Popularity of Halfs Continues to Grow

Since 2003, the half marathon has continued to be the most popular race distance, and in 2006 and 2007 the number of participants grew by 10 percent each year according to Running USA’s State of the Sport Report Part III. That would account for the increase in the number of half marathon events. The number of halfs increased 14.5 percent between 2006 and 2007.

I ran my first half marathon about six years ago and immediately fell in love with the distance. I’ve since completed marathons, but the half will always be MY event of choice, and apparently, many people concur.

While an arduous test of endurance, the half doesn't require nearly the number of training miles/hours as a marathon. It doesn’t have to monopolize your life; that’s huge, making it doable for a much larger segment of the population. No wonder the half calendar is burgeoning with races.

The half marathon simply provides a convenient alternative to the marathon for busy people with other commitments.

Looks like that distance is here to stay, and I’m thrilled. Now we just need to find a new name for it.