Mass Participation sports: 35–39 bracket adds 15% of all new participants.
New era for UK racing: Younger runners and gender parity fuel 8% surge in the industry.
A new report from Eventrac reveals a major shift in the UK mass participation market, with the 25–39 age group now the primary driver of growth. While the traditional 40–44 peak is beginning to flatten, every age bracket under 40 gained market share in 2025.
Key Trends Reshaping the Start Line:
- The Youth Move: The 35–39 bracket alone contributed 15% of all new participants.
- Gender Parity: In the 20–24 age group, participation has reached a near-perfect split (49.7% female vs 49.9% male).
- Booking Habits: 75% of transactions are now completed via digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay.
- Local Focus: The average participant travels just 24–26 miles, showing a strong preference for local races over destination events.
While running remains dominant—accounting for 80% of bookings—walking events saw the strongest year-on-year growth at 13.4%. Within running, half marathons led the charge with a 25% increase in entries.
Despite the growth, retention is a hurdle; only 26% of participants returned to the same event organiser in 2025, suggesting a “one and done” trend that organisers will look to tackle in 2026.
Get the report from Eventrac
Take Away
as reported on this site several times last year, the younger demographics are now the ones accounting for much of the upsurge in mass participation events.
The key opportunity for wearable tech companies is to be the first sports watch these new participants buy, potentially securing them as customers for many years to come.
The problem is that many may already have smart watches that are more than up to the job. The longer a person takes to understand that they may need more than a simple smart watch, the more likely it is they will choose a Garmin.
Customers: Grab ’em while you can.
Last Updated on 31 January 2026 by the5krunner
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tfk is the founder and author of the5krunner, an independent endurance sports technology publication. With 20 years of hands-on testing of GPS watches and wearables, and competing in triathlons at an international age-group level, tfk provides in-depth expert analysis of fitness technology for serious athletes and endurance sport competitors.
