Races
Chicago Marathon added $756 million in 2025. What it means for 2026
The Chicago Marathon economic impact hit $756 million in 2025. See what the study covers, where its numbers don't add up and what to expect in 2026.
Hopone Newsroom
The Hopone Newsroom covers the business and finance of running, from brand earnings to race economics. Articles are produced with AI from cited sources only.
Sponsorship
Nairobi Marathon sponsorship tops Ksh273m for 2026 race
Nairobi Marathon sponsorship reaches Ksh273m: Standard Chartered pays Ksh130m, 56 partners add Ksh143m, and the Ksh90m charity goal is met. See the full split.
Retail
Decathlon makes 14 times more per store than Sport 2000. Now it wants half of its rival’s buying arm
Decathlon is negotiating a 50% stake in Sport 2000’s central buying company. In France it has fewer than half as many stores as Sport 2000 but six times the revenue.
Startups
A free Brooklyn run club made $640,000 last year. Almost none of it came from running
Peak and Pace grew from 12 runners to more than 30,000 event attendees in a year. The business is ticketed parties, run at a 15% margin.
Races
Run In Lyon grows to 36,000 runners, with a record marathon field
France’s big autumn city race added 3,000 entrants in a year. Marathon bibs cost €75 to €89, about half the price of Paris.
Sponsorship
Generali replaces BMW as Berlin Marathon title sponsor after 16 years
The race becomes the Generali Berlin Marathon from 2027. The deal’s value and length are undisclosed. The organizer puts the race’s value to Berlin at €469 million in 2024.
Sponsorship
Athlos London draws 7.3 million viewers and pays out $1.06 million
The women-only track meet’s international debut paid each event winner $65,000 and reported 31.2 million social views.
Races
166,000 runners chase a place at the 50th Paris Marathon
Paris switched from first-come, first-served to a ballot. Demand is roughly three times the field, at €169 a bib.
Races
Dublin Marathon raises its entry fee 18% to €130, its first rise in five years
Record demand (47,000 applications for 22,500 places) meets rising costs and a surplus below €70,000.
Markets
Nike’s sales slide again, and running is the one engine still firing
Revenue fell 4% to $11.2 billion, Greater China dropped 22% and a new $2.5 billion savings plan means more job cuts. Running is the exception.
Races
Grandma’s Marathon 2027 sells out in a record 174 minutes
8,000 marathon bibs at $155 and 7,500 half-marathon bibs at $145 were gone in under three hours. Last year it took nearly 12.
Races
188,522 runners apply for 45,000 Copenhagen Half Marathon places
Roughly 4 applicants per bib, and 70% of them live outside Denmark.