Why people run and race

Posted on 07/08/2010 at 04:26:26 PM by David Patt

The Running USA "State of the Sport" survey reported the following for "core runners," those who tend to enter running events, train year-round, and purchase 2-4 pairs of running shoes each year.

These are not necessarily "fast" runners.  They are merely people who run regularly.  They register for an average 7-9 races per year.

Here are the factors most likely to determine their participation in running events:

1.  Date of the event - 69.2%

2.  Location - 69.1%

3.  Distance - 61.9%

4.  Sounds like fun - 50.2%

5.  Have time to train - 40.1%

6.  Scenic course - 38.1%

7.  Friends are doing it - 36.1%

8.  Reputation of event or organizers - 32.8%

9.  Health/injury - 31.9%

10.  Chip timed - 24.4%

The primary motivation for men to start running:  exercise (22.0%), competed in school and never stopped (15.2%).  For women:  exercise (25.3%), weight concerns (13.8%).

Why keep running?  Men:  staying in shape (75.2%), staying healthy (70.8%), having fun (58.9%).  Women:  staying in shape (75.5%), staying healthy (74.8%), relieving stress (62.4%).

Running is a very self-focused activity.

Posted in General
2 Comments
Posted Jul 15, 2010 2:56 PM by Andy Edgar
Are there any additional statistics that could be pulled out of the top 4 responses? Are there preferred dates/times for serious or casual runnerwalkers. Is there a magical distances from an event where an event is considered too far to travel to? What is the most popular race distance (I'd assume 5K)? What constitues fun? I bring these questions up as they are important for events trying to understand their market and how to best reach out to further grow the event.
Posted Jul 15, 2010 4:53 PM by David M. Patt,
Yes, there are more 5k races than any other distance but the report found that 'core runners'' favorite distance is the half-marathon. Dates and times for races vary by local custom. Young singles like Saturday races so they can party that night and sleep in Sunday morning. Churchgoers prefer Saturdays. Municipal governments prefer Sunday races so Saturday business traffic is not disrupted (except for communities where Sunday church is part of the culture for most people). Those who work on Saturdays prefer running or volunteering on Sundays. Start times should be as early as possible (see today's blog post). People will travel farther for longer distance races, race distances that are less available, and race locations that offer non-racing, entertainment venues. There is no magical distance.

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