Running Statistics 2024: Trail running is the number one running activity in France!
12.5 million runners in France!
of which 3.9 million run regularly (at least 2 outings per week)
That represents a great community! The share of women: 49% of runners! That's 2 million regular female runners.
So, a nice gender equality in running. RunMotion and Strava share some interesting statistics about trail running in 2024.
Why do we run?
According to a RunMotion study, nearly 70% of us run for the pleasure of it! While runners sometimes enjoy running in groups or with friends, the practice is still mostly solitary: 70% (an increase compared to 2020, possibly due to telecommuting?).
Runners are primarily looking to be healthy (59%), feel good about themselves (58%), and relieve stress (50%).
While running encompasses several disciplines, TRAIL is the leading running activity in 2024
50% of runners choose trail running as their most popular type of running. 19% of runners say they practice trail running rather than running.
Moreover, there were 3,035 trail races, compared to 2,706 road races in 2022 in France.
67% of races are less than 21km. While statistics show that regular runners want to extend their distance, the half-marathon remains the most popular format.
3 running trends for 2024 according to STRAVA
- TOGETHER, WE GO FURTHER!
Group outings allow for outings that are twice as long in duration and distance as solo outings. For both women and men. - RUN TO EXPLORE!
France is the country in which foreign visitors have carried out the most sporting activities, with running being the 3rd most practiced sport by foreigners during their stay (after cycling and walking/hiking). - BACK TO COMPETITION!
France, +190% of runners completed a marathon in 2022. In 2nd place worldwide, just after the Netherlands (+269%) but before Spain (+171%). 😍
Final focus: how to encourage intensive practice among women?
And yes, we know that the longer the distance, the less parity there is!
Here are some ideas:
- Combat limiting beliefs
29% do not feel capable 17% are afraid of getting hurt - Ensure security
- Mental load / household chore equity
- Other racing format
Among the other data collected by RunMotion:
Regular runners spend an annual budget of €758 on their practice (including races, equipment and training) See details in the study . Regular runners are ultra-connected: – 93% measure their runs with a GPS watch (+6 points compared to 2020) Mobile apps are popular with 88% of runners, mainly to “view run stats”.
Sources Strava / RunMotion / Widermag
