Ultrarunning and path working have skilled explosive progress over the previous a number of many years. In the USA alone, this proliferation has attracted new audiences and folks from each nook of the nation and past. This sample is mirrored globally as nicely.
The ultrarunning and path working group remains to be comparatively small, and also you see related faces at main occasions. With the commercialization of sure occasions and qualifiers attracting vital consideration and promoting out rapidly, some races have ballooned from native occasions to nationwide and worldwide spectacles.
When trying via knowledge out there on ultramarathon statistics and previous articles, many present progress graphs up and to the correct. It’s evident that ultrarunning is rising, however what does that basically imply? How is it rising, and the place is it rising?
As somebody who has been touring the USA over the previous 12 months and attending path races in numerous states, I’m excited by higher understanding the group that these occasions entice. At a given path race, you’re certain to strike up a dialog with somebody on the expo or as you shuffle down the path. The laid-back nature of those occasions lends itself to dialog, and also you study so much — perhaps a bit an excessive amount of — about some of us.
It’s at all times fascinating to me the place an individual has traveled from for a specific occasion. Seldom is it the identical location, and the geographic variance lends itself to studying about different cities and cities scattered throughout the nation.
On this article, I purpose to visualise the geographic attain of ultrarunning and path working in the USA and the way they unify grime surfers from across the nation and past.
Let’s begin by one of the crucial high-profile ultras within the U.S., Javelina 100 Mile, and the way it has grown through the years to draw misfits from across the nation. Right here, we visualize that geographic progress:
The expansion is mesmerizing. From a small-time occasion that used to succeed in a handful of people, it has grown right into a nationwide occasion that brings in folks from most corners of the nation and past. I purpose to discover this idea additional on this article: What does a geographic lens reveal about ultrarunning within the U.S.?
Strategies and Notes
Notes on the info:
- Geographic constraint: Races within the U.S.
- Time constraint: Races from 2000 to 2023.
- Race dimension constraint: Races with at the least 10 finishers.
- Participant constraint: Races solely have particular person knowledge for finishers, not all individuals.
These constraints can be on all knowledge referenced within the article. For mapping location knowledge, I used the Google Maps Geocoding API to retrieve latitude and longitude coordinates. All runner knowledge comes from the DUV Ultramarathon Statistics Database.
A few final notes earlier than we dig in:
- As we’ll see, the races featured on this article signify an general development within the growth of U.S. ultrarunning and path working.
- We need to make clear on this article that we’re inspecting geographic progress in U.S. ultrarunning and path working solely. To do that, we use knowledge on the variety of occasions, their geographic places, and the evolution of the geographies from which individuals hail. There are different methods during which the expansion of those sports activities can and have been measured, equivalent to the general variety of individuals inside the occasions, that may give us different views on progress.
Total Ultramarathon Development in the USA
This text examines the expansion of ultrarunning within the U.S. via a geographical lens. Utilizing the geocoded race and participant knowledge, we are able to pinpoint and map the place ultrarunning exercise happens across the nation. I’ll begin by trying on the progress of ultrarunning from a excessive stage after which dive into some race-specific visualizations.
Ultrarunning is on the rise. Many individuals have in all probability seen a plot much like the one beneath. This graph exhibits the variety of extremely occasions within the U.S. through the years. Since 2000, the variety of races in our dataset has grown from 233 to 2033, a 772% improve.
Variety of ultramarathons within the U.S. over time.
Here’s what that progress has appeared like throughout the nation. Ultrarunning has gone from a reasonably inconspicuous sport to being discovered throughout all states.
Drilling down into the extremely scene a bit extra, it’s fascinating to see how the entry-level extremely distance, 50 kilometers, has grown in comparison with essentially the most famend extremely distance, 100 miles. The 50k has at all times been the most well-liked of the extremely distances with the bottom barrier to entry, and, aside from some brutal 50ks just like the Speedgoat 50k, extra manageable to complete.
Since 2000, the variety of 50k races in our dataset has grown from 89 to 760, a 753% improve.
This progress in 50k occasions is sort of much like the expansion in all occasions, and we are able to see that a variety of 50k occasions now exists throughout the county.
Analyzing 100-mile occasions over time, we see a progress from 19 occasions to 160, a 742% improve. The proportion improve within the 100-mile distance aligns with 50ks, however the absolute variety of 100-mile races stays considerably much less.
a geographic distribution of 100-mile occasions, we are able to see they’re fairly spaced out. In 2000, there was seldom multiple per state, and in 2023, whereas extra widespread, they’re nonetheless far more spaced out than the 50k graph.
Right here is an animation of how 100-mile races have unfold over time:
Participant Journey to Numerous Ultramarathons in the USA
Ultras have grown through the years with extra choices for shorter and longer distances. If you wish to discover a race of a specific sort comparatively near the place you reside, this has turn into extra possible. Some exceptions exist, equivalent to for those who reside in a comparatively ultra-dead zone. (Sorry, North Dakota.) Sure distances, such because the 50k, have extra choices to select from, whereas much less frequent occasions like 100 milers will make you search a bit tougher. It makes intuitive sense that the extra excessive or particular an occasion is, the extra seemingly it’s you will want to journey additional to compete in it.
For instance, let’s take a look at the Cocodona 250 Mile. It’s the solely 250-mile race within the U.S. within the DUV Ultramarathon Statistics dataset and one of some 200-plus-mile races nationwide. Having grown to nationwide prominence up to now few years, individuals are keen to journey from throughout the nation to run from Black Canyon Metropolis to Flagstaff, Arizona.
Pulling location knowledge for finishers on the occasion permits us to visualise journey to the 2023 Cocodona 250 Mile. As you possibly can see, folks journey from many components of the nation, with 35 states and provinces represented and a mean journey distance of over 900 miles.
The situation displays that entered by the participant when signing up for a particular occasion.
Enthusiastic about the Cocodona 250 Mile made me inquisitive about what will increase one’s propensity to journey lengthy distances to occasions. Because of the data-intensive nature of geocaching each finisher’s location, I selected a choose handful of occasions to look at in additional element. To look at tendencies by distance, I carried out a small evaluation utilizing the highest 10 hottest 50k races and 100-mile races within the dataset whereas excluding UTMB World Sequence races, as they didn’t embody participant location data.
The 2 metrics I centered on have been same-state p.c — the p.c of individuals whose location was in the identical state because the race, and common journey distance — the common distance in miles from a participant’s location to the occasion.
These metrics for 2023 race knowledge reveal some fascinating tendencies. On common, 50k races had a same-state share of 66.5%, whereas 100-mile races had a a lot decrease same-state share of 34.5%. The typical journey distance to 50k races was 266 miles in comparison with that of 589 miles for 100-mile races. These two metrics are almost double for the 100-mile versus 50k, displaying a willingness of individuals to journey longer distances for longer-distance occasions.
Here’s a visualization of one of many extra native 50k occasions, the Method Too Cool 50k in Cool, California.
As you possibly can see, there isn’t a lot variation in the place folks journey from 12 months to 12 months. It’s a predominantly California occasion, with 80 to 90% of individuals from inside the state.
Then again, let’s take a look at one of many extra widespread 100-mile occasions, the Javelina 100 Mile, close to Fountain Hills, Arizona.
The Javelina 100 Mile began out as an occasion with extra geographical attain as a consequence of the truth that 100-mile occasions have larger attain. Through the years, the expansion throughout the nation has been far more pronounced, with an growing quantity of individuals touring from throughout many states — and internationally — to attend the race.
Journey tendencies like this may be seen throughout the 100-mile distance. Let’s take a look at a pair extra examples.
These three 100-mile occasions have attracted an more and more big selection of oldsters nationwide. All three occasions are Western States 100 qualifiers and among the many hottest races at their distance. Over time, because the curiosity within the 100-mile distance has grown, these occasions have grown together with it, spreading their attain to extra states and provinces. The 2023 race view exhibits races with vital geographic attain, with all occasions promoting out that 12 months. Will these races proceed to broaden geographically within the years to come back?
Wanting on the Western States 100, we see a 100-mile race that has constantly been widespread nationwide. Since 2003, the Western States 100 has constantly attracted folks from greater than 40 states and provinces, touring a mean distance of over 900 miles. These numbers have barely elevated through the years because the race continues to achieve prominence on the worldwide stage, however it’s arduous for it to turn into far more widespread than it already is.
Ultramarathon Participant Propensity to Journey
Extremely-distance occasions have grown throughout the board lately. Shorter distance occasions, such because the 50k, and longer distance occasions, like 100-mile races, have each skilled this progress. Longer distance occasions stay extra scarce and geographically unfold out. This geographic dispersal and certain different elements lead to individuals being keen to journey additional distances to those extra distinctive occasions.
I’m nonetheless finalizing my definition of participant propensity to journey (PPT), however it could seemingly embody the next elements:
- Uniqueness of race: If a race distance is extra distinctive, individuals will journey additional to race that distance.
- Qualifying races: The emergence of qualifying races for prestigious races makes these invaluable in their very own proper.
- Location enchantment: Ultras are sometimes held in a number of the nation’s most stunning locations and are a superb excuse to take an lively trip.
- On-line presence: Social media and livestreams of the motion because it takes place construct hype round occasions, bringing in additional of us the next 12 months.
Ultrarunning’s progress throughout the U.S. through the years is fascinating to take a look at, and I’m positive it can proceed to be within the years to come back. Through the use of a geographic lens to look at extremely progress over time, I hope I’ve supplied a singular perspective on the game’s progress.
Name for Feedback
- What conjures up you to run sure occasions?
- What makes you keen to journey additional to a race?
- What different occasions would you prefer to see analyzed? (We’ll have a look into three further nominees.)