| 2007 State of the Sport Part II: U.S. Runner Demographics
Runner demographics for the last five years can be summed in one word – consistency. There were no dramatic changes compared to prior years and since the sport and activity of running are growing (see Part I and upcoming Part III), this is good news for the industry. SGMA’s Insight07 State of the Industry report, however, cautions that recent declines seen for many other sports might continue and expand due to changes in the population. “The key market for most sports equipment, athletic footwear and sports apparel is the group aged 5 to 19, and it is growing slowly… Between 2000 and 2020, the population aged 45 and older will have increased 42%, while the number aged 5 to 19 will be only 8% larger. This should help the fitness industry, but mean slow growth for team sports.” Because of running’s reach into the competitive, recreational and fitness worlds and renewed calls for a fitter society, an alert running industry should be able to attract a broad spectrum of customers and participants in the future.
Runner’s World Study Profiles a Very Affluent and Well Educated Group
Runner’s World magazine has surveyed its subscribers and published useful runner demographics over the last twenty years. Excerpts from the latest RW Subscriber Study are provided below. The RRIC believes that the RW demographics provide a more realistic view of road runners who also buy running shoes and enter running events compared to the more general population of runners and joggers described by NSGA and ASD. The surveyed populations of the latter include many kids who run as part of their PE class.
Runner Profile Highlights from 2006 RW Subscriber Study
Gender: Women 47.4% / Men 52.6%
Median Age: 44.0 years old
College Educated: 93%
Graduated College+: 74%
Married: 74.4%
Number of people in household: 2.9 people
2005 individual employment income before taxes, average: $74,100 [$63,600 median]
2005 household employment income before taxes, average: $139,000 [$113,000 median]
2005 household net worth, average: $943,000 [$500,000 median]
From 2006 Runner's World Sub Study, Erdos and Morgan
Gender Distribution in Running Populations: Female/Male
|
1998 |
2002 |
2005 |
2006 |
| Running/Jogging Shoe Users (NSGA-2) |
43/57 |
|
49.2/50.8 |
52.1/47.9 |
| All Running Event Finishers (RRIC) |
39/61 |
49.8/50.2 |
51/49 |
52/48 |
| Timed Road Race Finishers (RRIC) |
36/64 |
45.5/54.5 |
47.6/52.4 |
48.9/51.1 |
| Runners, ran at least once/yr (NSGA) |
45.7/54.3 |
|
44/56 |
47.8/52.2 |
| Runner's World Subscriber Study (RW) |
38.7/61.3 |
53.7/46.3 |
n/a |
47.4/52.6 |
| Trail Runners, ran at least once/year (ASD) |
n/a |
n/a |
40.6/59.4 |
45.1/54.9 |
| Trail Running Shoe Users (NSGA-2) |
n/a |
n/a |
44.1/55.9 |
41.4/58.6 |
In 2006, the percent of female users of running/jogging shoes tracked by NSGA went over 50% for the first time (52.1%). The female/male ratio of road running event participants compiled by Running USA’s RRIC continued to hover around 50/50 with 48.9% women finishing timed road races and an estimated 52% finishing all running events including fun runs and charity events. The lowest percent of women was found in the trail running figures from both ASD and NSGA which have varied from 41% to 45% in the last two years.
The female/male ratio of 50/50 in all timed road races as well as 40/60 for marathons and 49/51 for 10Ks have not changed much in the last 5 years, but the gender breakdown for some of the other race distances have. The ‘decrease’ in 5Ks from 60% women in 2002 to 51.4% women in 2006 is primarily due to the elimination of complete timed results for charity runs led by the Komen Race for the Cure series. That accounted for more than a million finishers with a female majority being moved from the timed finisher database to the estimated ‘all runs’ database. The half-marathon, on the other hand, has seen an increase of its female participation (48.8% women in 2002 compared to 54.5% women in 2006) which has helped fuel the tremendous growth of the distance. Both the 5K and the half-marathon growth and participation trends will be examined more thoroughly in upcoming RRIC reports.
Age Group Distribution in Running Populations
As the table below illustrates, there is very little variation in the average ages of road race finishers compiled by RRIC from 2003 to 2006. The NSGA and ASD average ages of runners and joggers vary by as much as 5 years during the same time period which may have more to do with the sample of survey respondents than specific differences in the runner populations from year to year. RRIC figures show that the typical male road race finisher is about 3.6 years older than his female counterpart.
Average Age (Mean) in Running Populations |
|
|
|
|
|
2003 |
2005 |
2006 |
| Timed Road Race Finishers: Average Age (RRIC) |
36.8 yrs |
36.8 yrs |
36.6 yrs |
| Frequent Runners, 100+ days/yr (ASD) |
30.5 yrs |
26.3 yrs |
28.7 yrs |
|
|
|
|
| Female Finishers in Timed Road Races: Average Age
(RRIC) |
34.9 yrs |
34.9 yrs |
34.8 yrs |
| Female Frequent Runners/Joggers, 110+days/yr:
Average Age (NSGA) |
29.5 yrs |
26.3 yrs |
31.3 yrs |
|
|
|
|
| Male Finishers in Timed Road Races: Average Age
(RRIC) |
38.5 yrs |
38.6 yrs |
38.3 yrs |
| Male Frequent Runners/Joggers, 110+days/yr: Average
Age (NSGA) |
34.4 yrs |
29.1 yrs |
30.5 yrs |
From 2002 to 2006, there was a small increase in the percent of juniors in timed road races for both males and females (see table below). Much of that change was in the 5K which had 18.6% juniors in 2006 compared to only 12% in 2000, but note that in 1992 the percent of juniors was 18% (see final table).
The percent of masters runners (40 years and over) in road races has remained between 40% and 41% for the last 10 years although an analysis of different distances show more variation. For the last 5 years, almost 1 out of every 2 male road racers were masters whereas only 1 out of every 3 females were in the older age groups. For seniors (60 years and over), the gender differences are even greater with only 2.7% of the females participating in road races compared to 5.8% males in that age group.
| Age Group Distribution of Timed Road Race
Finishers (RRIC) |
| |
|
|
|
| Junior |
2002 |
2005 |
2006 |
| Females: Juniors 19 & under |
8.6% |
9.2% |
10% |
| Males: Juniors 19 & under |
7.8% |
9.1% |
10% |
| Masters |
|
|
|
| Females: Masters 40 yrs+ |
35.6% |
34.5% |
34.3% |
| Males: Masters 40 yrs+ |
47.3% |
47.8% |
47.0% |
| Seniors |
|
|
|
| Females: Seniors 60 yrs+ |
2.9% |
2.6% |
2.7% |
| Males: Seniors 60 yrs+ |
5.3% |
5.7% |
5.8% |
The final table for Part II provides a breakdown of junior and masters age groups for road races for the last 15 years and the 4 most popular distances. Other distances and a more complete analysis of the significance of gender and age group shifts will be provided in future Running USA RRIC reports.
Age Group Distribution in Timed
Road Races by Distance (RRIC) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1992 |
2000 |
2002 |
2005 |
2006 |
| 5K |
|
|
|
|
|
| % Masters |
28% |
39% |
41% |
39.7% |
39.4% |
| % Juniors (<20) |
18% |
12% |
14.1% |
17.6% |
18.6% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 10K |
|
|
|
|
|
| % Masters |
34% |
43% |
40% |
41.4% |
41.1% |
| % Juniors (<20) |
6% |
6% |
8.5% |
7.3% |
8.6% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Half-Marathon |
|
|
|
|
|
| % Masters |
n/a |
43% |
40% |
41.7% |
41.0% |
| % Juniors (<20) |
n/a |
2% |
2.3% |
2.6% |
3.0% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Marathon |
|
|
|
|
|
| % Masters |
41% |
44% |
43% |
44.4% |
45.5% |
| % Juniors (<20) |
1% |
2% |
2.1% |
1.9% |
1.8% |
Look for Part IIIa: Growth Trends in Road Races and IIIb: Largest Races in upcoming wires.
Sources for Part II
ASD = American Sports Data Inc. 2003, 2005 and 2006 Superstudy of Sports Participation, Volumes I and III. To obtain information on sports demographic products and services offered, contact Harvey Lauer at American Sports Data, Inc., 15 Kent Dr, Cortlandt Manor, NY 10567 or go to AmericanSportsData.com.
NSGA = National Sporting Goods Association. NSGA Sports Participation in 2003, 2005 and 2006, Series I. (2) = NSGA Sporting Goods Market in 1998, 2005 and 2007. To obtain information on any of the NSGA products and services email info@nsga.org, phone (847) 296-6742 or go to NSGA.org.
RRIC = Running USA’s Road Running Information Center. State of the Sport reports, many types of running data and lists of the Largest Races from past years can be found at RunningUSA.org in the 'Statistics' section. For other questions about running trends and demographics, contact Ryan Lamppa [ryan@runningusa.org] or Linda Honikman [rric@runningusa.org].
RW = Runner profile highlights from 2006 Runner’s World Subscriber Study, Erdos and Morgan. Subscribers were contacted via mail and were selected on a random (nth name) basis from the entire RW subscriber gallery. Response rate for the study was 52.6%. Female/Male ratio for 1998 was from Runner’s World Subscriber Study, 1998 Willard and Shullman. The next Runner’s World subscriber study is scheduled for 2008. For information or questions, contact John Byrne, Runner’s World Research Director.
SGMA = Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association’s Insight07 State of the Industry which uses ASD participation data among other sources. For more information, go to SGMA.com
Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Director
(805) 696-6232; Fax = (805) 659-0016
Ryan@RunningUSA.org
www.RunningUSA.org.
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