The Running Boom in Britain and Europe

When did you start running?

Britain holds the second highest percentage of runners who started less than a year ago (28%) compared to approximately one-fifth of Italians.

Percentage of all runners that started less than one year ago

3.1.1Percentageofallrunners

A large proportion of the female runners who took part in our survey also started running less than a year ago. The most likely explanation for this is the fact that, up until recently, running was very much a male dominated sport, but is starting to become more appealing to a greater number of women. More than 60% of European runners say they have noticed an increase in the amount of women running in their neighbourhood.

No less than 40% of all female runners in The Netherlands started less than a year ago. In most countries, this figure is roughly one-third, while in Italy it is less than a quarter.

Percentage of all female runners that started less than one year ago

3.1.2Percentageofallfemale