More people have taken up running amid the pandemic, survey finds

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – It appears more runners have taken to the streets to improve their confidence and physical well being, according to a recent poll.

RunRepeat, an athletic shoe review site, surveyed 3,961 current runners and found 28.76 per cent of them identified as new runners who picked up the hobby during the pandemic.

(Courtesy RunRepeat)

The majority of new runners cite physical health as their motivation, while pre-pandemic runners were more motivated for their mental health and increased social interactions.

“New pandemic runners are slightly different to the runners who started before the pandemic… Runners from before the pandemic are much more likely to favour competition, socializing, and connecting with others who are likeminded and also like to run,” said Nick Rizzo, fitness research director at RunRepeat.

However, this increase doesn’t necessarily mean that Vancouver’s marathons will be packed once the pandemic ends.

The survey has found new runners are 20 per cent less likely to participate in any form of race, online or in-person, in the next 12 months. But in comparison to pre-pandemic counterparts, RunRepeat says they were 115 per cent more likely to join a virtual race than an in-person one.

“Right now, based on the experience these people have had so far, they are less likely [to participate in races]. But because of the significant boom in the amount of people running, even though they’re less likely to be participating in a race at this point, I think we’ll still see a slight growth,” said Rizzo.


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He notes the industry needs to pay more attention to how it caters to different populations, with attitudes and motivations towards running changing.

“The running industry needs to harness and realize that the motivation factors for this population of runners are different, and be able to use that to keep them in running and to connect with them and get them to see the value of participating in a race. Because what’s going to motivate someone who is a new pandemic runner versus someone who is not, is going to be totally different.”

Despite their differences, more than a third of runners surveyed seem to agree that running has helped with their confidence over the past year.

“[That was] something that was interesting, that that was exactly the same … and only different by a single percentage [between the two groups],” explained Rizzo.

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