How rare is… · Running
How many people have run an ultramarathon?
In the largest study of the sport, 329,584 different people finished an ultramarathon in 2018, about 0.004% of the world, or one person in roughly 25,000. Three-quarters of them ran less than 50 miles.
- 329,584people finished an ultra in 2018
- ~1 in 25,000people in a given year
- 3 in 4ultra runners race under 50 miles
What counts as an ultramarathon?
Any race longer than a marathon's 42.195 km. The common distances are 50 km, 50 miles (80 km), 100 km and 100 miles (161 km), plus timed events such as 24-hour races.
How many people run ultras?
The State of Ultra Running report, by RunRepeat with the International Association of Ultrarunners, analysed 5,010,730 results from 15,451 races between 1996 and 2018. In 2018 there were 611,098 ultra finishes by 329,584 unique runners: many run more than one a year. Participation grew 345% in the ten years to 2018.
What percentage of the population has run an ultramarathon?
In a single year, 329,584 runners out of about 8.1 billion people is 0.004%, roughly 1 in 25,000. The share who have ever run one is higher, because each year brings new finishers, but it remains a small fraction of one percent.
How rare is 100 km or 100 miles?
Rarer again. The same study found three-quarters of ultrarunners race distances under 50 miles, so only a minority of that already small group has ever run 100 km or more in one go.
That is why Run 100km is one of GritCore's official challenges, and why finishing it earns the gold Centurion badge. It is verified from the run your watch recorded.
Common questions
What percentage of the population has run an ultramarathon?
In a single year about 0.004% of the world's population, roughly 1 in 25,000 people: 329,584 unique finishers in 2018.
How many people run ultramarathons each year?
The State of Ultra Running report counted 611,098 ultra finishes by 329,584 unique runners in 2018.
What is the most common ultramarathon distance?
Three-quarters of ultrarunners race under 50 miles (80 km), with 50 km the most common entry distance.
Sources
World population taken as about 8.1 billion. Checked 30.09.2026.
So how rare are you, actually?
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