraderie seems higher than the other sports.

Agree 100%... don’t know much about the ski stuff, but seems like once The wave of Birkie revealed pecking order somewhat established.

Real swimmers are pretty awesome.

[Coyote Mas Loco]

Agree 100%... don’t know much about the ski stuff, but seems like once The wave of Birkie revealed pecking order somewhat established.

Real swimmers are pretty awesome.

oh yeah, especially in the Midwest it's all about Birkie wave and number of consecutive Birkies (done two!). 
I agree about swimmers. Confident and self-assured but not cocky, or if they are cocky it's in a funny almost self-effacing way.

[nadra's babydaddy]

Slowtwitch must be totally insufferable.  Given that Randy was a regular.... 

It's true about ultras.  Scott Jurek and Ann Trason were damn geniuses ahead of their time; young studs with wheels not afraid to attack and race the damn thing.  And thus were able to crush a bunch grizzled old-timers for years at Western States and in other places before more started following suit and making ultras a career instead of an end-of-career hobby.  Now the scene has totally shifted.  For as dominant as Scott was back then; winning by at least an hour multiple times, if he were in his prime today he'd still get his doors blown off and just be racing for top 10. 

[Arrojo]

Each discipline has its own unique culture when it comes to interpersonal communication. Cyclists are more in your face, and very quick with a put down. Triathletes are in-between runners and cyclists. Runners have a PR pecking order. Cross country skiers will bash your technique if you beat them, "well, he/she just has a big engine!" With ultras it seems all about going the distance and the camaraderie seems higher than the other sports.

Masters track and field is similar to ultras; nobody’s going to bash a 60 or 80-year-old who’s out there on the track doing their best.

[Sitting Bull]

My fastest marathon in 1986 I finished 178-738. The same time would have placed me 10th out of 700 in 2014. And older runners thought we were soft. Maybe the high cost of racing keeps younger runners from racing.