More marathons or fewer Fetchies?

5 watchers

Fitz May 2016 12:34pm, 7 May 2016 1,504 posts	0 Fitz Looking at marathons in the race listings, it seems the number of Fetchies taking part is decreasing steadily each year. Examples: London 2012 = 777. 2016 = 358 Milton Keynes 2012 = 139. 2016 = 42 Halstead (just cos I'm running there tomorrow) 2012 = 60. 2016 = 13. Each shows a steady decline through the intervening years too. Is it because there are now more marathons to choose from? Is it because fewer people are using Fetch to record their race diaries and results? Is it because no-one does maras any more, everyone has moved on to ultras, triathlons and Ironmen? Just wonderin' like.
HappyG(rrr) May 2016 12:41pm, 7 May 2016 25,627 posts	0 HappyG(rrr) I thought same, looking back at 2008 and 2009 Edinburgh marathons. Must be more marathons? Also, I think the bigger Fetch land now means people don't Fetch-flock to the same marathon (like Abingdon, Thunder Run, Edinburgh were just big Fetch fests)? Dunno tho. There certainly aren't fewer Fetchies. G
BaronessBL May 2016 12:46pm, 7 May 2016 5,477 posts	0 BaronessBL It's possible that fewer people add themselves to races in advance... I know I am guilty of that. I will add a race to my 'portfolio' after the event, but not always beforehand. But if they are not adding it before the event maybe then some just forget to do it altogether. I expect Mr Fetch has a spreadsheet for it though
Badger May 2016 1:02pm, 7 May 2016 7,319 posts	0 Badger It isn't just marathons; I noticed the same thing and was looking back at halves and 10ks I've done in the past. Numbers falling off everywhere. Maybe everyone's running ultras instead.
Winded May 2016 1:08pm, 7 May 2016 4,085 posts	0 Winded Runners with injuries do other things - maybe there are lots of injuries.
northernslowcoach May 2016 1:12pm, 7 May 2016 12,982 posts	0 northernslowcoach When I first joined fetch I was running a race a month, now it's a couple a year. I still running but not interested in racing any more
plodding hippo May 2016 1:13pm, 7 May 2016 50,954 posts	0 plodding hippo wel thre are definitely more marathons I used to get a rest between december and march, but not now
Night-owl May 2016 1:39pm, 7 May 2016 23,569 posts	0 Night-owl more people deciding they don't necessarily have to run a marathon more doing parkrun or Ultras as has been mentioned
Velociraptor May 2016 1:58pm, 7 May 2016 33,749 posts	0 Velociraptor Given that there are more people registered on Fetch, and lots of people still seem to be taking part in events, I'd be very interested to see the trend in what sort of events we, as a community, are taking part in. If we were all about the marathons seven or eight years ago (and I mostly was), what are we doing now? Has Sharkie quietly created a little community of sprinters? Are ultramarathons the biggie nowadays? There seems to be a proliferation of multi-sport events out there, is that what Fetchies are doing? Or are people still doing marathons, but shunning the eye-watering costs and fiddly logistics of big city events and spreading themselves around smaller races instead? What about the Enigma marathons - is that where the party's at nowadays, or has that phenomenon peaked too? I can't imagine that people have stopped doing marathons because of parkrun.
FenlandRunner May 2016 5:15pm, 7 May 2016 8,637 posts	0 FenlandRunner "Or are people still doing marathons, but shunning the eye-watering costs and fiddly logistics of big city events and spreading themselves around smaller races instead?" Spot on V'Rap. And I don't see the waiting list for Snowdonia Marathon decreasing?