Running is most popular in the US, the UK, Kenya and Ethiopia. All 11 countries ranked by Olympic athletics golds and running culture.
Running is the world’s most accessible sport, and the countries where it matters most fall into two groups: mass-participation nations such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan, and the East African high-altitude powers Kenya and Ethiopia that dominate the distance events.
Below you will find the full ranking, a table with the key numbers, a profile of every country and a separate list of the nations with the most Olympic athletics medals.
Countries where running is most popular:
Running Popularity by Country at a Glance
| Rank | Country | Olympic athletics golds | Best known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | United States | 359 | Running boom, New York City Marathon |
| #2 | United Kingdom | 57 | London Marathon, birthplace of parkrun |
| #3 | Kenya | 38 | Iten, marathon world record |
| #4 | Ethiopia | 24 | Bekoji, Bekele and the Dibaba sisters |
| #5 | Japan | 8 | Ekiden relays, Hakone Ekiden |
| #6 | Germany | 20 | Berlin Marathon, record-breaking course |
| #7 | Australia | 22 | parkrun stronghold, Cathy Freeman |
| #8 | Canada | 18 | Strong recent Olympic results |
| #9 | France | 14 | Jimmy Gressier, 10,000 m world champion |
| #10 | Italy | 24 | Olympic marathon winners |
| #11 | Brazil | 5 | Sao Silvestre, a big street race |
How We Ranked the Countries
There is no worldwide count of runners, so we weighed what can be checked: Olympic athletics gold medals through Paris 2024 (Wikipedia’s all-time medal table), World Championship results, the size of the biggest marathons, parkrun events per country, and how deeply running is built into the national sporting culture.
Olympic figures cover all track and field events, not only running, because distance-only totals are not published in a comparable form. Race and parkrun figures are the latest we could confirm and may have changed since.
#1 United States
- 🏅 Olympic athletics golds: 359, by far the most
- 🏃 Biggest race: 59,226 finishers at the 2025 New York City Marathon, a world record
- 🏆 World Championships 2025: 16 golds in Tokyo, first in the medal table
- ⭐ Stars: Frank Shorter, Cole Hocker, Conner Mantz
- 📍 Parkrun: 100 events
Modern recreational running was shaped in the United States. Frank Shorter won the 1972 Olympic marathon, the first American win since 1908, and Jim Fixx’s book The Complete Book of Running followed in 1977. An estimated 25 million Americans took up running in the 1970s and 1980s.
The 2025 New York City Marathon had 59,226 finishers, the largest marathon ever held. At the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo the United States won 16 gold medals, and in Paris in 2024 Cole Hocker won the 1500 metres. Conner Mantz ran an American record of 2:04:43 at the 2025 Chicago Marathon.
#2 United Kingdom
- 🏅 Olympic athletics golds: 57 for Great Britain
- 🏃 Biggest race: 56,640 finishers at the 2025 London Marathon, a record at the time
- 📍 Parkrun: 879 events, the most of any country
- ⭐ Stars: Paula Radcliffe, Mo Farah
parkrun began on 2 October 2004 in Bushy Park in London, with Paul Sinton-Hewitt as founder. It has since spread to dozens of countries, but the United Kingdom still has 879 events, more than any other nation.
The London Marathon set a Guinness record with 56,640 finishers in 2025. Great Britain has won 57 Olympic athletics golds, with distance stars such as Mo Farah and Paula Radcliffe.
#3 Kenya
- 🏅 Olympic athletics medals: 117, including 38 golds
- 🏆 World Championships 2025: 7 golds in Tokyo
- ⏱️ Marathon records: Sabastian Sawe 1:59:30 in London in 2026, Ruth Chepngetich 2:09:56 in Chicago in 2024
- 📍 Training base: Iten, at about 2,400 metres
- ⭐ Stars: David Rudisha, Faith Kipyegon, Beatrice Chebet
Kenya is the country of distance running. The town of Iten, at about 2,400 metres, received a World Athletics Heritage Plaque in 2019 and is estimated to host more than 5,000 athletes in training. Brother Colm O’Connell coached at St Patrick’s High School there from 1976.
On 26 April 2026 Sabastian Sawe ran 1:59:30 at the London Marathon, the first sub-two-hour time in an official race. Kenyan runners won seven gold medals at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, including Beatrice Chebet in the women’s 5000 and 10,000 metres and Peres Jepchirchir in the marathon.
#4 Ethiopia
- 🏅 Olympic athletics golds: 24, 62 medals in total
- ⏱️ Women-only marathon record: Tigst Assefa, set in London
- 📍 Training base: Bekoji, at about 2,810 metres
- ⭐ Stars: Kenenisa Bekele, Tirunesh Dibaba, Derartu Tulu, Tamirat Tola
The small highland town of Bekoji, at about 2,810 metres, produced Kenenisa Bekele, the Dibaba sisters Tirunesh, Ejegayehu and Genzebe, Derartu Tulu and Fatuma Roba. Few places of that size have shaped distance running as much.
Tamirat Tola won the Olympic marathon in Paris in 2024 in 2:06:26, and Tigst Assefa took silver in the women’s race. Assefa also holds the women-only marathon record, set at the London Marathon.
#5 Japan
- 🏅 Olympic athletics golds: 8
- 🏃 Tokyo Marathon: 38,773 finishers in 2026 (preliminary)
- 📍 Parkrun: 53 events
- 📅 Big event: Hakone Ekiden, held every 2 and 3 January since 1920
Japan has its own running culture built around the ekiden, a long-distance relay. The first ekiden was run in 1917 from Kyoto to Tokyo over three days, and the Hakone Ekiden has been held since 1920 on 2 and 3 January over about 217 kilometres with ten runners per team.
University teams from the Kanto region compete in Hakone, which draws large crowds along the route. Aoyama Gakuin won the 102nd edition in January 2026 with a course record of 10:37:34, and the Tokyo Marathon had 38,773 finishers in March 2026.
#6 Germany
- 🏅 Olympic athletics golds: 20 for unified Germany (East and West Germany won 38 and 12 before 1990)
- 🏃 Biggest race: 49,831 finishers at the 2025 Berlin Marathon
- 📍 Parkrun: 79 events
The Berlin Marathon is one of the six World Marathon Majors and has long been a favourite for record attempts. In September 2025 it had 49,831 finishers despite record heat, and Sabastian Sawe won in 2:02:16.
Germany won 20 Olympic athletics golds as a unified country, and East and West Germany added 38 and 12 before 1990. Parkrun has 79 events in Germany, behind only the UK, Australia, South Africa, Ireland, Poland and the United States.
#7 Australia
- 🏅 Olympic athletics golds: 22, 83 medals in total
- 📍 Parkrun: 544 events, second after the UK
- ⭐ Stars: Cathy Freeman
Australia is the second parkrun nation in the world with 544 events, which says as much about its outdoor culture as the Olympic record. Weekend park runs are a normal part of life in towns of every size.
Australian athletes have won 22 Olympic golds in athletics, among them Cathy Freeman in the 400 metres at the Sydney Games in 2000.
#8 Canada
- 🏅 Olympic athletics golds: 18, 69 medals in total
- 🏆 Paris 2024: 3 golds, third in the athletics medal table
- 🏆 World Championships 2025: 3 golds in Tokyo
- 📍 Parkrun: 64 events
Canada has been rising in track and field, with three golds at the Paris Olympics in 2024 and three more at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo. Its 64 parkrun events show a growing recreational scene.
Donovan Bailey won the 100 metres at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and the country has won 18 Olympic athletics golds in total.
#9 France
- 🏅 Olympic athletics golds: 14, 71 medals in total
- 🏆 World Championships 2025: Jimmy Gressier won the 10,000 metres
- 📍 Parkrun: 8 events
France has a deep club system and a long road racing tradition. Jimmy Gressier won the men’s 10,000 metres at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo.
French athletes have won 14 Olympic golds in athletics. Parkrun is still small in France, with only eight events, so running remains organised mainly through clubs and road races.
#10 Italy
- 🏅 Olympic athletics golds: 24, 68 medals in total
- 📍 Parkrun: 15 events
- ⭐ Marathon champions: Gelindo Bordin (1988), Stefano Baldini (2004)
Italy won two Olympic marathons in a generation: Gelindo Bordin in Seoul in 1988 and Stefano Baldini in Athens in 2004. Its 24 Olympic athletics golds match Ethiopia’s total.
Road racing and city marathons are popular, and parkrun has grown to 15 events.
#11 Brazil
- 🏅 Olympic athletics golds: 5, 21 medals in total
- 📅 Big event: Sao Silvestre New Year’s Eve race in Sao Paulo, run since 1925
- ⭐ Marathon medallist: Vanderlei de Lima, bronze in 2004
Brazil has a strong street running culture, centred on the Sao Silvestre race held in Sao Paulo on New Year’s Eve since 1925. Mass races are popular in the big cities.
Vanderlei de Lima won marathon bronze at the Athens Games in 2004 after being pushed off the course by a spectator. Brazil has won 5 Olympic athletics golds and 21 medals.
Which Countries Are Best at Running?
Popularity and success are not the same thing. This table counts Olympic medals in all athletics events through Paris 2024, according to Wikipedia’s all-time medal table, because distance-only totals are not published in a comparable form.
| Country | Olympic athletics golds | Olympic athletics medals |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 359 | 867 |
| Great Britain | 57 | 221 |
| Kenya | 38 | 117 |
| Jamaica | 27 | 93 |
| Italy | 24 | 68 |
| Ethiopia | 24 | 62 |
| Australia | 22 | 83 |
| Germany (unified only) | 20 | 87 |
| Canada | 18 | 69 |
| France | 14 | 71 |
| Japan | 8 | 28 |
| Brazil | 5 | 21 |
Other Countries Where Running Is Growing
These countries just missed the ranking but have a strong running scene.
| Country | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Jamaica | Has 27 Olympic athletics golds, mostly in sprints, and 93 medals in total. |
| Netherlands | Sifan Hassan won the Olympic marathon in Paris in 2024 in 2:22:55. |
| Norway | Jakob Ingebrigtsen won the 5000 metres at Paris 2024 in 13:13.66. |
| Poland | Has 109 parkrun events, fifth in the world. |
More About Running
FAQ
Which country is running most popular in?
Running is most popular in the United States, the United Kingdom, Kenya and Ethiopia. The United States has the largest marathons and the most Olympic athletics golds, the UK has the most parkrun events, and Kenya and Ethiopia dominate distance racing.
Which country is best at running?
The United States has won the most Olympic athletics gold medals with 359. In distance running Kenya and Ethiopia are the leading nations, and Kenya has won 38 Olympic athletics golds.
Where does the marathon come from?
The marathon is named after the legend of Pheidippides running from Marathon to Athens in 490 BC, although historians question the story. The first Olympic marathon was run in Athens in 1896, and the distance was fixed at 42.195 kilometres in 1921.
What is the marathon world record?
Sabastian Sawe of Kenya ran 1:59:30 at the London Marathon on 26 April 2026, the first sub-two-hour time in an official race. The women’s record in a mixed race is Ruth Chepngetich’s 2:09:56 from Chicago in 2024.
Which country has the most parkrun events?
The United Kingdom has the most with 879 events, followed by Australia with 544 and South Africa with 224, according to the August 2026 count on Wikipedia.
Why are Kenya and Ethiopia so good at distance running?
Both countries have high-altitude training towns, Iten in Kenya at about 2,400 metres and Bekoji in Ethiopia at about 2,810 metres, plus strong coaching traditions in schools and clubs.
Is running popular in Asia?
Yes. Japan has a unique running culture based on ekiden relays, including the Hakone Ekiden since 1920, and 38,773 runners finished the Tokyo Marathon in 2026.
