RUNNING USA – 2015 State of the Sport – Die Trends bei den US-Läufen 2014

In den letzten Jahren haben wir auf der website von GRR ständig die aufschlußreichen Statistiken von RUNNING USA veröffentlicht. Aufschlußreich deswegen, weil die Entwicklung in den USA im Laufbereich der europäischen Realität immer mehrere Schritte voraus ist.

Nach dem 300-% Wachstum bei den Finishern bei Laufveranstaltungen von 1990-2014  hat das Laufjahr 2014 sich dem Rekordjahr von 2013 angenähert, bzw. fast eingestellt.

Während der Marathon und der Halbmarathon weiterhin wachsen, sind andere Distanzen rückläufig. Die untere Überblick der Statistik von RUNNING USA zeigt die Zahl der wichtigsten Rennen von 2014 und der vergangenen Jahre.

Für deutsche Veranstalter kann das ein möglicher Fingerzeig sein, wie sich die Laufbewegung hierzulande entsprechend entwickeln könnte

Horst Milde

WICHITA, Kan. – (July 13, 2015) – After experiencing 300% growth from 1990 to 2013, running event finishers in 2014 remains nearly consistent with the all-time record set in 2013. 

While the marathon and half marathon continue to grow, other distances declined. The snapshot below summarizes the key race numbers and statistics from 2014 and past years.

2014 U.S. Running Snapshot:

• Females account for 10.7 million finishers nationwide and continue to represent 57% from event fields.  Males in 2014 represented over 8 million finishers in U.S. races. Overall, there were 18,750,000 finishers in U.S. running events, down 1% from the record over 19 million recorded in 2013.
• Total number of U.S. running events reached 28,000, also down 1% from an all-time high in 2013; see Table 3.
• The 25 to 44 year old age group is the sweet spot for running, accounting for half of finishers.
• The half-marathon continues to grow with an annual increase of 4% finishers (2.046 million, another new high) with an astounding 61% female participation.
• In 2014, the 5K maintained the #1 position of all race distances with 8.3 million finishers (on par with the record number in 2013), claiming 44% of all finishers in the U.S., while the half-marathon again held the #2 position with approximately 11% of the finishers, followed by the 10K (7%).
• The 10K and other distances declined from 2013 to 2014.

The following lists, charts and tables provide an overall summary of U.S. races, including demographics.

TABLE 1: U.S. Race Finishers 1990 – 2014

TABLE 2: Finishers in 2014 U.S. Running Events
DISTANCE	2014 Totals	% of Total	‘13 – ‘14 Change
5K	8,300,000	44%	0%
Half-Marathon	2,046,000	11%	4%
10K	1,400,000	7%	-5%
Marathon	550,600	3%	2%
Others	6,450,000	34%	-4%
TOTAL	18,750,000		-1%

TABLE 3: Number of 2014 U.S. Running Events
DISTANCE	# of Events	% of Total
5K	15,100	54%
10K	3,700	13%
Half-Marathon	2,500	9%
8K/5mile	1,400	5%
Marathon	1,100	4%
Others	4,200	15%
TOTAL	28,000

SOURCE: Running USA powered by Athlinks

Road Race Demographics
The sweet spot of running event participation continues to fall between the ages of 25 and 44 for both genders (57% for women and 48% for men), and overall last year, 53% of all finishers came from between said age bookends.

TABLE 4: Age Group Distribution of U.S. Timed Race Finishers 2014
Age Group	Female	Male	Overall
6-17 yrs	9%	11%	10%
18-24 yrs	10%	8%	9%
25-34 yrs	28%	23%	26%
35-44 yrs	27%	25%	26%
45-54 yrs	17%	20%	18%
55-64 yrs	7%	10%	8%
65+ yrs	2%	3%	2%

SOURCE: Running USA powered by Athlinks

TABLE 5: Average Age of Timed Race Finishers
	2014
Timed Road Race Finishers	34.3
Female Timed Road Race Finishers	35.8
Male Timed Road Race Finishers	34.5

SOURCE: Running USA powered by Athlinks

Per the below, gender distribution, median times and average age are reported for the 5K, 10K, Half-Marathon and Marathon in 2014.

TABLE 6: Race Demographics of Timed Finishers in 2014

DISTANCE	WOMEN	MEN
5K	58%	42%
Median Time	33:43	29:47
Average Age	36.6	39.4
10K	59%	41%
Median Time	1:06:22	57:03
Average Age	36.6	39.4
Half-Marathon	61%	39%
Median Time	2:21:22	2:02:55
Average Age	36.0	39.1
Marathon	43%	57%
Median Time	4:44:18	4:19:27
Average Age	36.0	40.0

SOURCE
Running USA – Running USA advances the growth and success of the running industry. State of the Sport reports, comprehensive 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: Running USA Director of Research Jason Jacobson, jason@runningusa.org or Running USA CEO Rich

Quelle: Running USA Date: July 13, 2015