Participation in trail running is up 17% since 2006 with a total of 4.9 million participants nationwide, according to the latest report from the Outdoor Industry Association. While the sport is gaining in popularity, it’s still a fringe sport compared to road running, which boasts 43.9 million participants. Meanwhile, a whopping 98.4% trail runners participate in other sports. Half of them are paddlers and a quarter of them are climbers. And here’s something you probably already knew: the Southeast is a hub of trail running activity, with 24.3% of the nation’s trail runners, by far the largest share of any other region in the country.
Blue Ridge Outdoors is your guide to fly fishing, the Appalachian Trail, biking, travel, and more in the Blue Ridge and beyond.