The world of running is experiencing a new boom. More and more runners are taking up the sport, with 36% of 15 to 65 year-olds taking to the streets, parks, forests, and gyms of Europe. But why? What has caused this ‘second running wave’? This section reveals just how important the sport is to European runners and explains what their reasons for running are: from why they took it up in the first place to what motivates them to continue with it.
Britain is a nation of runners who enjoy the sport the least (only 17% admitted ‘fun’ as a reason to start, and 25% as a reason to continue), yet their perseverance is highly admirable. As a nation that does not like the outdoor aspect of running (only 19% like the fact that it is an outdoor sport), it is hardly surprising that they are the highest percentage of runners who run in the gym (34% compared to 4% of French). Gym membership fees aside, the British like the fact that it is an affordable sport (45%) and that, for 22% (the highest figure in Europe), it helps take their mind off financial worries. In fact, with 13%, British runners are the highest percentage of runners who run more since the beginning of the current credit crunch. Their primary concern for running is to lose weight, on average 4.7kg (compared to the 9.5kg the Dutch runner wishes to lose).