Runner’s World has a story looking at 2014 marathon statistics and there were some quick facts that I thought were interesting.
- In 1976, about 25,000 runners finished a marathon
- In 2014, 550,637 runners finished a marathon
- The number of marathon finishers has increased every year for the last 38 years
- In 1980, the average finishing time was 3:32 for men and 4:03 for women
- In 2014, the average finishing time was 4:19 for men and 4:44 for women
- In 1980, 10% of all marathoners were women
- In 2014, 47% of all marathoners were women
Data seems pretty straightforward, but if you want to read the full story and some analysis you can find it read the Runner’s World article.