Running boom of the 1970s

The running boom of the 1970s occurred in high- and middle-income countries. It was particularly pronounced in the United States and occurred in other countries including the United Kingdom and other European countries, Australia and New Zealand.[1][2]

The boom was primarily a 'jogging' movement in which running was generally limited to personal physical activity and often pursued alone for recreation and fitness. It was also associated with a growth in public participation in competitive road running during the decade, particularly in the United States, which spread to other countries in the following decade, including the United Kingdom.[3] It is estimated that 25 million Americans took up some aspect of running in the 1970s and 1980s,[4] including President Jimmy Carter.[5] With more running events, shoe and apparel manufacturers grew and formed to accommodate the demand.

The boom attracted women and individuals in minority communities, but studies from the time showed that participants in running races were most commonly university-educated men in white-collar occupations.[1][6]

  1. ^ a b Nilson, Finn; Lundkvist, Erik; Wagnsson, Stefan; Gustafsson, Henrik (2019-12-19). "Has the second 'running boom' democratized running? A study on the sociodemographic characteristics of finishers at the world's largest half marathon". Sport in Society. 24 (4): 659–669. doi:10.1080/17430437.2019.1703687. ISSN 1743-0437.
  2. ^ "The second running boom". POGO Physio Gold Coast. 2015-10-21. Retrieved 2020-11-05. As well as the USA, the first running boom did spread to other countries, including the UK Australia, and New Zealand
  3. ^ "Seb Coe: The London Marathon made running a normal thing to do". Evening Standard. 2017-09-29. Retrieved 2020-11-05. in the early 1970s ... people just didn't run unless they were members of the local athletics club. ... The marathon runner was looked on as a slightly quirky, sometimes eccentric, figure. That ... changed ... quite dramatically in April 1981 ... Olympians Chris Brasher and John Disley ... were inspired by the running revolution that was taking place in the United States from the middle 1970s onwards and the increasing popularity of city marathons like those in New York and Boston. They decided to recreate the same classic race in London. At the same time in Newcastle the Pied Piper of British athletics, Brendan Foster, was doing the same with the first Great North Run. Suddenly, the people who turned out to line the streets, and many more at home who watched on television ... witnessed not just a handful of elite athletes at the front of the field but crucially, a lot of people making up the numbers who looked a lot like them. The combined efforts of Foster, Brasher and Disley did a great deal to change attitudes to recreational running — which was cleverly aligned to the prevailing health and fitness agenda.
  4. ^ "Health Benefits of Jogging and Running". Motleyhealth.com. Retrieved 2016-05-12.
  5. ^ "Nation: I've Got to Keep Trying". TIME. 1979-10-01. Archived from the original on March 8, 2008. Retrieved 2016-05-12.
  6. ^ Leavy, Jane; Okie, Susan (1979-09-30). "The Runner: Phenomenon Of the '70s". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2020-11-06. He is white, white collar and well off.