5Kevents Timing Services
5Kevents
Join the movement!
VIEW RACE RESULTS
VIEW or SUBMIT EVENTS

Runner demographics

runner demographics


Simply register for the event like you normally would,  commit to raising a minimum of $100 in donations, bring the donations with you to the event and we will rebate the full cost of your registration up to $30. 

Nationwide Audience

 

5Kevents covers a variety of events all over the country. From running, kayaking, biking to triathlons, our customer engagement model connects your brand to the audience that is most interested.

 

Highly-qualified Customers

 

College-educated: Today’s core athletes are highly educated with 79% having earned a college diploma, compared with only 27% of the United States population.

 

Affluent: These athletes are affluent with 73% of those surveyed reporting a Household Income of more than $75,000, well above the U.S. median household income of $52,175.

 

Active Participants: Core athletes are active participants who train year-round, reporting running/jogging/biking an average of 224 days and logging 1,357 miles per year, a significant difference compared with the typical fitness enthusiast who trains approximately 85 days per year.

The National Runner Survey is distributed electronically to event participants, club members, specialty shoe store visitors, members of USA Track & Field, subscribers to running publications, and those who frequent the online running community. Running USA worked closely with more than 35 organizations to help distribute the online survey to various constituency groups between the months of August through December of 2009. A total of 11,264 runners nationwide (53% female, 47% male) responded to the survey with an 86% rate of completion. Select results from the 2009 study are presented below.
 

The following female and male runner snapshots represent “core runners”, that is, active adult participants who tend to enter running events, train year-round, and purchase 2-4 running shoes each year. 


Are there certain industries that are more likely to sponsor running events? 

Health care is huge, they are one of the biggest. On the national scene, we’ve seen automobile companies getting involved. And of course athletic shoes, apparel, sports drinks. But also financial institutions, banking, insurance. And sometimes things you wouldn’t maybe think of, such as Lasik surgery. It gets down to each company and their marketing plan.

What makes these events attractive for the sponsors? 
The demographics are very good. A good portion of the participants are college educated. They have household income of well over $100,000 and even single income of over $75,000. They have credit cards, they eat out, they fly. And this is a very loyal group. You hear about how loyal Nascar fans are. I would venture to say runners are maybe second in that category. They appreciate people that promote their sport, and they realize sponsors are necessary for them to have these events. And what’s great is a sponsor can get a local, regional, national, and sometimes even international hit.

How are sponsors connecting with participants? 
When sponsors are fully engaged with the event, they are being seen pre-event, at the event, and post-event. Technology has helped in that organizers now use social media quite a bit, email and so forth, sending out messages about the event. And when that is done, the sponsor is being seen that many times as well. With the larger events, there is an expo prior to the event when the runners pick up their packet, so that is additional opportunities for sponsors to do sampling or give out freebies. The runners’ packets can have their message inside, and we can also send messages to the runners’ friends and family to their mobile device to tell them how they are doing, and that can be sponsored. And then post, there is follow-up. So there are a lot of opportunities to reach these participants.

 

Typical U.S. Female Runner
Typical U.S. Male Runner
Demographics
  • Average Age: 38.6
  • 61.9% Married
  • 78.7% College educated
  • 69.0% Earn a household income of $75,000+
  • Average Age: 44.8
  • 73.5% Married
  • 78.8% College educated
  • 76.4% Earn a household income of $75,000+
Running History
  • Average number of years running: 11 years
  • Average number of running events participated in during the last 12 months: 7 events
  • 53.9% have completed 1 marathon or more in their lifetime
  • Average number of years running: 16 years
  • Average number of running events participated in during the last 12 months: 9 events
  • 67.9% have completed 1 marathon or more in their lifetime
Running Routine
  • 74.7% Run/Jog 4+ hours each week
  • 80.1% run 12 months a year
  • Average number of days run per week: 4.1
  • Average number of miles run per week: 23
  • 64.8% describe themselves as Frequent/Fitness Runners
  • 79.2% Run/Jog 4+ hours each week 8
  • 2.5% run 12 months a year
  • Average number of days run per week: 4.5
  • Average number of miles run per week: 29.5
  • 55.8% describe themselves as Frequent/Fitness Runners’ and 32.7% as “Serious Competitive Runners’
Running Preferences
  • Favorite race distance is the Half-Marathon (38.1%)
  • Interested in entering next year: Half-Marathon (76.6%), 10K (57.9%), 5K (56.6%), Marathon (48.0%)
  • Favorite race distance is the Half-Marathon (31.7%)
  • Interested in entering next year: Half-Marathon (69.7%), 5K (58.5%), 10K (58.0%), Marathon (56.9%)
Motivation
  • Primary motivation to start running: For Exercise (25.3%)
  • Weight Concerns (13.8%)
  • Motivation to continue to run: Staying in Shape (75.5%)
  • Staying Healthy (74.8%)
  • Relieving Stress (62.4%)
  • Primary motivation to start running: For Exercise (22.0%),
  • Competed in School and Never Stopped (15.2%)
  • Motivation to continue to run: Staying in Shape (75.2%), 
  • Staying Healthy (70.8%)
  • Having Fun (58.9%)
Product Preferences
  • Average number of running shoes purchased in last 12 months: 3.0 pairs
  • Last running shoes purchased: ASICS (29.9%), Brooks (14.9%), Nike (13.6%)
  • 64.4% spent $90+ on their running shoes and 50.1% purchased their running shoes at a specialty running store
  • Favorite brands of running apparel: Nike (64.3%), Under Armour (42.2%), Champion (36.9%)
  • 80.2% spent $100+ on running apparel in the last 12 months and 61.5% purchased running apparel at a specialty running store
  • Average number of running shoes purchased in last 12 months: 3.4 pairs
  • Last running shoes purchased: ASICS (29.1%), Nike (15.9%), Brooks (14.1%)
  • 56.4% spent $90+ on their running shoes and 42.9% purchased their running shoes at a specialty running store
  • Favorite brands of running apparel: Nike (56.1%), ASICS (33.8%), Under Armour (32.0%)
  • 76.2% spent $100+ on running apparel in the last 12 months and 66.6% purchased running apparel at a specialty running store
Health
  • Average Weight: 136.2
  • Average Body Mass Index (BMI): 22.6
  • 43.0% are content with their weight
  • 44.7% are content with their fitness level
  • Average Weight: 171.2
  • Average Body Mass Index (BMI): 24.2
  • 47.7% are content with their weight
  • 45.9% are content with their fitness level

Sources:

ACS = American Community Survey (2006 – 08). An annual nationwide survey distributed by the United States Census Bureau that collects updated and relevant data to provide communities a fresh look at how they are changing between the decennial census. Numbers reported reflect a three-year estimate between the years of 2006 and 2008. The ACS collects information such as age, race, income, commute time to work, home value, veteran status, and other important data. For more information, visit: http://factfinder.census.gov

 

National Runner Survey = The 2009 National Runner Survey is a product of Running USA. Approximately 11,264 runners nationwide completed the online survey distributed by running events, clubs, specialty shoe stores, USA Track & Field, and running publications. Variables measured include: demographics, sports participation, running history and routine, shoes, events, community resources, apparel, sponsorship, health/diet, technology, sports/fitness products, food/drink, and travel. Results include data segmentation for gender, runner type, and distance.

 

NSGA = National Sporting Goods Association. “National Sporting Goods Market in 2009” and the Sporting Goods Market with Historical Data CD, based on retail sales in the U.S. projected from consumer interviews. For more information, visit: www.nsga.org