What event sparked the present mass interest in running boom?

Recession has people out running.

Usain Bolt has people actually interested in watching T&F. Even if the majority of people can still only name 2 or 3 athletes.

Webb's 3:53 in HS.

People realizing how obese and out of shape our country is, and how convenient it is to run as a means of doing something about it.

AlmostBQ wrote:

Was it Oprah Winfrey finishing the Marine Corps marathon?

This is what sparked it. It introduced the goal of completing a marathon by non-runners to the masses. Now people that don't even like running want to complete a marathon. Some of those non-runners find they end up liking running, and become lifelong runners.

I don't think any running event helped spark couch potatoes to come out and run. I believe that barefoot running book about the mexican indians helped fuel that running boom. A book I never cared for by the way.

9/11

Frank Shorter's gold medal in marathon in 1972. I know that was a long time ago, but that's when the US running boom started. It has not let up since. Joan Benoit's gold in LA in 1984 was also very big, probably in drawing more women into running.

kcb wrote:

Frank Shorter's gold medal in marathon in 1972. I know that was a long time ago, but that's when the US running boom started. It has not let up since. Joan Benoit's gold in LA in 1984 was also very big, probably in drawing more women into running.

That's my answer as well. The sport became much bigger almost as soon as Shorter crossed the line and it's grown, though not always regularly, ever since. Of course the people involved and their motives have changed over time.

The movie "Rocky". It was immensely popular, and seeing Stallone out running to get in shape was a new idea.

All of the above. Especially Oprah.

Or perhaps the biggest event was marathons doing away with time cutoffs.

Your thread title is ill-conceived.

It suggests the question: what sparked [ the media's interest/ the everyday person's interest, etc] in the boom. as if people are now interested in why the boom has taken place. this categorally perfectly describes a person like yourself who is interested in why the boom has taken place. but i don't think there is mass interest- just you asking this question on letsrun and maybe an occasionaly NY times article every now and then.

To get your point across you could have written:

what sparked the running boom?

or

what sparked the present mass interest in running.

by combining the two questions and becoming redundant you changed the meaning of your question.

Understand?

Shoebacca wrote:

All of the above. Especially Oprah.

Or perhaps the biggest event was marathons doing away with time cutoffs.

I would agree with the second one. When time cutoffs were in place, it kept the slow pokes from even taking up running.

What precipitated time cutoffs to be jettisoned? Race directors in need of additional cash flow to conduct the event?

Yeah. f those slow pokes. they should sit on their couches because they have no talent

In the 1990's the purple-clad Leukemia Team in Training group sparked the current raise money, raise awareness, I'm a winner, lifestyle event runners.

I don't think it is an event. I think it is more a matter of demographics. The current mass interest has been sparked by baby boomers coming into mid-life crisis territory. The bulk of them are 50-60 right now, and that explains it to me.

I would put the boom before 2008. When does the OP put the boom as beginning?

A look at RunningUSA (http://runningusa.org/statistics) shows that for all road race finishers, men grew the most from 1990 to 1995 (3.6 to 4.7 million) and then a big jump between 2005 and 2010 (from 4.9 to 6.0 million). Among women every 5 years since 1995 showed about a million more finishers in every 5 year span. Oprah ran her marathon in 1994, from 1990. Between 1995 and 2000, women went from 2.2 to 3.6 million race finishers. 2005 to 2010 showed an even larger increase (in real numbers) from 4.5 to 6.9 (almost 7) million female finishers.

I gotta think Orpah deserves some of this credit. She influences what women read.

As for the age thing, when it comes to marathons, the median age has remain pretty steady since 1995 (men right around 40 and women 35).

http://runningusa.org/node/82755#82756

Since 2008 marathon finishers have increased by about 40K per year each year. Charities? Maybe, but the charities were around long before that. I was coaching charity runners in 1998 and TNT was pretty large at several marathons.

Shorter? No freakin' way. It was clearly a few years later when Forrest Gump ran across the US a few times. It was on the news and everything. All those people dropped what they were doing to follow him. Can't believe no one has thought of this yet.

Are you guys my little kitty kats ?

By "present mass interest" I assume OP means the growth of marathoning etc in the last 10 years. I would say it's 2 things-

1. People are getting fatter and running is a good way to lose weight, and

2. Just completing marathons by slow jogging/Gallowwalking etc (and doing the same for 5ks for that matter) has become a social event that doesn't require being a fairly serious athlete and 50-100 mpw training.

If OP means the original running boom of the 1970's, it was 1. Bill Bowerman's book "Jogging", 2. Jim Fixx's book, and 3. Frank Shorter.