Trail Running is Growing – Doh!

Judy Leand for Sports Destination Management:

Trail running, which combines Americans’ love of the outdoors with their enthusiasm for running, jumped from 13.2 million participants in 2022 to 14.8 million in 2023, a one-year increase of 12.3 percent, according to the SFIA’s 2024 Topline Participation Report. What’s more, the study found that in the three years spanning 2021-2023, trail running participation soared 25.6 percent.

If a ‘destination management’ outfit is starting to pick up this trend and recognizes trail running next to the usual mountain biking and pickle ball trends, then maybe tourist destinations and land managers will begin to recognize the economic value, paired with the minimal stress on infrastructure that trail running represents. Race directors with their ideas and plans for trail races should be welcomed with open arms by said folks. Trail running is good for the local communities.