Half marathon distance experiences fourth largest finisher total in history
WICHITA, Kan. – (June 20, 2017) – A total of 1,900,000 runners finished a half marathon in the U.S. in 2016, down from the record high of just over two million finishers in 2014 and slightly down from the 1,986,600 total in 2015. While participation dropped, there were a record 2,800 U.S. half marathon events in 2016, up from 2,700 in 2015.
The Airbnb Brooklyn Half Marathon retained the top spot as the largest half marathon in the United States with 27,428 finishers, while the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon and Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon ranked second and third with more than 22,000 finishers each.
The top 15 half marathons in the U.S. remained fairly consistent, with minor movements overall. New editions to this year’s list include Disney’s Star Wars Half Marathon and the Wine and Dine Half Marathon, while the Nike Women’s Half Marathon in San Francisco did not occur, moving off the list after hosting 25,100 finishers in 2015. Overall, there were 31 half marathons with 10,000+ finishers.
Running USA members can access the full 2016 Running USA Annual Half Marathon Report in the member content library by logging in here. Not yet a member, learn more.
|
Year |
Estimated U.S. Half Marathon |
|
1990 |
303,000 |
|
1995 |
420,000 |
|
2000 |
482,000 |
|
2004 |
612,000 |
|
2005 |
658,000 |
|
2006 |
724,000 |
|
2007 |
796,000 |
|
2008 |
900,000 |
|
2009 |
1,113,000 |
|
2010 |
1,385,000 |
|
2011 |
1,610,000 |
|
2012 |
1,850,000 |
|
2013 |
1,960,000 |
|
2014 |
2,046,600 |
|
2015 |
1,986,600 |
|
2016 |
1,900,000 |
|
Top 15 U.S. Half Marathons |
|||
|
2016 Ranking |
2015 Ranking |
Event |
Finishers |
|
1 |
1 |
Airbnb Brooklyn Half Marathon |
27,428 |
|
2 |
4 |
OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon |
24,768 |
|
3 |
3 |
Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas |
22,086 |
|
4 |
5 |
Walt Disney World Half Marathon |
21,495 |
|
5 |
6 |
NYC Half Marathon |
20,140 |
|
6 |
– |
Star Wars Half Marathon – The Dark Side |
18,162 |
|
7 |
8 |
Country Music Half Marathon |
18,144 |
|
8 |
7 |
Disney Princess Half Marathon |
18,094 |
|
9 |
14 |
San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon |
16,814 |
|
10 |
9 |
Rock ‘n’ Roll USA Half Marathon |
14,498 |
|
11 |
16 |
Lifetime Miami Half Marathon |
14,205 |
|
12 |
11 |
Pittsburgh Half Marathon |
14,132 |
|
13 |
10 |
Disneyland Half Marathon |
13,082 |
|
14 |
– |
Wine and Dine Half Marathon |
12,651 |
|
15 |
12 |
Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon |
12,248 |
SOURCE: Running USA with Athlinks
