Each spring, the American Trail Running Association conducts a survey to measure trail running trends from our national audience. This year we had a record 2300 responses, nearly triple that of the 2017 survey. Complete survey results are made available to corporate members at the Switchback, Steep & Rocky and All-terrain levels. The following selected outtakes are from our most recent trail running survey conducted in May/June of this year. The following are some survey highlights.
Trail Runner Participant Profile:
- 51% male; 48% female (1% non disclosed)
- 34% ages 20-39; 53% ages 40-59
- 35% have been running more than 10 years
- 44% run 3-5 days per week
- 48% run 6-20 miles per week; 5% run more than 50 miles per week
- 57% mix it up, some days preferring gnarly, some days gentle trail
- 46% list single-track as their favorite type of trail; 44% list a mix of single track/wider paths/meadows
- 83% prefer a mix of ascending and descending
- 64% will run 1-5 trail races this year
- 8% will run more than 10 races this year
- 8% prefer racing 50K or longer; 12% prefer racing 10K or shorter; 5% don’t race
- 74% will run one or more road races this year
- 34% of dog owners sometimes run with their dog on the trail
Use of Activity Trackers:
- 51% record their trail runs with a Garmin
- 17% use Strava
- 15% don’t use a watch, or tracking device
Trail Finding Websites or Apps:
- 34% don’t use websites or apps
- 30% use Google Maps
- 26% use Strava
- 20% use Trail Run Project
Running Shoe, Sock, and Hydration Preferences:
- 64% typically wear ankle-length socks
- 64% wear light-cushioned socks
- 78% wear trail-specific shoes when training on the trails
- 77% wear trail-specific shoes when racing on the trails (another 9% sometimes wear trail-specific shoes when racing). When choosing a shoe, fit and comfort rank highest, followed by (light) weight and traction
- 65% wear a hydration vest when training or racing
- 8% only hydrate before or after a run. When choosing hydration equipment, comfort and fit rank highest, followed by (light) weight, pockets and storage.
Top Seven Running Shoe Brands:
- Altra 19.9%
- Hoka One One 14.6%
- Brooks 12.3%
- Salomon 11.9%
- Saucony 8.7%
- La Sportiva 5.6%
- New Balance 4.7%
