Race Registration Statistics 2026

The NYC Marathon received a record 200,000 applications in 2025, up 22% from 2024. The London Marathon ballot surpassed one million entries. RunSignup's platform now covers 50% of the US endurance market with 12.2 million registrations across 97,000+ events in 2025. Meanwhile, 61% of race transactions happen on mobile devices, and January 2025 saw 39% more registrations than January 2024. These 15 statistics reveal how runners are finding, entering, and planning around races in a sport that is growing faster than its event supply.

The race registration industry has changed dramatically in the past decade. What was once a paper-form-and-check-in-an-envelope process is now a mobile-first, mobile-dominant experience where the fastest-growing events sell out in minutes and the most popular marathons run lotteries with hundreds of thousands of applicants. The data below draws from RunSignup's 2024 and 2025 RaceTrends reports, Running USA's industry analysis, and data from major race operators.

These 15 statistics cover registration timing patterns, mobile behavior, event scale, market concentration, and the growing gap between demand and available spots at elite-level races.

1. RunSignup Covers an Estimated 50% of the US Endurance Market

RunSignup's 2025 Race Trends report was generated from data spanning 97,000+ events and 12.2 million registrations, representing at least 50% of the US-based endurance market. That market share makes RunSignup's annual data the most comprehensive public view of US race registration behavior available. For context, the 2024 report covered 85,000 events and 10.8 million registrations. The year-over-year growth in both events and registrations confirms that the US race market is not just recovering from pandemic disruption - it has surpassed prior peaks on most metrics.

Source: RunSignup - The State of the Industry: 2025 Race Trends Report

2. 61% of Race Registrations Happen on Mobile Devices

Mobile devices accounted for 61% of all race registration transactions in 2024, according to RunSignup's RaceTrends data. Mobile also accounted for 74% of race website views. The implication for runners is that the race registration process has shifted decisively to a smartphone experience. Events are discovered, researched, and paid for on the same device. For race directors, mobile-first registration design is no longer optional. For runners, this means registration windows can close rapidly - a sold-out notification on your phone often means the race is gone before you think to check on a desktop.

Source: RunSignup - The State of the Industry: 2024 RaceTrends Report

3. January 2025 Saw 39% More Registrations Than January 2024

Year-over-year registration data from RunSignup shows January 2025 was 39% higher than January 2024, with February 2025 showing a 42% increase. This New Year surge reflects how many runners set race goals at the start of the year and act on them immediately. January is now a peak registration month for spring races - half marathons and marathons in March through May fill their fields starting in January. Runners who wait until spring to register for spring races are increasingly finding that fields have partially or fully closed.

Source: RunSignup - The State of the Industry: 2025 Race Trends Report

4. The NYC Marathon Received 200,000 Applications in 2025

The TCS New York City Marathon recorded over 200,000 applications for its 2025 drawing - a 22% increase from 2024 and the most applicants in the event's history. The race accommodates approximately 55,000 runners. That means roughly 145,000 people who applied did not get a spot. Major marathons have crossed from selective to genuinely oversubscribed events. The gap between demand and supply at marquee races continues to widen as participation grows and event capacity remains constrained by city permits and course logistics.

Source: RaceID Organizer - 2025: Record-Breaking Year for Registrations

5. The London Marathon Ballot Exceeded One Million Entries

The London Marathon ballot surpassed one million entries in recent years, up from a record-breaking 840,318 in a prior ballot. London's general entry is a pure lottery: you apply, you wait for a random draw, and the vast majority do not receive a place. The London Marathon accepts approximately 50,000 runners per year, meaning the acceptance rate from the general ballot is well under 10% once charity, Good for Age, and elite spots are accounted for. The shift from "sign up to run" to "apply and hope" defines the modern experience of registering for elite road running events.

Source: Run247 - London Marathon Ballot: How to Enter

6. Race Week Registrations Account for Nearly 24% of All Sign-Ups

RunSignup's 2025 data shows that 23.7% of all registrations occur during race week, down slightly from 24-26% in prior years. Race day itself accounts for 3% of registrations, a slight increase. The pattern reveals two distinct registration behaviors: planners who sign up months in advance, and last-minute registrants who decide to run within the final week. Shorter races (5Ks and 10Ks) have higher proportions of late registrants - up to 39% for some event types - while half marathons and marathons see 8-11% late registration rates because of higher training commitment and price incentives for early entry.

Source: RunSignup - The State of the Industry: 2025 Race Trends Report

7. Registrations More Than 3 Months in Advance Increased from 13% to 14%

The proportion of runners registering more than 90 days before their race rose from 13% to 14% in 2024, a trend consistent with growing awareness that popular races sell out. For half marathons and marathons, 28-35% of registrations occur more than 120 days before race day. Early registration is also incentivized by tiered pricing - most events offer their lowest entry fees in the first registration window, with price increases at set intervals. The combination of supply constraints and price incentives is gradually shifting runner behavior toward earlier planning.

Source: RunSignup - The State of the Industry: 2024 RaceTrends Report

8. 87% of US Races Have Fewer Than 500 Participants

Despite the media focus on sold-out majors, 87% of US races have under 500 participants. Those small races collectively account for 38% of all participants. The typical race most runners will enter is a local community event, not a destination marathon. Registration for these events is straightforward: they rarely sell out weeks in advance, accept race-day sign-ups, and have no lottery system. The lived registration experience differs sharply between the typical race (available until the morning of) and the marquee race (lottery system with odds below 10%).

Source: RunSignup - The State of the Industry: 2025 Race Trends Report

9. The 2025 Race Trends Report Covers 12.2 Million Registrations

Year-over-year, RunSignup's registration data grew from 10.8 million registrations in the 2024 report to 12.2 million in the 2025 report. That 13% increase in registered participants reflects genuine growth in race-entering behavior, not just platform expansion. The total number of tracked events grew from 85,000 to 97,000 in the same period. Both the supply of races and the volume of registrations are expanding simultaneously, though supply growth is lagging demand at the top end of the market.

Source: RunSignup - The State of the Industry: 2025 Race Trends Report

10. US Race Participation Grew 5% in 2025 After 8.2% Growth in 2024

Per-race participation grew 5% in 2025, following 8.2% growth in 2024 and 11% in 2023. The deceleration from the post-pandemic surge is expected, but growth remains above pre-pandemic trend rates. More participants per race means more competition for registration spots, longer registration queues, and faster sellouts at established events. The runners are there. The events are growing. But the rate of new event creation has not kept pace with demand, particularly for half marathons and marathons in desirable locations.

Source: RunSignup - The State of the Industry: 2025 Race Trends Report

11. 51% of Races Now Use the RaceDay CheckIn App

The RaceDay CheckIn App reached record usage in 2025, with 51% of races on the platform using it to check in 60% of participants on race day. Digital check-in has replaced paper bib pick-up lists at a majority of events. For runners, this means registration confirmation is increasingly tied to a digital identity rather than a physical confirmation email. The integration of registration, timing, and results data into a single digital system also means race day logistics are becoming smoother - which indirectly supports higher participation rates by reducing friction at the event itself.

Source: RunSignup - The State of the Industry: 2025 Race Trends Report

12. Just 3.1% of 2024 Races Did Not Return in 2025

Race churn hit its lowest point since RunSignup began tracking in 2018, with only 3.1% of races with more than 500 participants failing to return in 2025. A stable event calendar is good for registration behavior: runners can plan a year in advance knowing that their target races are almost certain to happen. Low churn also builds event brand equity over time, which drives earlier registration and repeat participation. For runners building a multi-race annual calendar, the stability of the event landscape has never been higher.

Source: RunSignup - The State of the Industry: 2025 Race Trends Report

13. The Berlin Marathon Uses a Lottery for All Standard Entries

The BMW Berlin Marathon, one of the world's six Abbott World Marathon Majors, allocates all standard race entries by lottery. This places Berlin alongside Tokyo, London, New York, Chicago, and Boston as races where entry is not guaranteed by willingness to pay. Runners apply, wait for the draw, and may need multiple application attempts before securing a spot. Valencia Marathon announced a lottery entry system beginning in 2026, reflecting demand that has outpaced the event's capacity. The lottery model is spreading from the marquee six to the broader elite marathon tier.

Source: BMW BERLIN-MARATHON - Lottery Registration

14. Running USA Respondents Averaged 11 Events in the Past 12 Months

Running USA's 2025 Global Runner Survey found that respondents participated in an average of 11 events over the prior 12 months - roughly one event per month. Three-quarters of respondents said they planned to maintain or increase their race volume in 2025. The implication for registration behavior: active runners are managing a multi-race calendar at any given time, not deciding whether to run one annual race. They are registering for overlapping events across different distances and locations, which further pressures limited field sizes at desirable events.

Source: Running USA - 2025 Global Runner Survey Findings

15. 18-29 Year Olds Hit Their Highest Participation Rate Since 2017

Runners aged 18-29 made up 17.9% of all 2025 participants on RunSignup's platform, the highest share since 2017. Younger runners register later, primarily via mobile, and are more likely to respond to social referrals and team registration features. This demographic is also driving growth in shorter distances - 5Ks and 10Ks - where the registration window is longer and the barrier to entry is lower. As this cohort ages into half marathon and marathon distance preferences, the demand pressure on elite race registration is likely to intensify over the next five to ten years.

Source: RunSignup - The State of the Industry: 2025 Race Trends Report

What These Numbers Tell Runners

The race registration landscape has bifurcated. At the top end - the Abbott World Marathon Majors and other elite events - supply is dramatically constrained. The NYC Marathon sees nearly four applicants per available spot. London's ballot acceptance rate is well under 10%. These races require long-term planning, sometimes years of lottery applications, and often charity entry as an alternative pathway.

For the 87% of races with under 500 participants, the experience is different. Registration typically stays open until race morning. Entry fees are lower. The planning timeline is weeks, not years. Most runners' race careers will unfold primarily in this second tier, with occasional marquee events serving as bucket-list achievements rather than annual fixtures. The broader landscape of destination racing is explored in our race travel statistics, which documents how runners are increasingly combining travel and race registration into multi-day experiences.

The consistent trend across both tiers is mobile-first behavior. Registration happens on phones, confirmation comes via apps, and bib pickup increasingly goes digital. As highlighted in our road race statistics overview, the infrastructure supporting mass-participation running is modernizing quickly - and the gap between available race spots and runner demand is closing in only one direction.

Race registration is increasingly a planning and patience problem, not just a payment step.

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