A survey from the American Trail Running Association (ATRA) of more than 2,500 trail runners found only one-quarter of respondents have spent less time running trails since the start of the pandemic. Three-quarters of respondents have sought out new trails for at least some of their runs. Only two percent of respondents have not run on trails in the past nine months.
The survey explored trail running and racing trends during the pandemic, including how people have competed, how they are staying connected and if they are spending more or less time running on trail.
Other findings include:
- 70 percent of respondents participated in at least one trail race in 2019 compared to 30 percent since the start of the pandemic in March;
- 37 percent of respondents have participated in a virtual race since March;
- Just 6 percent of respondents have attempted the Fastest Known Time (FKT) in 2020.
- When asked under what circumstances would they return to in-person races, 26 percent of respondents are waiting until a vaccine is widely available; 6 percent are waiting until 2022; 41 percent are researching trail races online.
- 37 percent of respondents are interacting with friends on Strava; 30 percent are researching gear and trail shoes online; 23 percent are listening to trail running podcasts.
- Just over one-quarter of respondents regularly visited one or more of the following websites – trailrunnermag.com, ultrarunning.com and trailrunner.com.
For more on the survey, go here.
Photo courtesy Getty
