How running has become such a lucrative business in the US

Running has long been one of the most popular ways for people to stay fit. Some 50 million people run in the United States, the highest total in the world. It’s also become big business.

Over the last 10 years running has grown in popularity by about 57%, which has opened a real window of opportunity.

The race is on to take advantage of running’s popularity. There are thousands of organized running events held each year in the U.S., involving millions of runners. The New York Road Runners stage 40 different races of various distances, including the New York City Marathon.

“Well, running has never been hotter,” says Rob Simmelkjaer, CEO of New York Road Runners. “And so many people discovered running during the pandemic and have just kept going, so running is definitely having a moment.”

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The sport’s growth has been good for more than just race organizers. Simmelkjaer points out it has also helped the travel and hospitality industries.

“Tens of thousands of people coming from around the world, staying in hotels, eating in restaurants, visiting in museums, shopping in stores,” he said. “They don’t come alone.”

Growth in the running shoe and apparel market is measured in billions. But it doesn’t stop there.

“If you’re at the starting line of any one of our races, one thing you’ll see when the gun goes off is a lot of the runners, the first thing they do is they tap their watch, right,” Simmelkjaer said. “They tap that watch because they want the data that that piece of equipment can give them throughout the run.”

The global market for the various apps that runners download to their phones was valued at $562 million in 2021. Looking ahead ten years to 2031, it’s projected to reach more than $2.1 billion.

“The digital marketplace for running has grown tremendously,’
Simmelkjaer said.

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Sponsorships are also growing. Information technology company TCS renewed its title sponsorship of the New York City Marathon through 2029. It has joined other companies trying to grow the sport by reaching out to more than 60,000 kids in New York City.

“New Balance is our partner on shoes and apparel,” Simmelkjaer said. “They are a huge part of how we’re able to get kids running at a young age. We are giving out tens of thousands of pairs of brand new New Balance running shoes to kids in the five boroughs of New York City and beyond every single year.”

Running wasn’t always so inclusive. As recently as the early 1970s, women had to protest for the right to run in marathons. Today, most of the races are essentially 50-50 male and female.

“Because of the role that running has played in the lives of so many women, we’re seeing partners like Maybelline really come out, partner with us.” Simmelkjaer added. “We just announced a partnership with them for this year’s marathon, and they know that they can reach this dedicated set of female runners with their beauty products.”

The market has grown so much over the last five to ten years that companies are no longer focusing just on the fastest of all, but on those likely to be at the back of the pack.

It’s proving to be a solid strategy which is off and running.