Run The Roads

While handfuls of sports cut jobs, lose sponsorships or simply go out of business, the business of road racing seems to be stronger than ever. While some major races lost sponsorship this year, a few studies have shown that road race participation is at an all-time high.

The most recent study comes from The Active Network, an online registration and activity website. The report, based on the companies own data from road races that use their registration software, showed that road racing is up in 2009 compared to the same time period (January-June) in 2008. Not only that, but the growth is double-digits, which is simply outstanding.

Here are some of the key tidbits from the study:

• The number of people registered to participate in running events held from January through June 2009 increased 14.42 percent from the same time period in 2008.
• Average growth in online registration for running events was 20 percent.
• Over 70 percent of running events in the first half of the 2009 experienced growth in online registration over the previous year.

For many, road racing is an affordable and fun outlet, not only allowing participants to improve their fitness, but also a way to relieve stress. For many, running means buying 2-3 pairs of shoes a year, some cheap t-shirts and shorts and paying for 3-4 races throughout the year. The costs are minimal, but the personal gain is seemingly never ending.

(photo courtesy of Paul W)