Running is one of the most popular and practiced sports worldwide. In the United States alone, almost 50 million people
in 2021. Meanwhile,
drew more than 110 million participants in the U.S. in the same year. Running is a popular fitness activity outside the United States as well, with a 2023 Statista Consumer Insights survey showing that running and jogging were the
that year. The same study found that running / jogging was the
in 2023. Although running and jogging may appear to be solo activities, major running events bring tens of thousands of like-minded athletes together, further highlighting the high regard for the sport.
What are the World Marathon Majors?
The
World Marathon Majors consist of six races hosted in six different cities; three of them are in the U.S. – Boston, Chicago and New York City. In 2022, the New York City Marathon was the biggest marathon in the world, with approximately 47 thousand entrants. While the 2022 Berlin Marathon was not the biggest event worldwide, the race was the
largest marathon held in Germany in 2022. Looking further across Europe,
Spain’s largest marathon in 2022 was organized in Valencia, with close to 22 thousand runners finishing the event.
Who are the record marathon runners?
Kenyan runner Geoffrey Mutai holds the record for the
fastest men’s NYC marathon time, having completed the 2011 event in two hours, five minutes, and six seconds. The long-distance runner also holds the record for
fastest men’s time in the Boston Marathon, which he completed around two minutes faster than his NYC time in the same year. Meanwhile, Kenyan long-distance runner Brigid Kosgei holds the record for the
fastest women’s marathon time, having completed the 2019 Chicago Marathon in two hours, 14 minutes, and four seconds. As of 2021, the average speed maintained while setting an
Olympic record in a marathon was 20.01 kilometers per hour for men and 17.69 kilometers per hour for women.
Who are the leading running gear brands?
The growing popularity of running has contributed to greater sales in the global athletic footwear industry. In 2022, the U.S. athletic footwear market generated about 14.5 billion U.S. dollars in revenue, making it the country with the
most revenue from athletic footwear sales that year. Even when viewing the global athletic footwear industry from a different angle, the U.S. still led the sector when it came to
per-capita volume sales of athletic footwear. While many companies supply running and jogging gear, some brands are better known than others. Focusing on the
revenue from the footwear segment of established brands Nike, adidas, and Puma, Nike outperformed their largest rivals in 2022. According to an early
forecast for the leading apparel, accessories and footwear companies worldwide, Nike was expected to improve sales by six percent in 2023, whereas competitors adidas were predicted to face a drop in sales of 7.4 percent.
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Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date
data than referenced in the text.
