Arecent study from RunRepeat found that 28 per cent of current runners got started in the sport during the pandemic. The study surveyed close to 4,000 individuals, and it found out more about these new runners and what they want out of running. From training motivations to race preferences, their answers may be a surprise to veteran runners. With that said, when the pandemic is considered, their responses make a lot of sense.
Race participation
While most “pre-pandemic runners,” as RunRepeat refers to them, love to race, about half of new runners aren’t too keen on the idea of competition. Of those surveyed, 63 per cent of pre-pandemic runners plan to race (either virtually or in person) in the coming 12 months, but just over 50 per cent of new runners said they will do so.
Of the runners who said they will race at some point in the next year, a whopping 85 per cent of pre-pandemic runners said they hope that event will be held in person. The new runners who said they would race, though, don’t mind virtual events as much, and only 68 per cent of the group said they want to run an in-person race.
Read more at: https://runningmagazine.ca/the-scene/study-finds-that-28-per-cent-of-runners-started-during-the-pandemic/