Is the running boom over?

Nah man, we are in the Golden days of shoe inovation and world records!! Who cares about the hobby joggers.

Bologna wrote:

Nah man, we are in the Golden days of shoe inovation and world records!! Who cares about the hobby joggers.

The golden age of doping. I can't wait to find out what the new drug on the market is this year.

Random Hobby Jogger wrote:

Is it? For a while there were poorly run 5Ks practically every weekend, color runs and waitlists for marathons. Even races like the Shamrock Shuffle 8K in Chicago that used to draw 50,000 people and sell out now spams me daily begging for sign-ups and last year they were below 30,000 finishers. A substantial drop in the last few years. Heck, you can even get a guaranteed entry into Chicago if you run it 5 times in the last 10 years just as you can with the marathon itself.

Also, I see very few 26.2, 13.1 stickers on cars these days. Seems like the fad is over.

Thoughts?

The "second wave" of the running boom is definitely hitting a plateau.

We seem to be in the lull between Gen X and the Millenials. Once the millennial generation realizes that their avocado toast and butter coffee is going straight to their hips and not melting off as it did in their 20s, they will start running and the "third wave" will begin.

Of course, people are irrational, so who really knows what will happen.

Runners World said we could bandit the race and it's ok. So that's where the action is going. Why register when I can just run on the street with everyone else and still get my participation medal.

Te-He.

Participation is definitely down at races in my area. My local running club has seen numbers decline for several years now. Our big annual fundraising race used to draw 2-3 thousand. Now it's down to about 700-800.

I'm noticing that the bucket listers have moved on to cross fit or camp gladiator. They've done their marathon and they're on to the next thing.

Also, there's the trend of faster runners thinking they're too good for local races. I guess since Rupp only races once or twice a year, they think they should, too. They're "too cool for school" to show up at a local running club race.

They're lowering the BQ times because too many people are qualifying and not getting into the race. That would imply the opposite of what you're saying.

A guy the fake one wrote:

Also, there's the trend of faster runners thinking they're too good for local races. I guess since Rupp only races once or twice a year, they think they should, too. They're "too cool for school" to show up at a local running club race.

While I agree that there is a trend of faster runners not racing I don't think Rupp is nearly as guilty as others. Rupp raced three times leading up to Boston including a track and a cross country race. He raced once leading up to Chicago but his injury kept him out of a second race. Overall he had at least 7 races this year. Did Kipchoge race more than his two marathons? Desi seems to have raced only 4 times.

I don't get too excited about rising numbers either way. I cringe when I hear newbie runners "signing up for a marathon," in most cases this never translates to a sustainable running regimen.

You can almost tell when talking to somebody if there in it for the long haul, or just a season to flash something on social media. Runners will come and go, but if you aren't crazy enough to wake up at 5am to get a run in before work, chances are that running is just a quick fad you're going through. Now I am generalizing with that last statement, but ya get my point.

I've found too with the transparency of social media, all of these "boot camps" and gyms providing classes, that's all well and good, maybe it serves that person well for a time, but once again, it's typically not sustainable. A newbie runner shouldn't have a marathon on their mind for a few years of consistent running, racing different distances up to the marathon. Again, too much nonsense online creates a splash in the pan effect for most. If you aren't running because of some innate draw to the sport, a rise in registered runners for a few years means nothing in all honesty.

A guy the fake one wrote:

Participation is definitely down at races in my area. My local running club has seen numbers decline for several years now. Our big annual fundraising race used to draw 2-3 thousand. Now it's down to about 700-800.

I'm noticing that the bucket listers have moved on to cross fit or camp gladiator. They've done their marathon and they're on to the next thing.

Also, there's the trend of faster runners thinking they're too good for local races. I guess since Rupp only races once or twice a year, they think they should, too. They're "too cool for school" to show up at a local running club race.

100% agree here. Also feel there is a trend towards running a marathon or nothing at all. I used to show up to lots of faster local races but over time have decided I'm only interested in one half, a full and perhaps one smaller race per year. Tend to become a creature of habit.

But it's all in on 26.2

Instagram running pics aren't going to take themselves.

For that reason, no

Eliminate participation medals and well see a lowered entry fee and the better runners will show

Running boomed originally during the fun run era (free, unauthorized runs downtown after hours). Biggest trend now is loop courses (ugly & boring, but cheap & easy). We’ve got to avoid the influence of money & elitism to re-create the boom.

I believe the following is happening among hobby joggers

1 - It's marathon or bust when it comes to the roads. Fewer people care about other distances, more care about marathon, and have better info to better train for it. I think for this reason you may continue to see the BQ times improve as overall running participation decreases.

2 - local races are dying. There are still dozens every weekend in my region, but so many of them have only 40-80 participants and are won in 20 minutes. I think in the next few years we'll start seeing them being disbanded.

3 -ultra, trail races and spartan type races are growing, and more people training for them

In all, I think what running during the running boom offered people was a way to get in shape, and by hitting certain times or places was also a way to boost ego/show-off, no matter the distance. Now, no one is impressed by 5ks to half marathons anymore, no matter how fast you run them, so the participation is dying off. People are moving to sports where they can get fit but also show-off by doing something they think impresses people (like an ultra, marathon, BQ, spartan race), in most cases just by finishing one. A 25 minute 5ker figures they can do the equivalent effort in a spartan race or marathon but impress people (at least people who dont know better) while no one would be impressed by their 25 minute 5k. Basically it comes down to the boom is over because people are getting less self satisfaction of thinking they are impressing people with their 5k-hm finishes.

I remember 1987 when the first time the running boom ended.

Like people said it was a fad to get that stupid 13.1/26.2 sticker. Now they’re on to something else.

Also, for real runners the price of races is outrageous. $30+ for a 5k or $100 for a half to jog with a bunch of fat people is stupid. I’d rather just run on my own for free.

The only races that draw now are the old school ones that started 20-30 years ago that the keep price sane and appreciate the competitive aspect of the sport. Along with races that have something other than the race like a location like Vegas or Disney World to draw.

I’m glad the fad is dying. If I see one more fatty with a fuel belt for a 5k I might lose it. Anyways these people need to actually get fit before they put their bodies through extreme distances.

Fentrekker wrote:

I remember 1987 when the first time the running boom ended.

What did that look like? How does it compare to today?

I am not sure but I hope so.

Certainly not within the sport itself. A new marathon and half marathon record were set within a month of each other. We had a junior champion come within 6 seconds of the 5k WR and a new American under 13:00. There have also been a string of high schoolers under 4:00, which hasn't happened in nearly 2 decades. Things are also starting to hype up for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic. I'm glad that the hobby jogger scene is starting to die. They make the sport seem like a joke.

The RRCA has stats on race participation. IIRC, there has been a slight downturn in people racing traditional events. Based on a small sample size it seems the non-traditional races have also dwindled. By non-traditional I mean mud runs, color runs, Spartan runs, etc.

It would not be surprising if it has.