MORE RUNNERS. DIFFERENT WINNERS.
October 15, 2026
By running.news Editorial
running.news | Issue 023 | Thursday, October 15, 2026
Running is growing. But the companies competing for its customers are taking very different paths.
Tracksmith is navigating a leadership shakeup. Running footwear is outperforming the broader shoe market. Nike and adidas emerged from Chicago with different victories. RunSignup is gaining ground faster than race participation is growing. And HYROX is expanding the business of training between competitions.
The question isn’t whether running is growing. It’s who’s building the businesses that will benefit most.
TRACKSMITH: GROWTH WITHOUT THE FOUNDER
Tracksmith built its reputation through premium apparel, running heritage and carefully cultivated community. Now it has to carry that identity into a different phase of growth.
Its early fundraising included $1.6 million disclosed in 2014 from investors including Lerer Hippeau and Index Ventures, followed by a $4.1 million Series A with Pentland Group in 2015.
SGB reported on October 13, with company confirmation, that co-founder Matt Taylor had left his chief creative officer role and board seat. That changes January’s arrangement, when Jared Carver became CEO and Taylor was expected to retain creative leadership.
The London Trackhouse closed in August. Former Converse executive Jon Tappan has joined as chief product and merchandising officer, with footwear central to his assignment.
A brand built around a controlled experience wants to reach more customers through shoes, women’s product and specialty retailers.
Footwear offers repeat purchases, but also direct competition with companies whose product development and retail relationships span decades. Wholesale provides reach while giving Tracksmith less control over how shoppers encounter it.
The company’s current consolidated financial results are not public. These changes don’t establish that it is failing. They do make its next strategic decisions consequential.
Can its product perform, its retail partners sell it and its distinctive identity survive wider distribution?
Read the full feature on running.news: Tracksmith Was Running’s Darling. What Happened?
FOOTWEAR: THE IMPORTANT NUMBER IS PAIRS SOLD
Circana reported that U.S. running footwear sales grew 13% in both dollars and units during the first half of 2026. Across footwear overall, dollar sales rose 1% while units declined. Those figures, released in August, underpin our retail analysis published this week.
For retailers deciding where to put inventory, the distinction matters. Running generated more purchases. The broader market relied on higher average selling prices to offset weaker volume.
But category growth still leaves individual products competing on price, fit and availability.
Specialty stores can use fitting expertise and product knowledge to help shoppers buy with confidence. Brands have to translate technical claims into benefits people recognize.
The sale still has to be earned, one pair at a time.
Running Shoes Have Something the Rest of Retail Wants
CHICAGO: TWO BRANDS, TWO DIFFERENT RETURNS
Hawi Feysa and Amos Kipruto won the Chicago Marathon on October 11, giving adidas both open-division champions. Nike remained the race’s official footwear and apparel partner, with an agreement through 2028.
Nike’s relationship reaches into training, participant apparel and race merchandise, creating repeated opportunities to interact with runners preparing for a major milestone.
The adidas athlete investment delivered winning performances and the attention surrounding them. Those moments can strengthen a racing franchise’s credibility with runners and retailers.
Which investment produced the better financial return? That requires the costs, resulting sales and longer-term customer behavior.
Chicago leaves brands with a useful question: which investment changes what runners buy, and how will the company know?
Nike Owned Chicago’s Marathon Platform. adidas Owned the Finish Line.
RUNSIGNUP: GROWING FASTER THAN THE RACES
RunSignup reported 12% year-over-year registration growth and 13% growth in the number of races during the third quarter. Yet its comparable-race data showed participation growing just 1–4% in June through September.
The company points to market-share gains, including events moving from providers that have closed registration products. The figures appeared in its October 1 update and were highlighted again on October 12.
A platform can expand faster than its underlying market by persuading more organizers to use it. Registration, websites, email, timing and event operations create several opportunities to make that relationship valuable.
When a running company reports growth, the distinction matters: how much came from more people participating, and how much from winning business that previously belonged elsewhere?
HYROX WANTS MORE THAN RACE DAY
Sweatpals and HYROX announced a partnership on October 13 that extends into the months athletes spend preparing.
Sweatpals will become HYROX365’s official event platform. A planned integration will let affiliate gyms offer training events, simulations and open-gym sessions through the HYROX Training Finder, with those bookings and payments handled by Sweatpals.
The agreement also includes a North American partnership and title sponsorship of HYROX Miami Beach 2027.
A participant may enter one race but make repeated training purchases before reaching it. Connecting those purchases to local gyms gives the partnership a role in the athlete’s weekly routine.
For running businesses, HYROX is an adjacent competitor for training time, attention and spending. Its expansion shows how participation businesses can pursue more of the customer relationship between competitions.
Actual booking volume, repeat use and financial returns remain to be demonstrated.
RUNNING CAREERS
- Strava: Head of Sport Science — San Francisco, hybrid; scientific validation and safety across Strava and Runna.
- Brooks: Footwear Innovation Developer II, Racing Footwear — Seattle; elite-athlete product development and racing-shoe approvals.
- Boston Athletic Association: Director of Event Operations & Venue Design — Boston, hybrid; physical production and venue planning.
THE QUESTION TO KEEP ASKING
Running is attracting more participants, more investment and more competition. But growth alone doesn’t determine the winners. The advantage belongs to companies that can turn participation into lasting customer relationships — whether they’re selling shoes, sponsoring marathons or processing registrations. More runners. Different winners.
Enjoying this issue? Subscribe to running.news for independent reporting on the business, culture and future of running. Free, every Thursday.
running.news — The business, culture, and future of running.