How common is running in your area?

In Central London where I work, too many to count!

Quite a few in North London where I live, but it seems that the majority of them stick to the parks and don't run on the roads.

I live in a large town - 185,000 people - and see quite a lot of runners.  There are several running clubs in the area, some quite large.

It doesn't spoil my run if they don't smile at me, though

I've just moved to Cardiff, and running is extremely popular here. There are also lots of running clubs in the area which is great

I aske earlier if anyone knew of any 'official' stats on what proportion of people are runners.... perhaps from a sizeable survey.  Since asking the question, I got a bit interested and googled... but didn't find much. 

As I type, I wonder if any of the shoe manufacturers' sites might have anything... 

...  Anyone know anything?

I live in Stevenage and there seems to be loads around here. Though I suspect that that is partly due to the road layout and amount of cyclepaths here which means people gravitate to similar routes rather than a disproprtionately high volume. I can predict fairly accurately where I am likely to see people and where I won't, likewise out in the fields it is not unusual for me to see no one else.

I live in village of less than 50 people, I never see anyone, runners or not, I see a lot of rabbits, the occasional fox, deer, badger's and rats.

*shy wave* Hellooooo, new person around these parts of the internet!

At home? Living in a village consisting of mostly takeaways and pubs, I never really see anyone, which is a shame cos the countryside is gorgeous. In cardiff at uni...there's so many I have a bad habit of colliding with people on corners...awks. 

I live in a village just outside of a large (ish) town, I have only ever seen a handful of runners in the town and nobody from my village, however when I attend the weekly parkrun there is recognisable faces from all around, so maybe they only run on Saturdays for the social aspect or competition?

Run Wales wrote (see)

I aske earlier if anyone knew of any 'official' stats on what proportion of people are runners.... perhaps from a sizeable survey.  Since asking the question, I got a bit interested and googled... but didn't find much. 

As I type, I wonder if any of the shoe manufacturers' sites might have anything... 

...  Anyone know anything?

 

I doubt if there are any stats.  Just because you buy running shoes doesn't make you a runner, you might just like the shoes. 

Also, many runners have more than one style of running shoe at a time (road and trail, for example), and more than one pair on the go.

UK Athletics will have the data of people who are competing members of affiliated clubs, but that by no means includes all people who run.

I can imagine areas with lots of big hills put off only the dedicated runner. Fortunately I don't have that problem where I live, and there are many runners.

Running next to (rather than in) water also seems very popular with people, myself included.

Running always grows in popularity during a recession. Many thousands taken it up over the last three or four years its cheaper than gym membership.
Think this is the latest detailed official survey but a little dated now - 2002 General Household Survey Sports and Leisure section - 5% of adults interviewed claimed to have run/jogged as a sports/lesiure activty in the 4 weeks prior to the survey, and 9% in the 12 months prior to the survey. Around 12% were members of clubs. The stats don't seem to pick up any clear trends in participation rates, maybe there were a few more running in the late 1980s, and a slight increase in the proportion of women running from the late 1990s to 2002.

I'm in Cardiff too and I never go for a run without seeing at least a dozen other runners

Whoop! *fellow Cardiff runner half five* I think because Cardiff is so flat is a factor as well, I've mananged to trick one of my friends to come with me with the promise of no hills...once haha

What's wrong with hills? Flat is boring!

We have loads.

They come out in droves when I'm injured to rub my nose in it

Moon68 - I do all my running up the Taff trail and through Bute Park - it's right on my doorstep.

Johnny...are you calling Cardiff boring?  Surely not...

Cant beat the Edges of Derbyshire!!! One path outside my office goes up over 500 feet in less than one mile nice for hill sessions.

yer_maj. I like Cardiff - as cities go, it is good. I've even run in Bute park (as a student 30 years ago). When I stayed in Cardiff last year I did my running north of the city where it was nice and hilly. MCS - that sounds more like it!