It seems like running is becoming more and more popular each year, and with last month’s sold out Dublin half marathon, it's clear that it’s popularity isn't slowing down any time soon. Robert Hogan gives his takes on Strava, Social Media and why the rise of running isn’t going away.
With the rise of fitness influencers throughout the last number of years, alongside the isolation and boredom during COVID-19 lockdowns, running has quickly become one of the most common forms of exercise. From ParkRuns to full marathons, let’s take a look at what has caused the rapid rise in running, and why the oldest form of exercise is taking over the streets of Dublin.
The 2016 Dublin Marathon was the first sold-out Dublin Marathon, with around 21,000 applicants and only a little under 20,000 places on the starting line. Less than a decade later, by 2024 that number had shot up to nearly 40,000 runners applying to take part with only 22,500 spots available. So what’s caused this increase in demand to take part in the world’s “friendly marathon”.
During COVID-19, in the absence of gyms, people began turning to running as a cure for boredom and an alternative form of fitness. This led to trends such as ‘run 5, donate 5, nominate 5’, a trend where someone would run 5km, donate €5 to a charity, and nominate 5 of their friends. With the popularity of the challenge, and certain celebrities accidentally claiming record breaking 5k times, running became a trend. Since then, we’ve seen a massive spike in the use of apps such as MapMyRun, Nike Run Club, and, most notably, Strava.
If you're not running, your friends can see it!
Strava is an app that allows users to track distance, time, heart rate, elevation, and a number of other factors, as well as allowing users to add friends. This adds a level of accountability because, if you’re not running, your friends can see it! Running has also become massively popular on social media, with ‘#running’ accumulating 439.5 million posts on TikTok and 99.5m posts on Instagram. This ‘social media-fication’ of running has drastically increased the number of runners on both your social media feed and the streets around us.
There are currently 154 ParkRun locations in Ireland. This initiative promotes casual running as well as competitive running as times are recorded, providing accessibility to all kinds of runners. These 5km runs take place on Saturday mornings in parks all around the country. Initiatives like this, as well as running clubs for beginners and more advanced runners, give an opportunity to add a social aspect into what can be considered a lonely sport. There is even a casual ‘fun run club’ right here in Belfield, organised by UCD Athletics - runs are organised in a WhatsApp group that can be joined from their Instagram.
This March saw the first Dublin City Half Marathon, with around 12,000 runners turning out on the sunny Sunday morning. Much like the Dublin Marathon, demand exceeded supply and the event was a sell-out. In the past, 13.1 miles was an unattainable running distance for the vast majority, but with the increased availability of running plans on apps such as Nike Run Club, beginner runners can reach these distances in a healthy manner in around half a year - or quicker.
From personal experience, running is addictive. Once I completed my first half marathon, I was gunning for another race, which led to my first marathon later on in the year. With most runners falling victim to this mindset, it’s safe to say that the popularity of running is continuing to grow and it’s at no risk of declining anytime soon.