Running USA’s State Of The Sport 2009: Part II

The relatively new sport of road running which had a female / male ratio of 28 / 72 for race participants just fifteen years ago has evolved to mirror the overall U.S. population in more recent years. Today, buyers of running shoes, finishers in running events and more casual runners who run once or twice a week have about a 50 / 50 gender split.

As Running USA has noted in the past, participants in the sport and activity of running look like the typical extended American family with a better than average income and education. The son runs in recess, the daughter runs to stay in shape in between college courses, the father runs to relieve stress and to improve his best time, the mother runs to lose weight and raise money for her favorite charity and the grandfather enjoys his daily jog around the neighborhood and the annual turkey trot. Thus running can be a very flexible vehicle for marketing – representing the entire population or just one member of the ”family” depending on the desired objectives.

Running Magazine Subscribers: Affluent and Well Educated

Runner’s World Media Group (RWMG) has surveyed the subscribers of Runner’s World magazine (RW) and published useful runner demographics for more than twenty years. In 2008, they also surveyed the slightly more competitive population of Running Times (RT). Excerpts from the 2008 Subscriber Study are provided below. These demographics provide a view of typical road runners as opposed to the more general population of runners and joggers described by NSGA. The latter include many young people who run as part of their regular school day.

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