A lot of posts on this blog and other running blogs are often negative in nature: what's wrong with the sport, why don't races cater to elites, why isn't running more popular, on and on and on. Part of that sentiment comes from running's 'niche sport' status...we're runners, were passionate about the sport, we think it's awesome, and we want the rest of the country to see what we see.
I've previously lamented about the status of elite and sub-elite runners as athletes (and I'm sure have more to say in the future), but I wanted to share my thoughts on a very positive development:
Nonelite US Marathons Are Getting Faster.
The title says it all. Male marathoners under 3:00 and female marathoners under 3:30 are increasing in number. Not only that, but they are increasing at a faster rate than general participation; the fastest growing segment of marathoners are those at the front end of the races (this includes professional elites, non-professional sub-elites, and faster non-elites).
Who are these runners? They are mostly younger, naturally. But more importantly, they are your neighbors and your friends. They are former high school or college athletes who continue to train for the love of the sport. They are the guys and girls who work at you local running store. They are your co-workers, fitting in mileage and workouts before or after work -- or sometimes both. They are waking up early on a Sunday to get in a 20-miler when the rest of us are sleeping in.
And let's be honest, a 3:00 marathon (or 3:30 for women) isn't all that hard. If you can run a 5:15 mile, you can probably eventually run a 3:00 marathon (or a 6:10 mile for women). Most high school runners can run those times, which means most high schoolers are capable of 3:00 - 3:30 marathons later in life.
And, according to the article, it seems that many former high schoolers are doing just that. Any kind of continued athletic participation is great for the sport.
The real question, of course, is: why is this growth happening? What is spurring US marathoners to faster times?
The answer, it seems, comes in the final sentence of the above article: "Track and field and road racing at their highest levels are not just mere entertainment; they inspire us to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills."
Inspiration.
The fastest runners; the best in the country (and the world), inspire the rest of us to perform to the best of our abilities. They inspire us to train harder, to train more, to train with partners. And when they inspire us to train and compete, we inspire others -- friends, family, co-workers... The cycle continues on, growing the sport from the front.
Looking at the charts presented in the article makes this clear as day. The years when non-elites are fastest correspond exactly to the years when the elites were most successful.
The years with the greatest number of sub-3:00 men were the late-1970s and early '80s, America's 'Golden Age' of running. American distance runners were the best in the world, with led by legends like Frank Shorter, Bill Rodgers, Alberto Salazar, Mary Decker-Slaney, Joan Benoit-Samuelson, to name a few. They challenged the limits of their abilities, and they inspired the rest of us to do the same.
The years with the fewest number of sub-3:00 men and sub-3:30 women were the late-80s, '90s, and early-2000s; not coincidentally, these were also the years of a drought of American competitiveness. Elite success ran dry, and non-elites followed suit.
We are currently witnessing a resurgence in elite US distance running (check it out here), and not surprisingly we are also seeing more non-elites running faster.
The implication of this data for any business tied to running seems clear to me: if you want to grow the sport (and thus your race or business or whatever), then you have to support elite athletes. Faster, more competitive races at the front inspire more people to train and attempt races. More people training and racing is not only good for the sport, but also good for business.
It's best for the sport when races are races. There are some in the industry who look on the elites with envy and even hatred. They don't appreciate the special treatment elites are occasionally given, because it is unfair for the rest of the masses. However, it seems that the front runners actually have positive impacts on the rest of the field. They are the ones who inspire the rest of us to challenge our limits. For the sake of all involved in the sport, we ought to support them as much as possible.
I've previously lamented about the status of elite and sub-elite runners as athletes (and I'm sure have more to say in the future), but I wanted to share my thoughts on a very positive development:
Nonelite US Marathons Are Getting Faster.
The title says it all. Male marathoners under 3:00 and female marathoners under 3:30 are increasing in number. Not only that, but they are increasing at a faster rate than general participation; the fastest growing segment of marathoners are those at the front end of the races (this includes professional elites, non-professional sub-elites, and faster non-elites).
Who are these runners? They are mostly younger, naturally. But more importantly, they are your neighbors and your friends. They are former high school or college athletes who continue to train for the love of the sport. They are the guys and girls who work at you local running store. They are your co-workers, fitting in mileage and workouts before or after work -- or sometimes both. They are waking up early on a Sunday to get in a 20-miler when the rest of us are sleeping in.
And let's be honest, a 3:00 marathon (or 3:30 for women) isn't all that hard. If you can run a 5:15 mile, you can probably eventually run a 3:00 marathon (or a 6:10 mile for women). Most high school runners can run those times, which means most high schoolers are capable of 3:00 - 3:30 marathons later in life.
And, according to the article, it seems that many former high schoolers are doing just that. Any kind of continued athletic participation is great for the sport.
The real question, of course, is: why is this growth happening? What is spurring US marathoners to faster times?
The answer, it seems, comes in the final sentence of the above article: "Track and field and road racing at their highest levels are not just mere entertainment; they inspire us to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills."
Inspiration.
The fastest runners; the best in the country (and the world), inspire the rest of us to perform to the best of our abilities. They inspire us to train harder, to train more, to train with partners. And when they inspire us to train and compete, we inspire others -- friends, family, co-workers... The cycle continues on, growing the sport from the front.
Looking at the charts presented in the article makes this clear as day. The years when non-elites are fastest correspond exactly to the years when the elites were most successful.
The years with the greatest number of sub-3:00 men were the late-1970s and early '80s, America's 'Golden Age' of running. American distance runners were the best in the world, with led by legends like Frank Shorter, Bill Rodgers, Alberto Salazar, Mary Decker-Slaney, Joan Benoit-Samuelson, to name a few. They challenged the limits of their abilities, and they inspired the rest of us to do the same.
The years with the fewest number of sub-3:00 men and sub-3:30 women were the late-80s, '90s, and early-2000s; not coincidentally, these were also the years of a drought of American competitiveness. Elite success ran dry, and non-elites followed suit.
We are currently witnessing a resurgence in elite US distance running (check it out here), and not surprisingly we are also seeing more non-elites running faster.
The implication of this data for any business tied to running seems clear to me: if you want to grow the sport (and thus your race or business or whatever), then you have to support elite athletes. Faster, more competitive races at the front inspire more people to train and attempt races. More people training and racing is not only good for the sport, but also good for business.
It's best for the sport when races are races. There are some in the industry who look on the elites with envy and even hatred. They don't appreciate the special treatment elites are occasionally given, because it is unfair for the rest of the masses. However, it seems that the front runners actually have positive impacts on the rest of the field. They are the ones who inspire the rest of us to challenge our limits. For the sake of all involved in the sport, we ought to support them as much as possible.
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