Has the UK become a nation of runners?

The London Marathon will be held in 2026 in a record-breaking number of people have registered.

Event organisers said more than 1.1 million applications had been received, smashing the previous record of 840, 318 set by last year’s ballot.

The largest day of marathon running ever to take place in the UK was last Sunday when more than 90,000 people ran 26.2 miles across the marathons in London and Manchester.

When you dig into what’s happening, some aspects really stand out:

Believe it or not, the first London Marathon saw a female athlete make up just 4% of the 7, 000 runners up until 1975 when women were prohibited from competing in road races longer than 6 kilometers.

In this year’s edition, 45% of the 56, 640 participants were women – and women made up 49.55% of UK applications for the 2026 ballot.

In 2021, Molly Slater-Davison founded the women’s-only run club These Girls Run, motivated by her own struggles to locate a welcoming local club and some unpleasant running experiences, including being followed and being harassed.

These Girls Run, which operates under the tagline “safe, sweaty, and supportive,” has seen a lot of social media growth, and it currently has record-breaking attendance rates at all nine of its UK locations.

“It’s that social effect – ‘ if my friend’s doing it, then I can'”, said Slater-Davison.

Women who are beginning to run 5 km and share their experiences on social media with longer distance runs have really benefited from sharing their experiences.

A key reason for the surge in running is the increased number of events on offer, with more people than ever taking part in them.

Parkrun has incredibly contributed to our becoming a runner-friendly nation.

Its first run at London’s Bushy Park was conducted 21 years ago, with only 13 runners and 5 volunteers. Now, there are more than 2, 500 events globally with an average of 450, 000 participants every week.

Everyone is equal, whether you walk or run, which is what makes Parkrun so appealing.

The average finish time is continuing to slow as more people take part. Last month it was 33 minutes, compared with 22 minutes in 2005 – something organisers say they are” really proud of”.

However, the number of runners up for the London Marathon suggests we are particularly enthusiastic about endurance away from a 5 km run in your neighborhood park.

The most popular running distance is 10 kilometers, according to England Athletics, followed closely by half-marathons and ultramarathons, which are defined as any distance after the traditional 26.2 miles.

The number of registered grassroots athletics clubs is also at an all-time high, with England Athletics telling BBC Sportthe grassroots athletics scene is “flourishing” and “stronger than ever”.

Over the past ten years, there has been a rise in demand for thecoveted Six Star Medal awarded to runners who complete Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City.

Only 97 UK Six Star finishers were there in 2015, or so. After last week’s London Marathon, there were 2, 023.

There is truly a race for everyone somewhere in the world, so don’t worry if you’re not into pavement-pounding.

Running has been proven to have advantages for both physical fitness and mental health. Many people turned to running during the pandemic as a way to stay active, but five years on the trend has stuck around, in turn becoming more of a lifestyle than a sport.

More than anyone else, the younger generations are adopting that lifestyle. Millennials and Gen Z are increasingly switching late-night binge drinking for early-morning endorphin highs to compete in run-and-earn virtual kudos on fitness apps like Strava.

Friday Night Lights stage 5km and 10km events in cities across the country for tens of thousands of people, sold with the promise of attending” the UK’s healthiest night out”. London Marathon Events has recently invested in the idea because of the high demand for running among 18-34-year-olds.

According to Friday Night Lights founder Charlie A, “The growth has been rapid and shows that people are crying out for something social that doesn’t wreck their weekend with crippling hangovers.”

Running hasn’t always been a popular pastime.

It wasn’t until the mid-late 1970s when a jogging boom took off across the UK.

There was a rise in interest in road running as a leisure activity and a way to stay healthy and fit, in part because of trends in the US.

One million people now consider themselves runners, competing in everything from fun runs to marathons.

This growth is underlined by the London Marathon ballot today.

More than 7 000 people participated in the first London Marathon in 1981.

More than one million people have cast ballots for the London Marathon in 2026, compared to a decade ago.

The growth in demand reflects the nationwide trend for being active. We generally as a society are moving more than ever. The highest level on record was reached by the Sport England Active Lives survey conducted last month, which revealed that between November 2023 and November 2024, there were more people in England engaging in physical activity.

And while the number of adults who run is under the pre-pandemic peak of seven million, according to Sport England, it has grown 350, 000 year on year to six and a half million.

Given the rise in event participation, it seems that despite the overall number being lower than it has been, many of those who run show more vigor than before.

Phily Bowden, the third British woman to win the London Marathon elite race last Sunday, said: “I like to say I was there before it was cool.

“It’s definitely growing.

If you don’t do any cardio and aren’t physically fit when you first start running, the first six to eight weeks will be difficult and won’t be very enjoyable.

The best thing about getting into shape is that you can just go outside and enjoy a run or exercise. So I love that other people have tapped into that and discovered that”.

Will it continue to exist or is it just a fad?

Bowden believes it’s still relevant, despite the fact that she wants to compete in a second marathon major this year.

“We’ve all seen how running can help our mental health and how it can be a really great part of our routine. So I hope the running continues as long as the memories last.