Latest research center articles

In 2019, we presented the original The State of Running 2019, which was presented together with the World Athletics in China. This is our first follow-up in 6 years. For this 2025 report, we’ve narrowed our focus to look exclusively at races in the US, and exclusively at the marathon distance. Key conclusions Marathon participation peaked in 2014 with 496,178 participants. Over the following 4 years, participation slowly declined to 411,792, a yearly decline of 4.4[…]

NEW: The State of US Marathons 2025 This report covers trail running race participation from 1984 to 2022. It includes 15.6 million race results from 116.947 races in 127 countries. It’s the most extensive report on trail running participation ever conducted. The report was done in collaboration with World Athletics. For journalists or academia: reach out to jens@runrepeat.com for questions, and feel free to use data, charts, and quotes from the report. For further[…]

Are new versions better or worse? Should you upgrade to the newest version which is typically more expensive? Let’s find out. The Reddit group r/RunningShoeGeeks helped come up with this idea. Check out their group if you’re geeky about shoes. The analysis is based on our database of about 2000 running shoes released in the last 7 years from 2015 to 2021. Limitations and disclaimer We don’t publish every single shoe on RunRepeat. Some are so rare that o[…]

In 2022, the value of NBA teams is $74.4 billion in total. Even though the Covid-19 outbreak affected the league by reducing the league's revenue by 19%, NBA teams' value increased by 11.7%. We analyzed present and historic data to present you 56 stats about NBA team values. NBA team values by year In 2022, the average NBA team value stands at $2.48 billion. Every team in the NBA is worth at least $1.5 billion, the first time in league history. 14 NBA teams are worth ove[…]

We spent 3 months collecting and analyzing 15,161 NBA salaries of 2,516 NBA players from 1990-91 to 2021-22 season. The research presents the most comprehensive analysis of salaries in the NBA league. Top NBA salary statistics The average salary in the NBA league is $7.90 million for the 2020-21 season and is projected to be $8.25 million in the 2021-22 season. The median NBA salary for the 2020-21 season is $3.83 million, rising to $4.02 million in 2022. Adjusted for 19[…]

We looked at the playing time of 3,222 players, from 129 different nationalities, who have played in MLS. The aim of our analysis was to identify how the playing time of US and international players has evolved in MLS as it has become a more established league. Key Findings The share of US playing time in MLS has: Decreased 43.58% since the first season of MLS Decreased 29.53% in the last decade. The share playing time has increased 156% since the first season of MLS for[…]

We analyzed the head coaches of women’s football teams between 2011 and 2021 to understand what opportunities are available for female head coaches and who really controls the women’s game. The report includes the teams that participated in the most recent season of the English FA WSL, Women’s Champions League, USA NWSL, German Frauen-Bundesliga, French Division 1 Feminine and Spanish Primera Division. It also included the top-25 ranked teams in The FIF[…]

In 2021, we began a project dedicating a significant amount of time towards researching the scientific benefits of exercise for your health. Reading, reviewing, analyzing, and reporting the findings of hundreds of studies showing how everything from regular physical activity to working out benefits you. Health benefits of exercise Exercise is the act of increasing your physical activity and exerting more effort than you normally would. It increases your heart rate and re[…]

“You can’t teach height” - Red Auerbach We spent 2 months analyzing 24,841 records of 4,504 NBA players during 69 NBA seasons in order to show how the game of basketball evolved through the evolution of players’ height. Special note to Kirk Goldsberry, whose book “Sprawlball” inspired the creation of this research. This article is a height spinoff of “Sprawlball”. Key findings: The average NBA player is 6'6.3'' tall and has[…]

RunRepeat, in partnership with Beyond Sport, surveyed 2,117 people about their role models in sports. Our hypothesis was that historical media dominance and promotion of male athletes will result in men dominating the list of sports idols of both genders. Key Findings The result of this survey reaffirms the impact of a lack of equitable access and opportunity for women in sport: Only 38% of women stated a female athlete as a sports idol, while 98% of men stated a male at[…]