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Retailrunning shoes

Nike vs. Brooks vs. Adidas: Here’s Who’s Winning This Marathon Season

Phil Wahba
By
Phil Wahba
Phil Wahba
Senior Writer
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Phil Wahba
By
Phil Wahba
Phil Wahba
Senior Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 27, 2016, 11:00 AM ET
Source: Running USA

Ah, peak marathon season is upon us, with major 26.2-mile races in Washington, D.C.; New York City; and Philadelphia all coming up this fall.

According to road-racing industry group Running USA, almost 2 million people ran a half-marathon in the U.S. in 2015, and 509,000 ran a full. That’s down 8% from the previous year’s high, but the market for running shoes is still picking up speed. Last year, Americans spent $3.2 billion on them, according to the National Sporting Goods Association—up 40% since 2010.

For hard-core runners, who tend to be more affluent than average, smaller brands hold sway. According to a Running USA survey of 10,000 people this year, Brooks (owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway) was the most recently purchased running shoe brand by serious runners (23%), followed by Asics and Saucony. New Balance was 5th, a hair behind Nike (NKE).

As for Adidas, better luck in next year’s races.

A version of this article appears in the November 1, 2016 issue of Fortune with the headline “It’s Marathon Time. Here’s Who’s Winning.”

About the Author
Phil Wahba
By Phil WahbaSenior Writer
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Phil Wahba is a senior writer at Fortune primarily focused on leadership coverage, with a prior focus on retail.

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