The midyear numbers for 2026 for RunSignup are in and they are good news for the run specialty industry. The recently released findings show an impressive continuation of the multi-year growth streak for races. On average, races grew 5.9 percent, and, for the first time since COVID, large races grew the most (8.2 percent).
2. Young Adult Racers are Back: 21.8 percent of participants were between 18-29.
3. Prices are Still Rising: The average 10K price rose 3.7 percent, while the average marathon price is up 5.8 percent compared to last year.
RunSignup releases an annual RaceTrends Report each winter to provide a thorough assessment of the state of the endurance and fundraising events industry. The midyear update looks at 2026 race trends to help event organizers better understand the current state of the industry.
The data used for the report includes internal RunSignup data from December 1, 2025 through May 31, 2026. The numbers represent 6.9 million registrants (paid and imported) from the first half of 2026. RunSignup estimates its data represents around 60 percent of the endurance market.
Races Continue to Grow
The top-line metric to evaluate the strength of the market (instead of the strength of RunSignup) is to compare the number of participants in races that have used RunSignup for two years. This removes any impact from increased market share or new races in the market, looking only at how participation numbers have grown on a per-race basis.
According to that data, per-race growth continues to be steady, with races growing an average of 5.9 percent in the first half of 2026, a slight uptick from the 5 percent growth rate in 2025.
Race registration revenue increased faster than participation in 2026, with per-race revenue up 9.9 percent. This gap likely results from increases in prices, as well as revenue-raising tactics like add-on sales.
RunSignup also manually tracks every race over 500 participants to see how many of them return on its platform, how many leave for another platform and how many events cease to exist at all. Here the news is promising, as well, as so far in 2026 just 3.7 percent of races that had more than 500 participants in 2025 did not return in 2026. That continues a multi-year trend of very low churn; prior to the pandemic, no-race churn ranged between 5-7 percent.
For several post-COVID years, large races (5000-plus) struggled to re-capture runners. Now, it looks like they’ve made it to the other side: large races grew 8.2 percent, faster than any other race cohort. This, combined with discussions about the speed of races selling out, indicates there may faster growth for the largest, most popular events.
Key Takeaways:
• Growth is steady: take advantage. While the growth rate isn’t astronomical, it’s definitely strong. With whispers of a coming demographic cliff and economic headwinds, cultivate a repeat runner base now, while interest is high. First, grow your funnel with a referral rewards program curated for your event, and cultivate long-term participation with loyalty programs.
• Large races are thriving. For several post-COVID years, large races struggled to re-capture runners. Now, it looks like they’ve made it to the other side. For races just below that major-race cutoff, capitalize on the major-race enthusiasm with promotions highlighting why your race makes a (better) alternative.
• The race industry is stable. Low race churn means success for races and few newly opened gaps in the annual calendar. But, with strong per-race growth numbers, the stability may be a good thing: there are extra runners to fill new races even with low turnover races.
The Demographics of Running in 2026: Women Still Lead the Way
Gender identity has remained relatively steady throughout the years (aside from virtual races during the COVID years). RunSignup has been seeing a very slight closure of the gap between men and women, but in 2026 53.2 percent of participants identified as women.
Even more promising, the participation decline of 18-29 year-olds was a hot topic even before COVID and accelerated with the loss of even more young participation during (and coming out of) the virtual years. In the two years, that trend seems to have reversed, with slow increases in young adult participation. In the first half of 2026 21.8 percent of participants were between 18-29.
Key Takeaways
• Include women in your marketing. Women still make up a majority of the running industry. Make sure they feel welcome and represented in your marketing materials and giveaway items.
• Don’t forget about young adults, now. Yes, young adult runners are coming back to racing, but that doesn’t you should get complacent. Continue to incorporate new marketing and communications strategies such as video content, TikTok, and micro-influencers to build your base of young fan
Prices Continue to Rise
Prices have been rising since the post-pandemic years. 2026 is no different, with the largest increases for marathons (5.2 percent) and 10K’s (3.7 percent ).
Price increases are about more than just collecting more money: they motivate action and allow races to meet the pricing needs of a wider range of runners. In 2026, with races looking for ways to boost revenue without raising all prices, the average number of price increases per race increased.
The average price of a race distance is only part of the story. With price increases, understanding the pricing landscape requires organizers to look at the low prices, high prices and everything in between.
Key Takeaways:
• Prices are still increasing with costs. With continued inflation and rising costs for both goods and local services, steady price increases continue. Luckily, high participation rates suggest that people are willing to pay the higher rates.
• Pricing structures are adapting. Race directors are looking for ways to boost revenue without passing down a wholesale price increase. Adding an additional increase to the race cycle, raising late registration fees by more and promoting add-on sales are all strategies we see races using to mitigate the impact of price increases on the most price-sensitive of their customers.
For more on the report: https://info.runsignup.com/2026/06/22/2026-midyear-race-trends-update
