Marathons: What Percent of People Who Sign Up Don’t Finish?

Not everyone who starts a marathon will finish, and that’s perfectly fine. Many people who register will not even show up at all. But what percentage of people who sign up for a marathon does not finish? As I continue to explore the world of marathons and the probability of running one myself in the future, I was curious to know what the odds of not finishing actually are. As it turns out:

Based on the data I found, about 17.13% of runners who sign up for a marathon do not finish. I found one marathon where 34.18% of the registered participants did not finish, while in other marathons everyone who registered finished the race.

I found it very difficult to find a simple answer to this question. None of the marathon websites I looked at had a straightforward answer nor data.

Through my research, I got the impression that marathon organizers did not want to promote this data. That makes perfect sense. Highlighting the percent of people who do not finish a race might discourage interested runners, lead to fewer registrations, which ultimately means less money for the event organizers.

Nevertheless, I wanted to know, so I did some digging. This is what I was able to find…

Data Collection

I found some useful data on a website called It’s Your Race. It’s a nice website with many resources for people who organize running events of all sizes and distances. Those who use their services often post the results of their races, some of which are marathons.

I looked at the data for every marathon with published results. Of them all, there were 46 marathons that published data on the total number of participants as well as the total number of finishers.

I liked this data because it came from normal marathons that anyone can enter, not elite races like the Boston Marathon which attract high performing runners with lots of experience. The number of running participants per race ranged from 34 to 830. Therefore, this data might be more useful for beginner runners, like me.

Here is that data:

Year	Name	Participate	Finish	Not Finish	Not Finish %
2019	Half Sauer Half Kraut	148	115	33	22.30%
2017	Half Sauer Half Kraut	120	93	27	22.50%
2016	Half Sauer Half Kraut	133	101	32	24.06%
2018	Buckeye Marathon	135	124	11	8.15%
2017	Buckeye Marathon	113	107	6	5.31%
2016	Buckeye Marathon	126	109	17	13.49%
2015	Buckeye Marathon	159	137	22	13.84%
2014	Buckeye Marathon	115	102	13	11.30%
2019	The Super Marathon	454	341	113	24.89%
2017	The Super Marathon	166	118	48	28.92%
2019	Swan Lake Marathon	35	35	0	0.00%
2018	Swan Lake Marathon	34	33	1	2.94%
2017	Swan Lake Marathon	40	36	4	10.00%
2016	Swan Lake Marathon	48	40	8	16.67%
2019	Race The Lake Marathon	53	42	11	20.75%
2018	Race The Lake Marathon	58	49	9	15.52%
2017	Race The Lake Marathon	59	50	9	15.25%
2015	Race The Lake Marathon	96	76	20	20.83%
2019	Cummins Falls Marathon	44	40	4	9.09%
2019	Arlington Marathon	146	109	37	25.34%
2018	Arlington Marathon	109	90	19	17.43%
2018	Fort Worth Marathon	330	280	50	15.15%
2017	Fort Worth Marathon	353	299	54	15.30%
2016	Fort Worth Marathon	345	287	58	16.81%
2015	Fort Worth Marathon	336	289	47	13.99%
2018	Outer Banks Marathon	536	427	109	20.34%
2017	Outer Banks Marathon	797	655	142	17.82%
2016	Outer Banks Marathon	830	680	150	18.07%
2018	7 Bridges Marathon	355	306	49	13.80%
2017	7 Bridges Marathon	437	353	84	19.22%
2016	7 Bridges Marathon	509	414	95	18.66%
2015	7 Bridges Marathon	689	587	102	14.80%
2018	Ely Marathon Weekend	97	88	9	9.28%
2017	Ely Marathon Weekend	95	79	16	16.84%
2016	Ely Marathon Weekend	73	67	6	8.22%
2015	Ely Marathon Weekend	86	77	9	10.47%
2018	Heart of America Marathon	123	123	0	0.00%
2018	Light at the End of the Tunnel	772	503	269	34.84%
2016	Light at the End of the Tunnel	608	591	17	2.80%
2018	Casper Marathon	122	115	7	5.74%
2017	Casper Marathon	119	109	10	8.40%
2016	Casper Marathon	136	122	14	10.29%
2018	Whitby International North	58	45	13	22.41%
2017	Emerald Isle Marathon	115	101	14	12.17%
2016	Emerald Isle Marathon	204	171	33	16.18%
2016	Monument Valley Marathon	48	39	9	18.75%
Totals	46 Marathons Analyzed	10564	8754	1810	17.13%

As you can see, I was only able to get data for 46 marathons going back as far as 2014. Honestly, it is a small sample size, but it was the best I could do with considerable effort, and without paying considerable amounts of money to download marathon data which may-or-may-not have included the information I was looking for anyway.

If you happen to know a resource where I can gather this data for FREE, I would love to know. Leave a comment below to share that resource with the world.

Why Do People Not Finish a Marathon?

I have a lot of respect for marathon runners. I am inspired by your dedicated training and your focus on personal health and fitness. Even if you trained and did not finish, I salute you.

Not finishing a marathon is one of the bigger fears that new marathon runners face. It may feel like a massive disappointment, but it shouldn’t be. As you can see, many people who register do not finish. Based on what I found, about 17.13% of the participants don’t. If it happens to you, you are not alone.

Some of the more common reasons for not finishing a marathon include:

Injury

They can happen during training, during the race, or even as an unrelated accident. According to Runners World (https://www.runnersworld.com/health-injuries/a20780912/the-seven-most-common-running-injuries/), there are 7 common running injuries. They are listed here, and read the Runners World article to find out more information.

Runner’s Knee
Achilles Tendonitis
Hamstring Issues
Plantar Fasciitis
Shin Splints
Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS)
Stress Fracture

Dehydration

When you run, you sweat. If it is hot and sunny, you will sweat even more. If you do not stay sufficiently hydrated during the race you may experience symptoms of dehydration. I found these symptoms at Map My Race:

thirst
fatigue
dry eyes
dry mouth
cramps
headache
muscle spasms
you stop sweating

Dehydration can lead to “fainting, confusion and convulsion”. Unaddressed, dehydration can turn into something more serious like heat exhaustion, heat stroke, hypovolemic shock, and even death.

Nutrition

Running a marathon requires considerable amounts of energy. You will need to manage your nutrition before and during the race to help you finish. The Rockay website notes that runners often consume gels or sports beans, along with some water, every 4 to 5 miles. This helps to maintain blood sugar levels during the marathon.

Mental Toughness

Grit is an undeniable factor in helping people finish a marathon. You will need to overcome physical pain, psychological doubt, and emotional rollercoasters as you run. Those who are mentally tougher will have a better chance to finish. Those who are mentally weaker will be more tempted to give up before finishing.

What Happens If You Do Not Finish?

For those who are unable to finish the marathon for any reason, including time restrictions, a number of things can happen:

You can stop at a checkpoint and end your race there.
A sweep bus will drive by and pick you up, ending your race.
In extreme situations, medical staff can assist ill runners at designated locations.

Not finishing a race is not the end of the world. It should not even be the end of your running career. A statistically significant number of people who participate in a race do not finish. Some do not even show up at all.

The very fact that you tried is an accomplishment in itself. Dust yourself off, get some water, rest and recover, learn from the experience, and try again!