For our 50th anniversary, we redid a survey we had conducted 10 years ago, and, well, a lot has changed. American runners log 2.2 more miles per week but now prefer to run alone, on a road, while listening to music. You're up for a little night-before-the-race nookie but staunchly opposed to bib-swapping. To compare, we also polled thousands of runners in 24 other countries. Globally, 80 percent of you track your runs with GPS. The Chinese love social media, Poles prefer evening runs, and who knew Italians were so hard-core?

Gender

45% Male

55% Female

…But in these five countries, survey respondents were overwhelmingly male:

Italy (80%)

Portugal (79%)

Mexico (75%)

China (73%)

France (71%)

Median age of U.S. respondents

36

Ten of the 20 countries polled, including the United States, said losing weight was the main motivation to start running.

Favorite time of day to run?

15% before dawn

44% morning

12% midday/lunch

27% evening

2% night

Runners in most of the world prefer morning miles. But in Poland, 52% enjoy running in the evening.

What’s your go-to form of cross-training?

59% strength-training

32% cycling

26% yoga/pilates

17% lie on couch

Average miles per week, by country

United States 27.2

Italy 26.6

United Kingdom 24.9

France 23.0

Portugal 22.5

Spain 22.0

China 21.8

Norway 21.6

Australia/New Zealand 21.1

South Africa 20.8

Sweden 20.8

Brazil 19.6

Mexico 18.5

Hungary 18.4

Argentina 18.3

Canada 18.2

Belgium/Netherlands 17.6

Turkey 16.5

49% of U.S. runners prefer to run in the fall. Spring placed second at 31%.

What kind of runner are you?

55% dedicated health and fitness runner

40% competitive runner/racer

5% occasional (I run every now and then to clear my head and stay healthy)

Italians, at 62%, are the most competitive.

On what surface do you primarily run?

1% track

2% treadmill

31% trails

66% road

What is your favorite postrun ritual?

1% ice bath

1% massage

5% nap

40% shower/bath

48% eat and drink

Around the globe, showering was number one, and Portugal proved cleanest, at 76%.

Fuel time

21% of you voted for the burger as your favorite postrace splurge.

With 18% of the vote, pizza was a close second.

We said food, but 2% of you wrote in beer. Cheers!

Runners in the Netherlands enjoy a bowl of postrace erwtensoep (split pea soup). Yum?

Other global indulgences

South Africa: Beer and a boerewors roll, similar to a hot dog, followed by koeksusters, a syrup-infused donut.

Germany: Potatoes cooked with butter and salt and pepper, served with herring in a cream sauce.

Argentina: Choco-Arroz, a gluten free rice cake covered with chocolate and filled with dulce de leche.

26% of Americans chose a banana as their favorite prerace meal.

The banana won in 15 countries. Oatmeal took silver.

How do you fuel your long run?

36% energy gel

20% energy chews/gummies

16% I don't use fuel

12% sports drink

Race Report

9% of people polled said they ran a color run in the last year, making it the most popular nontraditional race in the United States.

44% of runners in the U.S. chose the half marathon as their favorite race distance, followed by 18% for the 5K.

Top-ranking bucket list marathons

1. Boston 36%

2. New York City 32%

3. Chicago 24%

4. Disney World 24%

5. Marine Corps 19%

6. Big Sur International 19%

7. London 17%

8. Los Angeles 8%

34% of Chinese runners took part in a color run; an additional 29% have done a glow in the dark race.

South Africans have the most experience with imbibing on the run; 9% have finished a beer mile.

Outside the U.S., the NYC Marathon is the most desired event: 36% list it as a must-run race.

Median race times from 2015

5K, female: 36:15 male: 29:43

10K, female: 67:15 male: 57:40

Half marathon, female: 2:22:21 male: 2:04:00

Marathon, female: 4:45:30 male: 4:20:13

Love on the run

Would you rather…

Have sex? 52%

Go running? 48%

39% of U.S. runners believe running has improved their sex lives. That’s down from 2006, when 59% said they’d rather, um, cross-train.

14% of Italian runners have had a postrun one-night stand.

56% of U.S. runners would have sex the night before a race.

Which celebrity would you hit the road with?

15% Kevin Hart

14% Amy Schumer

10% Kevin Spacey

9% Mindy Kaling

9% Pippa Middleton

Which elite runner would you want to pace you?

24% Meb Keflezighi

16% Kara Goucher

12% Shalane Flanagan

5% Deena Kastor

5% Ryan Hall

Best running partner?

56% of American runners prefer to run alone.

15% Friend

15% Running Club

5% Dog

1% Parent or other relative

(Running solo is up 16% since 2006. Training with a friend is down from 35% to 15%.)

Shoes, gear & digital data

Things runners carry in 2006 vs. 2016

Mobile phone

2006 17% 2016 54%

Music player

2006 43% 2016 24%

GPS watch

2006 25% 2016 64%

How many pairs of running shoes do you buy each year?

2 pairs 31%

4 or more pairs 28%

3 pairs 27%

1 pair 13%

How much are you willing to spend on a pair of running shoes?

12% $150+

8% $130-$149

25% $120-$129

20% $99 or less

27% $100-$119

Where do you most often buy your running shoes?

51% Specialty shoe store

39% Online

7% Large sports store

3% Regular shoe store

In Hungary, 60% of runners get by with only one pair of shoes per year.

In Sweden, runners spend an average of $183 per pair. Polish runners spend the least, $82.

Only 11% of American men will run shirtless, while 37% of French men will.

80% of runners in the countries polled use GPS to track their runs.

Do you post your runs on social media?

Yes 27%

No 73%

In China, 71% post their runs on social media.

61% of U.S. respondents say they listen to audio on the run.

What you listen to

Music 82%

Podcasts 11%

Audiobooks 4%

Radio 2%

Other 1%

23% of women would wear patterned tights, but only 5% of men would.

36% of U.S. runners use compression gear.

83% say they prefer technical material.

16% still feel good wearing cotton shirts and socks.

Lights, Camera, Action!

Forrest Gump is our favorite running movie (24%) and McaFarland, USA came in second (12%). Chariots of Fire, which was number one in 2006, takes bronze this time around (7%).

Etiquette

Running with earbuds

Against 27%

For 73%

In 2006, 58% were pro-earpiece.

Running with a dog

Against 21%

For 79%

Waving to other runners

Against 5%

For 95%

Argentina is the only country where more than 20% of respondents (24%) were against waving.

Snot rockets

Against 44%

For 56%

Running without underwear

Against 39%

For 61%

Wearing the race shirt in the race

Against 64%

For 36%

In Argentina, Italy, and China, more than 86% of runners would wear the shirt during the race.

Bib swapping

Against 84%

For 16%

* * *

Methodology: We conducted this survey on runnersworld.com for 30 days this past March, as did our editions in Argentina, Australia/New Zealand, Belgium/Netherlands, Brazil, Canada, china, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. We received 17,177 total responses worldwide, with 4,654 from the U.S.

Ali Nolan Features Editor Ali Nolan is a writer, editor, and runner with a heart for sports journalism and a desire to showcase well-told stories.

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