We’re more than halfway through the year, so let’s take a look at some headlines so far.

According to RunSignup, 6.9 million runners registered for an event in the first half of 2026. Additionally. Registration timing is shifting, large races are booming (again), prices are climbing (again), and young adults are finally coming back to the sport after a decade-long slide.

Women Still Lead the Way

The gender split in endurance events has barely moved over the past five years and thats no different, here. Women crossed the 53% threshold years ago and haven’t given it back. Meanwhile, the male share has held in the low-50s to mid-50s range, sliding gradually as women’s participation has ticked up.

If you didn’t know any better, you’d think men dominate. Brands, race directors, and gear companies still building marketing plans around the “male-default” runner are building for an audience that doesn’t reflect who’s actually racing. Women aren’t a niche, they’re the majority, get it right.

Young Adults Are Finally Coming Back

Runners aged 18-29 have been vanishing from race fields for over a decade. It was a decline that started before COVID and got worse during the virtual-race years. In the first half of 2026, that trend reversed: 21.8% of participants were between 18 and 29, continuing a rebound that’s now two years running.

So, if you’ve felt like your local 5K start line looks younger than it did a few years ago, you’re not imagining it. Race organizers should keep leaning into where these audiences are, like, TikTok, Instagram and listening to micro- fitness influencers that are highlighting their journey’s and pulling younger runners back in, rather than assuming this generation isn’t interested in racing.

Large Races Are Officially Back

For years after the pandemic, big races (5,000+ participants) struggled to rebuild fields while smaller local races recovered faster. That flipped in the first half of 2026. Large races grew 8.2% per race, the fastest growth of any race-size category, outpacing even the under-500 field (6.6%).

Combine this with the growing chatter about marathons and majors selling out faster than ever, and it’s clear the biggest events in the sport are entering a new growth phase. Awesome if you can get a sport but will be even more interesting to see how the big races adjust. If you’ve been putting off registering for a big fall race, the data says: don’t wait.

Runners Are Registering Earlier Than Ever

Race-week sign-ups historically account for 24-26% of all registrations and that percentage dropped to just 17.4% in the first half of 2026.

Runners are planning further ahead, with registrations 120+ days out jumping 84% year-over-year. Marathon and triathlon fields lead this shift, with more than half of marathon registrants and over 40% of triathlon registrants locking in their spot at least four months out. Our guess is because race entries get more expensive as the race gets closer. Why pay $1,2K for an IRONMAN when you can lock in $900.

Some of this is likely tied to popular spring races selling out early, which pulls registration timing forward across the board. Still, if you’re a race director and opening registration late, you may be missing the window when interest — and intent to commit is highest.

Prices Keep Climbing, Especially for Marathons

Marathons saw the steepest price increase of any distance, up 5.3% year-over-year to an average of $104.74. Triathlons weren’t far behind, up 5.1% to $114.56. Race organizers are also spreading price increases out more, rather than raising prices once and calling it done, especially for half marathons and marathons.

Based on everything we’ve highlighted so far, runners are absorbing these increases without pulling back, which tells you demand is still outpacing price sensitivity, at least for now.

Our Thoughts

We are more than halfway through 2026, and the endurance industry looks healthy.

Participation is up 5.9% per race, churn is near historic lows, and two demographic groups, women and young adults, are showing up in bigger numbers than they have in years.

We’d say, if you’re an athlete building out the rest of your season or even starting to think about 2027, get ahead of your schedule now, book early, and go crush some PRs.