Each spring, the American Trail Running Association conducts a survey to measure trail running trends from our national audience. This year we had over 1600 respondents. Complete survey results are made available to corporate members at the Switchback, Steep & Rocky and All-terrain levels.
The following selected outtakes are from our most recent trail running survey conducted in May/June of this year with data comparisons to our 2020 spring survey. The following are selected survey highlights.
2021 Trail Runner Participant Profile [vs. 2020]:
- Gender of survey participants. [2021] 53% male, 46% female vs. [2020] 56% male; 42% female.
- Age range of survey participants. [2021] 20% ages 20-39, 58% ages 40-59 vs. [2020] 24% ages 20-39; 57% ages 40-59
- How long have you been running on the trails? [2021] 51% more than 10 years vs. [2020] 47%
- How many days per week do you run on trails? [2020 and 2021] 44% run 3-5 days per week
- How many miles do you run per week? [2020 and 2021] 48% run 6-20 miles, 5% run more than 50 miles vs. [2021] 4% run more than 50 miles vs. [2020] 5%.
- What type of trail surface to you typically run on? [2021] 58% mix it up, some days preferring gnarly, some days gentle trail vs. [2020] 55%
- What is your favorite type of trail? [2021] 47% list single-track as favorite type of trail vs. [2020] 44%
- What kind of trail running do you prefer? [2021 and 2020], 83% prefer a mix of ascending and descending.
- How many races will you run this year? [2021 and 2020], 73% will run 1-5 races and 4% will run more than 10 races this year.
- What is your favorite trail race distance? [2021] 38% prefer racing 50K or longer, 5% prefer racing 10K or shorter, 4% don’t race vs. [2020] 28% prefer racing 26 miles or more, 35% prefer between 6-14 miles
- Do you run on trails with a dog? [2021 and 2020], 32% responded “yes”
Pandemic-related responses:
How has the amount of time you spend trail running changed since the start of the pandemic March 2020?
- I spend the same amount of time trail running – 56%
- I spend more time trail running – 28%
- I spend less time trail running – 16%
Have you explored any new trails since the start of the pandemic March 2020?
- Yes, I’m enjoying some new trails – 40%
- A little of both. I run the same trails and I’m exploring new trails – 37%
- I’m running the same trails – 21%
- I don’t run on trails – 2%
How many trail races do you plan to run virtually in 2021?
- None – 83%
- One to 5 – 16%
- 6 or more – 1%
Use of Activity Trackers and Training Logs:
More survey respondents are running with GPS watches in 2021; the most since we’ve been doing surveys.
- Do you run with a GPS watch? [2021] 77% run with a GPS watch vs. [2020] 73%
- Do you run with a GPS watch or smartphone app? [2021] 10% don’t use a GPS watch or smartphone app vs. [2020] 12%
- Do you record you running mileage in a journal or calendar? [2021 and 2020] 13% responded “yes.”
Running Shoe, Sock, and Hydration Preferences:
Sock preferences are stable, more runners are using trail specific shoes and hydration vests.
- What length socks do you wear while trail running? [2021] 49% typically wear ankle-length socks vs. [2020] 50%
- What thickness of sock do you wear trail running? [2021] 62% of respondents said they wear light-cushioned socks vs. [2020] 64%.
- Do you wear trail specific shoes while running on trails? [2021] 83% of respondents answered “yes” vs. [2020] 80%
- Do you wear a hydration vest while running on trails? [2021] 71% of respondents answered “yes” vs. [2020] 64%
- If you don’t wear a hydration vest, do you only hydrate before and after your run? [2021] 8% of respondents answered “yes” vs. [2020] 11%
- What is your favorite brand of hydration vest? [2021] 43% of respondents choose Nathan, 31% Ultimate Direction, 24% CamelBak and 23% Salomon vs. [2020] 38% Nathan, 31% Ultimate Direction, 26% CamelBak and 20% Salomon.
Top Seven Running Shoe Brands from 2018 to 2021:
Altra has been the #1 brand for survey respondents for the past four years but Hoka One One has gained share and is now tied with Altra for #1.
- Altra [2018] 19.9% vs. [2019] 20.9% vs. [2020] 20.8% vs. [2021] 22%
- Hoka One One [2018] 14.6% vs. [2019] 18.6% vs. [2020] 19.6% vs. [2021] 22%
- Salomon [2018] 11.9% vs. [2019] 10% vs. [2020] 10% vs. [2021] 11%
- Brooks [2018] 12.3% vs. [2019] 12.4% vs. [2020] 11.7% vs. [2021] 10%
- Saucony [2018] 8.7% vs. [2019] 8.9% vs. [2020] 7.8% vs. [2021] 8%
- La Sportiva [2018] 5.6% vs. [2019] 5.3% vs. [2020] 4.0% vs. [2021] 4%
- New Balance [2018] 4.7% vs. [2019] 4.9% vs. [2020] 4.0% vs. [2021] 3.5%
Past ATRA Survey Summaries:
- May 2020 – Spring Trail Running Survey Summary.
- November 2020 – Trail Running in the Pandemic.
- July 2019 – Montage Mountain Half Marathon Survey Summary.
- February 2019 – FOURmidable 50K Survey Summary.
- December 2018 – Moab Trail Marathon Survey Summary.
- Spring 2018 – General Trail Running Survey Summary.
- Spring 2017 – General Trail Running Survey Summary.
- Spring 2016 – General Trail Running Survey Summary.
- December 2016 – Moab Trail Marathon Survey Summary.
- November 2015 – Gender Equity in Mountain Running Survey.
