Running USA Annual Half-Marathon Report

America's favorite road race distance shows another year of phenomenal growth as women and the Rock 'n' Roll Series lead the charge; record 25 U.S. half-marathons with 10,000 or more finishers; Bupa Great North Run world's largest

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - (April 25, 2011) - If marathon mania exists, then, the half-marathon has reached hyper-mania. Last year, according to Running USA, U.S. half-marathons continued their upward trajectory as the "leader of the pack" repeated its phenomenal 24% growth rate, from approximately 1.1 million finishers in 2009 to nearly 1.4 million finishers in 2010, a record annual increase for the distance. In the same 733 U.S. half-marathons for 2009 vs. 2010, there was a 17.24% finisher increase (975,409 vs. 1,143,551).

Since 2003, the half-marathon has been the fastest growing road race distance in the United States, and for five consecutive years (2006-10), the number of 13.1 mile finishers in the U.S. has grown by 10% or more each year. Moreover, since 2000, the number of half-marathon finishers in this country has nearly tripled (482,000 to 1,385,000). In short, no other race distance comes close to this type of growth in recent years.

For the rest of the Running USA Annual Half-Marathon Report, CLICK HERE.

Special thanks to
Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Services Director.
385 Oak View Lane
Santa Barbara, CA 93111
(805) 696-6232, fax (805) 967-5958
Ryan@RunningUSA.org
http://www.runningusa.org