If the sold-out NYC Marathon had been held, there is no doubt that the 2012 overall marathon finisher total would have exceeded the 2011 record of 518,000. In addition, overall, there was a 1.6% increase in finishers from the same 388 U.S. marathons for 2011 and 2012 (464,122 vs. 471,595); a slight percent increase (1%) from the same 367 marathons in 2010 and 2011 (495,135 vs. 500,206).
Some other interesting stats from the study (be sure to read the full study for more):
|
Gender and Age Group Breakdown |
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1980
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2006
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2007
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2008
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2009
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2010
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2011
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2012
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Women |
11%
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40%
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40%
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41%
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41%
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41%
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41%
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42%
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Men |
90%
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60%
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60%
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59%
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59%
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59%
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59%
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58%
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Masters (40 yrs+) |
26%
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46%
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46%
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45%
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46%
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46%
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46%
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46%
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Open (20 to 39 yrs) |
69%
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52%
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52%
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53%
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52%
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52%
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52%
|
52%
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Juniors (under 20) |
5%
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2%
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2%
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2%
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2%
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2%
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2%
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2%
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Female
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Male
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6-17 yrs |
1%
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1%
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18-24 yrs |
10%
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7%
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25-34 yrs |
35%
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26%
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35-44 yrs |
31%
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31%
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45-54 yrs |
17%
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23%
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55-64 yrs |
5%
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10%
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65+ yrs |
1%
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2%
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Median Age |
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1980
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2006
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2007
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2008
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2009
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2010
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2011
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2012
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(Mean)
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Males |
34
|
40
|
40
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39
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40
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40
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40
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40
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(39.8 yrs)
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Females |
31
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35
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36
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35
|
35
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35
|
35
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35
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(36.2 yrs)
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Median Age Overall |
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38
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38
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38
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36
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37
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37
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37
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(38.3 yrs)
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Median Times - U.S. Marathon Finishers |
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1980
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2006
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2007
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2008
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2009
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2010
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2011
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2012
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Males |
3:32:17
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4:19:31
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4:20:04
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4:20:04
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4:13:54
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4:16:14
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4:16:34
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4:17:43
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Females |
4:03:39
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4:49:57
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4:49:48
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4:43:31
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4:41:29
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4:42:10
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4:42:15
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4:42:58
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Year Estimated U.S. Marathon Finisher Total
| 1976 | 25,000 | |
| 1980 | 143,000 | |
| 1990 | 224,000 | |
| 1995 | 293,000 | |
| 2000 | 353,000 | |
| 2004 | 386,000 | |
| 2005 | 395,000 | |
| 2006 | 410,000 | |
| 2007 | 412,000 | |
| 2008 | 425,000 | |
| 2009 | 467,000 | |
| 2010 | 507,000 | |
| 2011 | 518,000 | (all-time high) |
| 2012 | 487,000 |
Mudders.
ReplyDeleteI wish we had more of the underlying data. I'm curious how many of the participants in 2012 were simply checking off their "gonna complete a marathon" bucket list item. Presumably a good percentage of these folks are unlikely to participate in a marathon next year.
ReplyDeleteBy the same token, I wonder how many of the participants are running multiple marathons each year. These folks skew the numbers upward a bit, at least if you're trying to claim that more individuals are running marathons.
I think perhaps the two most interesting points from the data we're given are:
1. Participation may be growing, but the makeup of the participants is kinda staying the same. The broad age group and gender breakdowns have remained largely unchanged over the past six years, and the table of median age shows little variation over the past six years.
2. For all the discussion of all the "slow" folks entering marathons, the median times are actually trending faster. Perhaps the mean times are trending down (that data's not provided), but the faster median time means that for every additional "slow" finisher there's an additional faster-than-median runner to balance them out.
Interesting article.
ReplyDeleteI still see alot of interest in people who simply have placed running a marathon on their bucket list.
That is how I started after my first 5k in 2007, I then placed running a marathon on my bucket list. I ran my first full marathon in 2008.
I am now training for my 6th full marathon.
I am definetely a Penguin or slow runner.