RunSignup, a technology & registration provider for the US endurance event market, has released its 2026 Midyear RaceTrends Update. The data reveals that race participation and registration revenues continue to rise, whilst race cancellation rates remain near historic lows.
The report states that per-race participation grew by an average of 5.9% in the first half of 2026. This figures represents an increase from the 5% growth rate recorded across the whole of 2025. Race registration revenue reportedly grew by 9.9% per race, a gap that the company attributes to rising registration prices and add-on purchases.
Large races recorded the strongest growth of any cohort in the first half of the year. Events with 5,000 or more participants grew by 8.2%, outpacing all other race sizes for the first time since the pandemic.
Race churn, which measures the number of events that do not return year-on-year, remains low. Only 3.7% of races with more than 500 participants in 2025 did not return in 2026. This continues a multi-year trend that sits below pre-pandemic churn rates of 5%–7%.
Bob Bickel, CEO and Founder at RunSignup, said “The endurance market is very solid. Growth is steady, and churn is low. But that doesn’t mean race directors should be complacent – the market will always have ups and downs. The data suggests that now is the time for race directors to invest in reaching new runners and cultivating loyalty, while interest remains high.”
The report highlighted several other findings for the first half of 2026:
- Prices increased across all distances, with marathons up 5.3% and 10K events up 3.7%
- Registrations during race week fell to 17.4%, compared to 23.7% in 2025, suggesting that runners are registering earlier than the same period last year
- Female participants continue to make up the majority of the market at 53.2%
- Young adults aged 18–29 years old accounted for 21.8% of participants
- Mobile transactions made up 63% of all registrations, with 31.9% of all entries paid via Apple Pay in May 2026
The dataset used for the midyear update comprises internal company metrics from December 1, 2025 through May 31, 2026, representing 6.9 million registrants. RunSignup estimates that its platform handles up to 60% of the US endurance market.
The provider delivers event management technology, including registration platforms, websites, email marketing and fundraising tools to more than 39,000 events, non-profit organisations and international users.
