The Endurance Consumer in 2026: What the Latest Industry Research Tells Us
Running and endurance sport continue to grow across the UK. According to the National Running Report from England Athletics and the Running Industry Alliance, around 8 million people ran at least once a week in 2025, equivalent to 14% of the UK population. One in five of those runners had only started within the previous three months.
But behind those headline numbers is a much more interesting story.
There is no single endurance consumer.
Recent research from England Athletics, the Running Industry Alliance, Triathlon Industry Alliance and Women's Multisport Action Group paints a picture of an increasingly diverse audience, with significant differences in how people train, what motivates them, where they find inspiration and how they interact with brands.
We've looked across three of the latest industry reports to pull together a snapshot of the trends we think active lifestyle brands should be paying attention to.
The endurance audience continues to grow
The National Running Report estimates that 14% of the UK population ran at least once a week in 2025, equivalent to around 8 million people.
What's particularly interesting is where some of that participation is coming from. 20% of runners had only started running within the previous three months, and 41% of non-runners said they would consider running in the future, with one in ten saying encouragement from others could be enough to get them started.
For brands, events and organisations operating within the sector, the opportunity isn't limited to established runners. There is a substantial audience still finding its way into the sport.
Aspire comment: "What strikes us about these figures is that the endurance audience isn't just growing, it's broadening. People are arriving from very different starting points, with different motivations and different expectations of what running should give them. For brands, that's both an opportunity and a responsibility."
Gen Z is becoming an endurance generation
The Endurance Sport Survey 2026, produced by the Running Industry Alliance and Triathlon Industry Alliance with analysis by MultiSport Research, describes Gen Z as a new growth engine for endurance sport, with younger participants increasingly migrating from gym-based exercise into running and other endurance activities.
Their relationship with endurance sport also looks different. Younger participants are embracing emerging formats such as fitness racing and are more likely to use technology as part of their training. Gen Z respondents were twice as likely as Gen X to say competing against others motivates them to participate in events, and 48% more likely to be motivated by raising money for a cause.
But competition isn't the whole story. The research also points towards greater interest among Gen Z in trying new sports, challenging themselves and seeking new experiences.
Aspire comment: "Younger audiences are bringing a different energy to endurance sport. Performance still matters, but it sits alongside experience, community, technology and purpose. That gives brands more ways to connect, but it also means doing the work to understand what actually matters to this audience, rather than assuming everyone participates for the same reasons."
Health starts the journey. Experiences add something more.
According to the Endurance Sport Survey 2026, health remains central to endurance sport. Among committed endurance athletes surveyed, 96% cited physical health and fitness as a reason to exercise, while 78% cited mental health. But 77% were also training for an event.
When participants were asked why they take part in events, 78% said they wanted to physically challenge themselves, while 46% wanted a new experience. Meeting like-minded people, competition, spending time with friends and family, raising money for charity and experiencing different cultures all featured too.
Endurance sport isn't purely about exercise. For many participants, it is increasingly connected to experiences, identity, community and achievement.
Community matters, but not to everyone in the same way
Community has become one of the most visible parts of the recent running boom. According to the Endurance Sport Survey, around half of the committed athletes surveyed said they were members of an in-person running club. Among those not currently engaged with a club, app or online running community, 29% expressed an interest in becoming involved in 2026.
However, the National Running Report's runner segmentation shows why brands need to look beyond the headline trend. It identifies audiences who thrive on the social side of running — and others who actively prefer independence. Insta Racers are emotionally engaged, socially driven and highly likely to share their achievements. Lone Trail Blazers are nature-focused, intrinsically motivated and among the least likely groups to share exercise achievements on social media. Only one in ten are members of a running club or group.
Aspire comment: "Community has become a huge part of endurance culture, but it doesn't mean the same thing to every runner. For some people, connection and belonging are central to why they participate. For others, getting outside, switching off and doing something on their own terms is exactly the appeal. Brands that treat community as one universal experience risk missing a significant part of their audience."
Women are engaging with endurance sport differently
The Gender Analysis of the Endurance Sport Survey 2026, produced by the Women's Multisport Action Group and Running Industry Alliance with analysis by MultiSport Research, adds another important dimension.
Female respondents trained marginally more each week than male respondents, at 7.8 hours compared with 7.6 hours. But some of the biggest differences appear in why and how women participate. Women were 43% more likely to cite social connection as a reason for training and 60% more likely to use a coaching app.
Social media also plays a particularly important role in discovery — 33% of female respondents said social feeds were their main source for finding new events or training experiences, compared with 24% of men.
Purchasing priorities differ too. Comfort ranked as the number one consideration among female respondents, while 24% considered sustainability and ethics when purchasing compared with 19% of men.
For brands, understanding these differences can inform everything from product positioning and creative to community building and channel strategy.
Social media isn't just an awareness channel
According to the Endurance Sport Survey 2026, social media was the number one source for discovering new events and training experiences among Gen Z, Millennials and Gen X.
Training tips ranked first among the content endurance consumers actively seek out, sought by 61% of respondents. Equipment and gear advice followed at 50%, nutritional advice at 46% and future event ideas at 45%. 33% seek content around elite athletes, while 28% look for inspirational stories.
For brands, that creates a clear opportunity to use social content for far more than product promotion. Being useful, informative and relevant to someone's endurance journey can give a brand a credible role within the communities it wants to reach.
There is no such thing as 'the runner'
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from this body of research comes from the National Running Report's segmentation of the market. It identifies five distinct audiences:
Insta Racers - frequent, competitive, socially driven and media savvy.
Lone Trail Blazers - independent, nature-focused and intrinsically motivated.
Startline Seekers - casual but curious runners with the potential to become more engaged.
Motivated Maybes - predominantly non-runners who are open to participation but need encouragement.
Reluctant Movers - predominantly non-runners with lower engagement and very different motivations and barriers.
Even the things that could encourage these audiences to run differ. Startline Seekers are particularly responsive to encouragement from others or having someone to run with. Lone Trail Blazers are more likely than other segments to be motivated by having a training plan.
Knowing that your audience runs isn't enough. Brands need to understand why they run, what they want from the experience, who influences them, what gets in their way and where they can add real value.
The endurance audience is getting bigger. Understanding the people within it is where the real opportunity lies.
Sources
National Running Report: Runner Segmentation, England Athletics and Running Industry Alliance, December 2025.
Endurance Sport Survey 2026, Running Industry Alliance and Triathlon Industry Alliance, analysis by MultiSport Research, March 2026.
Endurance Sport Survey 2026 Gender Analysis, Women's Multisport Action Group and Running Industry Alliance, analysis by MultiSport Research, May 2026.
