I had never run more than 3 miles in my life when I signed up for my first half marathon. It was the month after my 25th birthday and all my friends were signing up. On social networks, people in their twenties described marathon training as their “quarter-life crisis”.
“To all the Type A perfectionists who are no longer validated by good grades in school…how is marathon training going?” A Instagram Reel with 9 million views said.
Even though I haven’t ventured that far run a full marathona growing number of my peers have done so. Participation of twenty-somethings in New York Marathon jumped more than 50% between 2019 and 2024, from about 8,000 runners to more than 12,500. At the Los Angeles Marathon, the share of runners in their 20s jumped to 28% in 2023 from 21% in 2019 . Strava — LinkedIn for Runners — reported a 9% increase in 2024 in the number of people logging marathons, races longer than a marathon, and century races (a bike ride of at least 100 miles) .
Where is this rush in Nike shorts going? During pandemic lockdowns, with gyms closed and nothing to do but run circles around the nearest park, running took off. Four years later, we are reaching the peak of the running craze. Running USA claims to have found in surveys that the number of people in running clubs in the United States, has increased by 25% over the past five years. People are even add their marathon times to their CV. Those who used to roll their eyes at people waking up before sunrise or turn down social plans to fit in their long Sunday run are now hitting the pavement and splurging on vests and expensive running gels. And people aren’t just running marathons: they’re taking on increasingly intense competitions and challenges.
The iRunFar website found that in the United States, the number of races longer than a marathon, called ultrasincreased to 2,033 in 2023 from 233 in 2000. The company behind the Ironman Triathlon – which consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a full marathon – indicates that by 2024 there has been a 24% global increase in the number of people under 30 registered at the races. Online, influencers like Russ Cook, who spent 352 days traveling across Africa, and Jonny Davies, who ran 600 miles in 11 days, are searching increasingly difficult stunts to accomplish and share with their followers, while inspiring more people to follow in their footsteps. All of this begs the question: why now?
After graduating from college in 2020, Rylee Jade Ollearis needed something to do. She had wanted to become a runner but never found the time. Now she had plenty. “I put on a pair of eighth-grade running shoes and started trying to run to my grandmother’s house,” the 27-year-old told me.
At first, the 3K run across Chicago was a challenge. But little by little, Ollearis became a half-marathon runner. After completing half, she challenged herself to run a full marathon on her 23rd birthday – this ambitious goal gave her a purpose, something to work towards. With official races still canceled, she completed the 26.2 miles alone. “My mom parked in the park and hung out all day, and I was just walking around the park,” she says.
I don’t know what happened in the last three years: companies figured it out and made things cooler.
A cyclist in college, Ollearis was used to training for a race – the clear goal helped her stay focused and motivated to train. She also realized that running was more than just a physical challenge. “It was about finding out what I’m capable of and constantly pushing my limits,” she says. Ollearis has since run two official marathons, three Ironmans and three ultramarathons.
Women, in particular, are taking to the streets en masse. At the last New York City Marathon, women between the ages of 25 and 29 outnumbered all other age and gender segments – a major reversal from years when men in their 40s were dominant. In fact, when the first marathons took place in the late 19th century, they were thought to be for young, physically fit men; people thought running would make women sterile or too masculine. Now, Gen Z women in the U.S. are joining Strava at twice the rate of 2023, making them the fastest-growing demographic. “Women are constantly told to shrink and slow down,” Ollearis says. “I wanted to be that woman who shows up and is strong.”
For those watching from the comfort of their couch, it may seem masochistic to train for and run a marathonnot to mention an ultramarathon. But Kevin Masters, a clinical psychologist who teaches at the University of Colorado, says participating in extreme fitness challenges can help people find purpose. It sets a goal that is achievable but not easy. For young graduates in an uncertain and changing world, purpose was a hot commodity. In a 2023 Gallup survey, between 43% and 49% of Gen Zers said they didn’t feel like what they did every day was interesting, important, or motivating. “Running was one of the few things people could do,” says Adharanand Finn, the 50-year-old author of “The Rise of The Ultra Runners.” He noticed that many people were taking up running during the pandemic lockdowns.
But even without a pandemic, it’s hard to navigate your mid-20s. Like the traditional goal posts As homeownership, marriage and parenthood are pushed back, many young people are looking for other ways to measure their progress and regain a sense of control. Some call it their quarter-life crisis.
In addition, there is the influencer effect. As more people took up running, more and more people posted about it, which led to more people taking up running, which led to more influencers. In many ways, running has become cool; in a recent video about running boomKeltie O’Connor, a college basketball player turned fitness YouTuber, said that’s one of the reasons more people are doing it. “I don’t know what happened in the last three years: companies figured it out and made things cool: like On Cloud, then Oakley sunglasses,” she said, adding: “Running suddenly became a cool factor, and brands jumped on the subject.”
Between TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Strava, it’s now easy to find inspiration to push yourself — a different reality than when Finn was running ultramarathons in 2017. Back then, he says, the Ultra running was a niche sport. Now aspiring runners can open TikTok and follow someone’s training plan from day one to race day. “Once you’re hooked, you start following people on Instagram, meeting other runners, buying the kit,” he says, “and before you know it, you’re running a marathon.”
The running world has become a strong community for young people. “It’s a music festival atmosphere,” O’Connor said. “With more and more people turning to sober living and wanting to meet people outside of the club and not feeling like they have to have a drink just to meet someone, they can sign up for a race or join a running club and meet people.”
And once you have a marathon under your belt, you can go faster or further.
After completing his first marathon, Ollearis decided to sign up for an Ironman. For six months, she trained every day. “I swam Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I ran Tuesday, Saturday and I cycled Thursday, Sunday,” she says. Training took over her life for a few years – she often refused social events, prioritizing recovery over nights out. She has no regrets.
“It gave me a lot of meaning. It gave me a reason to show up every day,” she says. “Even though it’s been a challenge at times, I don’t feel like I’ve missed out on anything: I feel like I’ve built something that I’m really proud of.”
Ollearis began documenting his Ironman journey on TikTokand her number of followers increased by 100,000. The more she posted, the more her number of followers increased.
I became a little addicted to this feeling of having a very difficult goal and finding a way to achieve it.
“It became an experiment to see how far this can go and can I turn this into something bigger than just racing?” she said. This year, Ollearis was able to quit his full-time job and focus on online coaching and content creation. In October, she ran the Chicago Marathon, which had a record number of runners, with sponsorship from the Biofreeze brand. She broke a personal best. “I’m a long way from reaching the professional level, but I still get paid to train,” she says. It’s the dream.
She’s part of a flood of new running influencers who have gained traction by posting about their running journey or workout routines. To stand out, creators must raise the bar. When Chase Bandolik, a 28-year-old gym owner from Chicago, was trying to get his co-workers to donate to his first marathon in 2019, he told them that if he raised $1,800 for charity charity, he ran with a weighted vest. “I ended up running a marathon with a weighted vest before I ran a marathon without it,” he told me. “From there, I became a little addicted to this feeling of having a very difficult goal and finding a way to achieve it.”
Two years later, he ran his first 100-mile ultramarathon – he ran on a treadmill for 17 hours, slowing down briefly to walk every five miles to eat or drink. Then he signed up for an Ironman. Bandolik enjoyed the responsibility that came with posting his progress online. “A lot of times at these races there are people who sign up and don’t even show up or don’t drop out early,” he says. But when you share everything with your followers, “there’s added pressure to finish it and get the job done.”
Bandolik’s goal for this year is to qualify for the Backyard Ultra Championships, a race where competitors run a 4-mile loop every hour until only one runner remains. “The cool thing about the world of endurance is that there are so many directions to go,” he says. “They create longer and longer and more difficult races.”
For young people who might feel like life’s traditional benchmarks are out of reach, competition means there’s always another step to take.
Eve Upton-Clark is a features writer covering culture and society.