As the run specialty business basks in the glow of the success of The Running Event in Austin, TX, last month and is immersed in Holiday 2024 season selling, good news came in the form of  the recent release of Running USA’s 2024 Global Runner Survey, which found that three-quarters of respondents said they would do at least as many, if not more, races in 2025.

The findings of the survey from Active are all over the map but, in a nutshell, found that running race participation is up from pre-pandemic numbers. Here are some other bullet points:

• In perhaps the best news for run specialty, almost half of respondents say they prefer buying their running shoes in-store, compared to 38 percent who buy online.

• Increased participation was found mostly in the half marathon, with 37 percent of respondents expecting to participate more in the category in 2025. Other top races: two miles to 5K, 8K to 15K, marathon and trail.

• Survey respondents participated in an average of 11 running events of various distances over the prior 12 months. Races of two miles to 5K were the distance most respondents completed.

•Once again, Brooks was named as a favorite shoe brand. Other top brands for training: ASICS, Saucony, Nike, Hoka, New Balance and Adidas. Favored running shoes for racing are Brooks, Nike, ASICS, Saucony, Hoka New Balance and Adidas.

• In terms of how much runners spend each year, one quarter of respondents percent spend more than $400 a year on their running/walking shoes, purchasing an average of three shoe pairs. A similar percentage spends between $301 and $400, while 24.8 percent spend between $101 and $200.

The Running USA Global Runner Survey was based on a global survey of more than 7400 runners and event participants, which was launched in 2007 and was conducted over June and July 2024. Ninety-four percent of the respondents were from the U.S.