Half Marathon Statistics 2026: Race Times and Participation

The half marathon is the fastest-growing race distance in the world, and the numbers prove it. Across 190 surveyed events, 1,513,531 runners crossed a half marathon finish line in 2024, up 20.9% year over year. The global median finish time is roughly 2:13, men average 1:59 and women average 2:14, and roughly 60% of US half marathon finishers are women. Jacob Kiplimo set a new men's world record of 57:20 in Lisbon in March 2026, while Letesenbet Gidey's 1:02:52 women's mark from Valencia 2021 still stands. Roughly 77% of runners run a positive split in the half, even though negative splits produce the best personal times for most.

Half marathon participation has rebounded hard since the pandemic dip. US race finishers across 5K, 10K, half marathon, and marathon distances grew 15% in the second half of 2024 versus 2023, and over one-third of the top 100 US races last year were halves. The distance sits in a sweet spot: long enough to feel like a real test, short enough that you can train for it in 12 to 16 weeks without taking over your life.

This post covers race times, gender and age splits, finisher counts, pacing curves, training time, and the largest half marathon events on the planet. Below are 16 verified statistics that show where the half marathon stands in 2026 and what the data says about your next race.

1. The global median half marathon finish time is around 2:13

The median half marathon finish time across roughly one million 2024 finishers worldwide is about 2 hours and 13 minutes. That means half of all half marathoners finish faster, and half finish slower. The mean is slightly higher at 2:14:59 across a separate dataset of 35 million race results.

This is the single most useful benchmark for a recreational runner. If you cross 13.1 miles in under 2:13, you are already faster than half the field. If you finish above it, you are in good company with the bulk of the running population. The number has held remarkably steady year over year, even as overall finisher counts have climbed.

For context, the median has barely moved since the mid-2010s, while the field has roughly doubled. That tells you finish times are slowing slightly as more first-timers and recreational runners enter the distance.

Source: Outside Run - What's a Good Half Marathon Time?

2. Men average 1:59 and women average 2:14 across global half marathons

The average male half marathon finisher crosses the line in 1 hour 59 minutes 48 seconds. The average female finisher crosses in 2 hours 16 minutes 37 seconds. Median splits, which strip out elite outliers, are 2:03:28 for men and 2:21:42 for women.

The 17-minute gap between men and women's averages is consistent with what physiology research predicts at endurance distances. It is also smaller than the gap at the marathon, where the average difference widens to roughly 22 minutes.

For pacing math, 1:59:48 works out to roughly 9:09 per mile, and 2:16:37 is roughly 10:26 per mile. If you can hold a pace inside those windows for 13.1 miles, you are running a perfectly typical half marathon by global standards.

Source: UpbeatRun - Half Marathon Statistics

3. Global half marathon finishers grew 20.9% year over year

A survey of 190 international half marathons recorded a combined 1,513,531 finishers in 2024, a 20.9% jump versus 2023. That growth rate is roughly four times faster than the running boom average across all distances. Year-over-year global road running finishers across all distances rose 17% in 2024.

The growth is uneven by region. European events posted some of the largest absolute increases, while several US races more than doubled their fields off small bases. The Göteborgsvarvet in Sweden recorded 40,638 finishers, up 34.6% from the prior year. The Bank of America Chicago 13.1, only launched in 2022, grew 113% in 2024.

The pattern is clear. Once a half marathon establishes itself in a city, demand outpaces supply within a few editions, and capacity caps become the binding constraint.

Source: Road Race Management - Global Road Running Finishers Up 17% in 2024

4. About 60% of US half marathon finishers are women

Roughly 60% of half marathon finishers in the United States are female. The number was already 61% as far back as 2014, and it has held steady or climbed slightly across the last decade. Across all road running distances in the US, women now make up about 57% of the field.

The half marathon is the most female-majority of the major race distances. Women under-index slightly at the 5K and significantly at the marathon, where the gender gap at the World Marathon Majors still skews male. The 13.1-mile distance is where women dominate participation.

For race directors, this has reshaped the product. Course design, expo offerings, post-race fueling, and medal aesthetics at the largest US halves are now built primarily around what a female recreational runner wants from race day.

Source: Half Marathon Statistics - UpbeatRun

5. The 25-44 age group accounts for 49% of road race finishers

Across US road races, runners aged 25 to 44 account for 49% of all finishers. Inside the half marathon specifically, the largest single age cohort is 20 to 29 (roughly 15.4% of men and 15.1% of women), followed closely by the 30 to 39 bracket. Globally, 30 to 39 and 40 to 49 each capture roughly 31% of marathon and half marathon finishers.

The fastest age group for women is 30 to 39, while for men it is 20 to 29. After that, average finish times drift slower by roughly 4 to 6 minutes per decade through age 60, with steeper drop-offs after that.

The data destroys the idea that distance running peaks in your early twenties. For the half marathon specifically, your fastest year is statistically more likely to be your early thirties than your early twenties if you keep training consistently.

Source: 5K Events - Runner Demographics and Race Statistics

6. The men's half marathon world record is 57:20

Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda set the men's half marathon world record of 57:20 on March 8, 2026, at the EDP Lisbon Half Marathon. That broke the previous record of 57:30, set by Yomif Kejelcha at the 2024 Valencia Half. Kiplimo's earlier 56:42 in Barcelona in February 2025 was not ratified due to illegal pacing.

A 57:20 half marathon is 4:22 per mile, sustained for 13.1 miles. To put that in perspective, that is faster than most recreational runners can hold for a single mile.

The women's world record of 1:02:52 was set by Letesenbet Gidey at the 2021 Valencia Half Marathon and has stood unbroken through the 2026 season. That equates to 4:48 per mile.

Source: World Athletics - Kiplimo Half Marathon World Record Lisbon

7. Roughly 77% of half marathoners run a positive split

Pacing studies of half marathon finishers show that 77% run a positive split, meaning their second half is slower than their first. Only 18% run a negative split, and roughly 13% finish with even pacing across both halves. The remainder follow a parabolic curve.

The marathon pattern is even more extreme: 87% of marathon finishes are positive splits, with a mean positive split of 8.25%. The half is a touch better, but the message is the same. Most runners go out too fast.

That matters because among runners who race the same distance multiple times, 52% record their best personal time on a negative split attempt. Going out conservatively and finishing strong is statistically the higher-percentage path to a PR. The most common best-performance split sits at negative 0 to 1%.

Source: PubMed - Physiology and Psychology of Negative Splits

8. About 2% of Americans have ever finished a half marathon

Roughly 2% of Americans have completed a half marathon at least once in their lives. Globally, the share is below 1% of the world's population. By comparison, around 1% of Americans have ever finished a full marathon, so the 13.1 distance is roughly twice as accessible as 26.2.

The gap between "people who run" and "people who have run a half marathon" is wide. Tens of millions of Americans run regularly, but only a small slice ever pin a bib for the distance. Race-day intimidation, training time, and travel cost are the most common reasons cited in survey data.

The flip side is that finishing a half marathon puts you in a meaningfully small group of athletes globally. It is no longer fringe, but it is still well outside the median fitness baseline.

Source: Marathon Handbook - How Many People Have Run a Marathon

9. Half marathon completion rates run 95-99% at major events

Major-city half marathons routinely report 95% to 99% of starters crossing the finish line. The 2022 Cambridge Half Marathon, which was hit by unusually warm weather, recorded a 2% DNF rate. Smaller, harder, or weather-stricken events can climb to 5 to 10%.

Major marathons sit in the same band. Boston typically reports under 2% DNF, and the New York City Marathon hovers near 1%. In severe weather, those numbers can spike to 10 to 30%, but those years are outliers.

The takeaway for first-timers: if you make it to the start line healthy and respect the conditions, the data says you finish. The half marathon distance is forgiving in a way that ultra distances are not. DNF is rare, and most race-day failures are pacing decisions, not fitness gaps.

Source: Marathon Handbook - DNF Guide

10. The Göteborgsvarvet is the largest half marathon in the world

Sweden's Göteborgsvarvet is the largest annual half marathon on the planet. The race recorded 40,638 finishers in its 2024 edition, up 34.6% year over year. At its 2013 peak it accepted 64,500 entries, the highest single-event entry count of any running race on record.

The EDP Lisbon Half Marathon, where Kiplimo set the world record, draws roughly 27,000 participants annually and over 35,000 across the broader event weekend. The Generali Berlin Half Marathon has grown past 42,000 athletes in recent editions. NYCRUNS Brooklyn Half regularly attracts over 25,000 runners.

These mega events anchor their cities for a weekend each year, and they all share one feature: capacity sells out months in advance. Half marathon demand at the top of the market is structurally above supply.

Source: Wikipedia - Göteborgsvarvet

11. Beginners need 12 to 16 weeks to train for a first half marathon

Coaching consensus puts a first-time half marathon training block at 12 to 16 weeks. Hal Higdon's widely used Novice 1 program runs 12 weeks and assumes you can already cover 3 to 4 miles in week one. True beginners with no running base benefit more from a 16 to 20 week ramp.

Most plans require three to four runs per week and one long run that builds gradually toward 10 to 12 miles. Weekly mileage in the peak weeks of a beginner plan typically reaches 20 to 25 miles, well below marathon training loads.

The 12 to 16 week window is also why the half marathon is the most common "first big race" pick. You can announce your race in January and reasonably toe the line in April, without rebuilding your entire calendar around training.

Source: Hal Higdon - Novice 1 Half Marathon Training Program

12. Half marathons are over one-third of the top 100 US races

In Running USA's 2024 Top Races Report, more than one-third of the top 100 US races by finisher count were half marathons. The 5K is still the largest single distance category, but the half punches well above its weight at the top of the field.

Disney's runDisney series dominated the half marathon segment in late 2024, with multiple events selling out within hours of registration opening. The REVEL Big Bear Half Marathon recorded the fastest average finish time of any top-100 US race at 1:55:02, helped by its net-downhill course.

The trend is structural, not seasonal. The half marathon has become the most economically important race distance in the US, both in finisher volume and in registration revenue per event.

Source: Running USA - 2024 Top Races Report

13. Half marathon repeat participation has dropped to 13.7%

In 2019, 19.7% of half marathon participants ran the same race the next year. In 2024, that repeat rate fell to 13.7%, a six-point drop. Year-over-year repeats from 2023 to 2024 specifically were just 12%.

The decline is the inverse of the growth story. Total finisher counts are up sharply, but a larger share of every year's field is brand new. That makes the half marathon a first-timer event more than ever, and it puts pressure on race organizers to convert one-and-done finishers into returning runners.

For runners, the implication is that the field around you on race day is, on average, less experienced than it used to be. Pacing strategy, gear choices, and start-corral discipline are all shifting because of it.

Source: Running USA - 15% Growth in Race Finishers for Second Half of 2024

14. Half marathon participation grew from 17% to 30% of all race finishers

Across the long arc of running data, the half marathon's share of total race finishers grew from 17% to 30% over the period studied by RunRepeat. The IAAF/RunRepeat State of Running analysis covered 107.9 million race results from over 70,000 events between 1986 and 2018.

The half marathon went from a niche distance to roughly a third of all road race participation in three decades. Its growth came largely at the expense of the 10K, which lost share over the same window. The marathon held its share but did not expand it.

The structural reason is simple. The half marathon offers a distance that feels like a real achievement without requiring the 16 to 20 week, 40-plus mile per week training blocks that the marathon demands. It is the highest-leverage race distance in modern running.

Source: RunRepeat - The State of Running 2019

15. Top US race finishers grew 15% in the second half of 2024

Running USA's 2024 Top Races Report found that the top 100 US races across the 5K, 10K, half marathon, and marathon categories grew their combined finisher count 15% in the second half of 2024 versus the same window in 2023. Half marathons led much of that growth.

That puts the broader US running market firmly above its pre-pandemic peak. Race directors who feared the post-COVID running surge would fade have, instead, watched it accelerate. New races launched in 2022 and 2023 are filling, and established races are expanding capacity.

The boom is most visible at the half marathon distance, where capacity caps and registration sellouts have become routine. Demand has outrun supply in most major US markets through 2025 and into the 2026 race calendar. For data on what keeps runners coming back, see our running consistency statistics deep-dive.

Source: Running USA - 2024 Top Races Report

16. The REVEL Big Bear Half Marathon clocked a 1:55:02 average finish time

The REVEL Big Bear Half Marathon recorded the fastest average finish time of any top-100 US race in 2024, at 1:55:02. The race more than doubled its finisher count year over year. Its calling card is a net-downhill course descending from Big Bear Lake into the San Bernardino Valley.

That average sits about 18 minutes faster than the global half marathon median of 2:13 and roughly 22 minutes faster than the global female average of 2:16:37. Course profile is the variable. A flat, sea-level course with cool weather will produce a faster average than a hilly summer event by 8 to 15 minutes across the field.

For runners chasing a Boston Qualifying half marathon time or a personal best, course selection matters as much as fitness. The data shows the same runner can finish 10-plus minutes faster on a fast course versus a hilly one.

Source: Running USA - 2024 Top Races Report

What These Numbers Tell Runners in 2026

The half marathon is the most important race distance in modern running, and the gap is widening. Global finisher counts are growing 20%-plus per year. The distance accounts for over a third of the largest US races. Demand sits well above supply at the top of the market. If you have ever thought about running 13.1 miles, you are walking into the strongest version of this race calendar in history.

For first-timers, the data is encouraging. Completion rates at major halves run 95% to 99%. A 12 to 16 week training block from a moderate base is enough. Roughly 60% of US finishers are women, and the largest age cohorts are in their twenties and thirties, but average finish times barely move until your fifties. The half marathon does not punish age the way faster distances do.

For experienced runners, the pacing data is the actionable lesson. 77% of finishers run positive splits and slow down in the back half. The runners who PR are mostly the ones who held back early. If you want a faster time, the data points to negative-split discipline, not raw fitness gains.

The half marathon is the fastest-growing race distance in the world, and the runners who ran one in 2024 outnumbered those who ran any other distance except the 5K.

Make Your Half Marathon Training Count

If you are training for your first half marathon, or your tenth, the hardest part is showing up for the runs that do not feel like races. Easy weekday miles are where the time gets banked, and they are also the runs most likely to slip when motivation dips. That is the gap Runify was built to close. Every run you log inside Runify, or sync from Apple Watch, Garmin, or Strava, earns XP and moves you up a tier system with friends-only and global leaderboards across distances from 800m through the marathon, including the half. Stop running and your rank decays, which gives a real reason to lace up on the days you would rather not.

If you are weighing your tracking options, our Strava alternatives comparison covers the trade-offs in detail, and our breakdown of the best running apps with leaderboards on iPhone shows how the ranked-tier model compares to segment KOMs and ring competitions.

Ready to make your runs count? Download Runify on the App Store and turn every mile into XP across leaderboards from 800m through the marathon.

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