Road race #s are way down in 2022 as compared to 2019. Why?

It's all different, depending on region. Columbus only has 400 spots left for the full marathon as of a few days ago! Below is an example I cut and pasted from an email I got a few days ago:

Less than 400 Spots Remain in 2022 Marathon Field
The 2022 Columbus Marathon field WILL sell out - less than 400 spots remain!
We're expecting every spot in the Marathon to be gone sometime in September. The 1/2 Marathon is the larger of our events, and spots are going fast for that race, too!

Great post.

Cbus canceled in 2020 and I quit running in terms of training, but I walk/jogged on some days and just walked on others. I didn't even use MMR like I did in 2019. The day of 2020's canceled Cbus, I just did a 13.1 TT in 1:54 just so I could feel like I had run that day. It was cold and isolated. But I was just praying we would get a race again someday. At least they came through with the vax in early 2021 and we got a full race in that fall (sans pacers!).

Beck raised a bunch of good points in the article.

What insight did kevin beck deliver that wasn't obvious?

Click around his substack a bit and I'm sure you'd see how frickin angry that dude is - at everyone and everything. Not that the article rojo linked was missing that flavor.

I personally have signed up for way less races then I used to. In e.g. 2019 I did 12 races and so far in 2022 I have done two total and was signed up for two others but got sick for both of those race dates (once Covid once non Covid). I love running and I will continue to race but am way more selective about what I sign up for simply because with the pandemic we have learned that there are so many things that can go wrong (cancellation, sickness etc). In spring I did a 10k time trial and broke my PR. Previously I had done a race for the attempt but this time it did not feel worth the effort or money to do it in a real life race so I did it at home and it feels just as valid. My PR matters only to me. So while I still do big marathons or adventurous trail races where the organization/fuel/crowds really add something I have stopped doing the smaller shorter stuff as official races.

And everything in the linked article got an extra dose of "all about me and my needs," even when it was completely unnecessary and irrelevant. I wasn't interested in reading more.

The aging population. Road race participation would have decreased with or without Covid. Older hips, older knees, older ankles - and surgical replacement usually means no more running.

"JUNE 30, 2022 – The last two decades have seen the country grow continuously older. Since 2000, the national median age – the point at which one-half the population is older and one-half younger – has increased by 3.4 years, with the largest single-year gain of 0.3 years coming in 2021, bringing it to 38.8 years, according to newly released 2021 Population Estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. Median age for most states also increased from 2020 to 2021, indicating their populations are getting older overall."

census.gov

Nation Continues to Age as It Becomes More Diverse

@uscensusbureau

Since 2000, the national median age has increased by 3.4 years, with the largest single-year gain of 0.3 years coming in 2021, bringing it to 38.8 years.

Open link

I think the answer is covid, and higher entry fees.

Covid made people retreat into their home lives. They got used to being home or in tiny groups. They are now uncomfortable in big groups.

also, many totally gave up on exercise during Covid. So they aren’t in shape anymore.

in my anecdotal peer group every one became a marathoner…getting them to do a 5k or 10k is pulling teeth…they would rather train for a marathon. That’s anecdote but maybe some kid of a trend.

I think you bring up some good points. If people are less interested in attending races for whatever reason, it makes sense to me that they would race a few marathons a year rather than attend a bunch of 5ks and 10ks. It certainly factors in for me. A high entry fee kind of seems worth it for a marathon, but I'm not looking to shell out 50 bucks for a (likely crappy) 5k every few weeks.

Jecht that is a marketing email.

They are trying to create a sense of scarcity so that people will pull the trigger. "Offer ends soon - act now!!!"

Here on Long Island, the calendar is packed with races. Unfortunately, some of them end up having less than 100 people. As previously mentioned, the price of a 5K seems to have risen quickly, so people are doing less races to keep within a budget. Covid has also lost some people and overall, people are just not that competitive anymore. They are more interested in getting that pic for their SM account. Before it was in a race, now it is in a restaurant, or wherever.

The Covid lockdown really created a paradigm shift in so many areas. This is just one of them.

- People are getting pats on the back with Strava and don’t feel the need to race at all or be more selective.

- The kids I coach race for free and often enough in XC and track where they don’t really consider road racing.

Otherwise I have been out of the game too long as an athlete to relate.

This report claims that race participation peaked in 2016.

runrepeat.com

The State of Running 2019

This is the first mapping of Global running participation. The analysis cov

Open link

Seriously, why do you think it's unfortunate that some races have fewer than 100 people? You get across the starting line right as the gun goes off. If you want to pass someone you don't have to wait for a gap to open up in a group of runners. Parking has to be easier. Shorter toilet lines. To me it all sounds good.

Myocarditis cases and just a general degradation of the immune system post-vaxx for so many has got to have them feeling less motivated or able to train/race at levels they previously did. Couple that with those still afraid of being in groups and you have massively lower registration numbers.