USA=MARATHONS

Below is an article about the rising rates of US Marathon participation in 2010. It is cool to see the jump in participation of such a fulfilling accomplishment.

The article talks about how the recession may have indirectly helped the participation numbers rise. Since running is a fairly "cheap" sport and is good for stress management, more people have laced up their kicks and attempted the 26.2 mile challenge.

Also, the article states that the overall finishers time has risen, and some people (other sources than this article) argue that the marathon is beginning to lose its prestige as an event. However, with obesity, diabetes, and other medical problems dominating our country, I am ecstatic the participation numbers are rising. I would rather see more people get involved for the personal achievement and health benefits.

I also understand that the nation's overall health still has plenty of work ahead.

Many of the 507,000 finishers in 2010 could have been repeat marathoners. Yet, you know that a fair portion of them were first timers, and some were fairly new to running and activity in general. I hope the numbers continue to rise. Completing a marathon is a fantastic accomplishment. Training for one is a way people can get their health and lives back on track. Enjoy!

Marathoners Run U.S. Races in Record Numbers

By KEVIN HELLIKER

For the first time ever, the number of runners crossing the finish line annually in U.S. marathons passed the half-million mark in 2010, at 507,000, according to a report released Wednesday by Running USA, an industry-supported research group based in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Associated Press

Thousands of runners participated in the 2010 Chicago Marathon in October.

The 2010 number exceeded by almost 9% the 2009 field of finishers, representing the second-largest jump in the past 25 years, behind the previous year's spike of about 10%. In the view of some running experts, the recession inadvertently gave a boost to a sport that costs relatively little and can help combat stress.

The 2011 numbers appear likely to jump even more dramatically, because several popular races have sold out in record time. The Boston Marathon did so in eight hours, the Marine Corps race in Washington, D.C., in 28 hours and the Chicago event this coming October in 31 days. Many other 2011 marathons are also filled up.

But helping handle demand is an ever-growing number of new marathons. More than 35 new marathons – a record number – launched in 2010, according to Running USA, bringing the total to more than 625 U.S. marathons last year. That's up from about 200 in 1985.

For the third consecutive year, the gender division among finishers remained unchanged: 59% men, 41% female. Also unchanged was the percentage of finishers age 40 or older: 46%. Runners between age 20 and 39 made up 52% of finishers, with the under-20 crowd accounting for 2%.

One side effect to this growth is the lower percentage of elite marathoners as more amateurs participate. The median time for male finishers in 2010 was 4:16:14 – compared with 3:32:17 in 1980. Among women, the median time rose to 4:42:10 in 2010 from 4:03:39 in 1980.

Boston boasted the fastest median time among U.S. marathons, at 3:44:17. Boston also had the largest sheer number of under-four-hour finishers, at 15,424. The New York marathon came in second with 14,724. But Boston's under-four-hour crowd represented 68% of the total, versus 33% for New York.

New York's 44,977 finishers represented the largest crowd in the history of the world to complete a 26.2-mile run, ahead of the previous New York record set in 2009, of 43,660.

Write to Kevin Helliker at Kevin.Helliker@wsj.com

Marathoners Run U.S. Races in Record Numbers