A worldwide comparison of long-distance running training in 2019 and 2020: associated effects of the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective. The goal of the present study was to investigate possible effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on long-distance running training. Methods. This is a retrospective study with a within-subject design. We analyzed 10,703,690 records of running training during 2019 and 2020, from 36,412 athletes from around the world. The records were obtained through web scraping of a large social network for athletes on the internet. A potential long-distance runner was defined as a user of the social network who had a record of running at least one of the six World Marathon Majors by 2019. Results. In 2020, compared with 2019, in total there was a 3.6% decrease in the number of athletes running, a 7.5% decrease in the distance and 6.7% in the duration of running training. There were large variations in these variables throughout 2020, reaching 16% fewer athletes running weekly and 35% lower running distance (Cohen's d = 0.34, p < 0.001) and 33% lower running duration (Cohen's d = 0.30, p < 0.001) in September 2020. The beginning of the decrease in running training in the first quarter of 2020 coincides with the beginning of the adoption of measures to restrict the COVID-19 pandemic; but as of the second quarter of 2020, running training appears to have undergone variations unrelated to the preventive measures. Among the ten most represented countries in the dataset, running training in Brazil appears to have been the most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and restriction measures. Conclusion. The wide variations in long-distance running training throughout 2020 are likely related to the COVID-19 pandemic. As for the total volume, the observed decreases of up to 7.5% in the outcome variables related to running training in 2020 could also be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, but other factors such as injury, illness or lack of interest, may also have contributed to these decreases.