Number of Finishers
2011 – 469,602
2012 – 692,815
2013 – 758,038
2014 – 722,237
2015 – 733,576
Number of Events
2011 – 1,128
2012 – 1,506
2013 – 2,042
2014 – 1,843
2015 – 1,584
Halloween Race Participation Grows, Maintains Ranking as Second Most Popular Running Holiday
More than 730,000 runners participate in nearly 1,600 events
WICHITA, Kan. – Halloween race participation continues to thrive despite a decline in total number of events held, as 733,576 runners finished a Halloween week race in 2015, up from 722,237 total finishers in 2014.
Similar to last year, Halloween ranks as the second most active holiday for road race participation, trailing only Thanksgiving. The growing desire of runners to compete in themed races, such as costume and zombie runs, continues to drive much of the excitement around the holiday.
With a nearly two-percent increase in participation year-over-year, Halloween races provided a boost to the overall annual road running finisher decline of 9% nationwide, according to the Running USA U.S. Race Trends.
“The growth we’ve seen with Halloween races reflects the year-round trend of more runners seeking out events which are truly unique in theme, social and festive,” said Rich Harshbarger, Running USA CEO.
Since tracking began in 2011, Halloween race finisher totals have grown more than 60%, rising dramatically from 469,602 finishers in 2011. The finisher tally from 2015 ranks only behind the record total of 758,038 from 2013.
Despite higher participation numbers, the amount of events decreased for the second straight year, with 1,584 races being staged, down from 1,843 in 2014, which was down from the record number of 2,042 in 2013.
