Runners participate in last year’s half-marathon. Photos courtesy of Sports Backers.
It’s half the distance and twice as popular.
Race organizer Sports Backers had to close off registration last month for this weekend’s half-marathon after hitting a new high and surpassing 10,000 paid participants.
The American Family Fitness Half Marathon and the Anthem Richmond Marathon, both put on by nonprofit Sports Backers, will bring thousands of runners to the city on Saturday
The popularity of the half-marathon reflects a trend that race organizers are experiencing across the country. In 2013, a record-breaking 1.9 million runners completed half-marathons nationwide, according to Runners USA. A little more than half a million people finished full marathons last year.
This year, both Richmond’s half-marathon and marathon broke their participant records. As of Wednesday – three days before the event – 6,497 had signed up for the full marathon. Last year, just over 6,100 registered.
Numbers for the half climbed to more than 10,000 before Sports Backers cut off registration on Oct. 31. That’s up from 9,118 participants last year and big leap from 4,619 in 2008.
“The half-marathon actually started here in 2008, and we’ve seen growth every year,” said Pete Woody, communications manager for Sports Backers. The nonprofit sports commission took over marathon operations in 1998.
Runners compete at the 2013 American Family Fitness Half Marathon.
Registration fees for the half-marathon changed throughout the year. From the day of last year’s event until March 31, 2014, runners paid $70 to sign up. That grew gradually to $100 for those who registered between Oct. 1 and Nov. 11, then jumped to $110 for walk-up registration Nov. 13 and 14.
Woody attributes the half-marathon’s increase in popularity to its manageable distance, especially in terms of training. And Virginia Sparrow, a 40-year-old Richmond resident who has been running for four years, echoed that logic.
“I found that training for a marathon takes you away from your family and your kids,” Sparrow said. “If I’m going to be a consistent runner and a mom, I can only do two or three hours on a Sunday. So I’ve come back to half marathons.”
“And it’s not a distance to sneeze at,” she said. “It’s a distance you have to train for or you’ll get hurt.”
Female participation in the 13.1-mile event has also grown locally and nationwide. Woody said 64 percent of this year’s half-marathon runners are women. The full marathon remains split fairly evenly between men and women.
While 70 percent of the runners are local to Virginia, participants from 18 different countries have registered, with Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand and Mexico coming in as the highest-represented outside of the U.S.
Runners from 49 states will come to Richmond for the race this weekend, as well– only Nevada will not be represented.
The marathon is one of the three largest events Sports Backers hosts every year, joining the Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10K and Dominion Riverrock. In 2013, 40,270 participated in the Monument Avenue 10K, and Dominion Riverrock had 4,500 participants and 100,000 spectators.
Woody did not say what percentage of Sports Backers’ yearly revenue comes from these events. He said the nonprofit organization receives its funding from entry fees, sponsorships, grants, private donations and some government funding and has seen growth in the past several years that it puts toward hosting more fitness events.
According to tax forms the organization filed with the IRS, in 2012 Sports Backers brought in $6.5 million in revenue, compared to $5.3 million in 2011. Of that 2012 revenue, $3.4 million came from entry fees.
The organization filed $6.3 million in expenses in 2012, leaving a $220,743 surplus for the year.
Its financials for 2013 were not yet available.
Runners participate in last year’s half-marathon. Photos courtesy of Sports Backers.
It’s half the distance and twice as popular.
Race organizer Sports Backers had to close off registration last month for this weekend’s half-marathon after hitting a new high and surpassing 10,000 paid participants.
The American Family Fitness Half Marathon and the Anthem Richmond Marathon, both put on by nonprofit Sports Backers, will bring thousands of runners to the city on Saturday
The popularity of the half-marathon reflects a trend that race organizers are experiencing across the country. In 2013, a record-breaking 1.9 million runners completed half-marathons nationwide, according to Runners USA. A little more than half a million people finished full marathons last year.
This year, both Richmond’s half-marathon and marathon broke their participant records. As of Wednesday – three days before the event – 6,497 had signed up for the full marathon. Last year, just over 6,100 registered.
Numbers for the half climbed to more than 10,000 before Sports Backers cut off registration on Oct. 31. That’s up from 9,118 participants last year and big leap from 4,619 in 2008.
“The half-marathon actually started here in 2008, and we’ve seen growth every year,” said Pete Woody, communications manager for Sports Backers. The nonprofit sports commission took over marathon operations in 1998.
Runners compete at the 2013 American Family Fitness Half Marathon.
Registration fees for the half-marathon changed throughout the year. From the day of last year’s event until March 31, 2014, runners paid $70 to sign up. That grew gradually to $100 for those who registered between Oct. 1 and Nov. 11, then jumped to $110 for walk-up registration Nov. 13 and 14.
Woody attributes the half-marathon’s increase in popularity to its manageable distance, especially in terms of training. And Virginia Sparrow, a 40-year-old Richmond resident who has been running for four years, echoed that logic.
“I found that training for a marathon takes you away from your family and your kids,” Sparrow said. “If I’m going to be a consistent runner and a mom, I can only do two or three hours on a Sunday. So I’ve come back to half marathons.”
“And it’s not a distance to sneeze at,” she said. “It’s a distance you have to train for or you’ll get hurt.”
Female participation in the 13.1-mile event has also grown locally and nationwide. Woody said 64 percent of this year’s half-marathon runners are women. The full marathon remains split fairly evenly between men and women.
While 70 percent of the runners are local to Virginia, participants from 18 different countries have registered, with Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand and Mexico coming in as the highest-represented outside of the U.S.
Runners from 49 states will come to Richmond for the race this weekend, as well– only Nevada will not be represented.
The marathon is one of the three largest events Sports Backers hosts every year, joining the Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10K and Dominion Riverrock. In 2013, 40,270 participated in the Monument Avenue 10K, and Dominion Riverrock had 4,500 participants and 100,000 spectators.
Woody did not say what percentage of Sports Backers’ yearly revenue comes from these events. He said the nonprofit organization receives its funding from entry fees, sponsorships, grants, private donations and some government funding and has seen growth in the past several years that it puts toward hosting more fitness events.
According to tax forms the organization filed with the IRS, in 2012 Sports Backers brought in $6.5 million in revenue, compared to $5.3 million in 2011. Of that 2012 revenue, $3.4 million came from entry fees.
The organization filed $6.3 million in expenses in 2012, leaving a $220,743 surplus for the year.
Its financials for 2013 were not yet available.