Are we seeing a golden age in American ultra-running?
Following on from a double American win at UTMB, including the first ever American men’s victory from Jim Walmsley, search interest across a number of terms related to the athletes, the event, and trail running as a whole have hit all-time highs.
Google searches for Walmsley have hit double their previous peak after his UTMB win. Courtney Dauwalter has seen a similar increase compared to her previous peak, in June after victory at Western States. That both athletes are seeing career-high interest is no surprise given the magnitude of their achievements. While Walmsley was the first US men’s winner at UTMB, Dauwalter became the first person to win Western States, Hardrock and UTMB in the same year, also setting women’s course records at the first two.
US success at the race has resulted in a 30% annual increase in searches for terms around UTMB in the States. American interest in UTMB has steadily increased over last decade but interest has exploded in the last two years, coinciding with US dominance on the women’s side (Dauwalter and Katie Schide have won the last four editions between them), and Walmsley’s own journey to his win this year. Interest has grown so fast that search volume has peaked at nearly four times higher in 2023 than in 2021.
Most crucially of all is the fact that the interest goes beyond athletes and events. The inspiration from these achievements is trickling into wider public interest, and resulting in a greater number of searches for a wider range of terms.
Searches for the topic of trail running have shown a slight, steady increase year on year for a while, and despite a slight lull in 2022, has now reached a new peak in 2023. Google searches across the sport as a whole is a great sign for the health of the sport, and there is no doubt that this has been greatly impacted by the efforts of Walmsley and Dauwalter this season.
One brand that stands to benefit from the surge in interest, both in Walmsley and in trail running, is Hoka.
Hot off the back of surpassing $1bn in sales and with a 90% growth in YoY sales, Hoka is at the top of its game in terms of popularity, but also with its partnerships. Walmsley is among their star athletes, while they’re also a partner of UTMB.
Hoka also sponsor the Ironman World Championships, where another of their athletes, Sam Laidlow, just won his first world title. This is a dream scenario for the brand, with two of their athletes winning flagship races that they partner.
It could get even better if Daniela Ryf, Sarah Crowley or another sponsored athlete can win the women’s race.
Interest in Hoka is also at an all time high, as a result of steady, impressive growth over the last five years.
Not just at the top of their game in the athletic world, the brand is benefiting from a fashionable reinvention. High Snobiety describes the Skyline Float-X as “somehow both shockingly stylish and trail-ready”. Meanwhile CNN says that “Hoka is appealing to consumers looking for everyday walking shoes, and it’s been spotted on celebrities, including Gwyneth Paltrow and Emily Ratajkowski.”
Hoka themselves have identified significant growth in the 18-34 consumer demographic. Hoka’s positioning and selling point of being an ‘anti-minimalist’ shoe is appealing for everyday use, as we see the trend of people using technical footwear for everyday activities. High Snobiety go on to say that “Brands like Nike and Adidas still dominate the second-hand sneaker business but, as the report points out, the average person has acclimated to utilizing function-first footwear in a day-to-day capacity, rather than for exercising alone.”
This is not just a happy accident though, but a concerted effort to expand beyond the market of trail running.
Triathlete noted that “Hoka leaned in to that comfort-for-all identity. Instead of doubling down on its identity as a running shoe, it expanded its marketing to brand itself as a shoe for all. During the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, the brand marketed to healthcare professionals, noting the incredible physical demands of their jobs.”
It’s impressive to see a brand doing so well in both the hyper niche market of ultramarathons but also having a global appeal to consumers seeking everyday comfort. Hoka are doing an excellent job at catering to both their diehard fans as well as customers who are looking for comfort rather than performance.