A survey of 8,414 current runners conducted between March and April by Nielsen Sports for World Athletics in ten different countries shows the highest level of participation in Kenya, with 47 percent of them running at least once a month and 12 percent less often. In terms of frequency, Kenya is followed by Colombia and Mexico, South Africa and India, France, the U.K., the U.S. and Australia. Across the international sample, 47 percent of the runners are women and 49 percent of them run every day. The survey also indicated that runners show greater confidence to associate themselves with positive personality characteristics. They are more likely to consider themselves to be warm and friendly, family-oriented, optimistic and passionate. Like in a previously reported survey, this one indicates that 13 percent of all the respondents began to run since April 2020, and 9 percent said that Covid-19 played a role in their decision. Out of all the runners, 22 percent said they are running more often than before because of Covid, and 20 percent will continue to run more frequently after the pandemic is over. Keeping fit is the main motivation, followed by the fact that runners can practice the sport at their own pace, that they don’t need much equipment to start and that running helps them to de-stress. Three-quarters said that running is good for their mind as well as their body. We were alerted to this study by the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry:
