Definitely a small COVID related reason. Yes, brew pubs and coffee shops are packed, but people aren’t traveling across state lines to go to a certain brew pub in large numbers.
People are taking vacations and likely don’t have the budget to travel for races, especially shorter races. The longest I’ve traveled for anything less than a half marathon is a 3 hour drive for the Gate River Run 15K (US Champs).
I do think social media has an impact. Runners can get the same accolades for running a 1 hour 10K on Instagram.
Maybe it’s just my feed, but I see way more people, women especially posting about the deadlifts and squats than I do about running, compared to a few years ago. When I go to the gym, the majority of women under 40 are doing exclusively leg/butt exercises.
All that said, I’m traveling to Erie in 2 weeks to run my first marathon since 2015.
1. Doubling or tripling permit and police fees so much fewer races.
2. Few if any real competitive races. 95% of races are 8 minute milers +
3. Massive development eliminating old running routes and increasing complaints from homeowners and churches.
4. Ridiculous race fees mainly due to #1, and fewer participants.
5. Road racing was supported by runners in their 30's and 40's a decade or so ago. Those runners are now in their 50's and 60's and lost interest or injured.
Since COVID I have just refused to enter races that didn't refund when they cancelled during COVID. I have plenty of money so for me it just a matter of principle. I simply believe if you offer a product and can't deliver it you should refund the money. This has also led to me wanting to enter on the day. I'm just not as committed to the races doing that as I used to be.
if it keeps the hobby joggers (even the good ones) away, I like it if prizes stay the same. I can run the turkey trot, cruise to a mid 16's 5k, and win $150
I refuse to do any race that had a COVID vaccination requirement. I also refuse anything with a large entry fee now. The last race I went to they gave out great shirts, etc but didn't have the course marked correctly and didn't even block of major intersections but made you wear a mask on the starting line....yea...ok
people realized there's no reason to pay $35 to go for a jog
Of course they must have been dumb as a post to not realize this before…
It's a really souped up jog as jogs go, but I'm sure people did realize this before. We'll never know the reason, there probably isn't one across the board reason, but I'd bet a lot of people learned during Covid that they really didn't miss racing. And most runners are really competing against themselves so maybe virtual races taught them that setting a PB on their own was almost as satisfying and a lot more convenient than doing it in a real race. Running a time trial right out your door at a time of day you choose may compare favorably with getting up early and driving a half hour to a real race. On the other hand it's too soon to tell if the downturn is permanent or if it's just going to take time for people to get back to "normal."
I'm hired to shoot a lot of different events. Just my impression, but it seems like the no-train fun events like bubble runs, Mud Girl, etc, are doing a lot better this year than things that require training or effort, like marathons and triathlons. I see a lot of families, groups of friends, groups of co-workers, etc. doing the no-train things - they collect their medals, get their pics. Some of these no-train events have pretty big fields, with +10k participants. And then the next day I'll go shoot a crowd that is down by 50% at a local marathon.
The prices got crazy. It took years and economic and social shocks for it to happen but there was finally the realization that no one cares about your branded garbage that you get from your $60 5k. Enough is enough. If it's not a major, why should I pay that much to run/walk on open streets.
