List of Running Sports A-Z

List of Running Sports

Running sports are, and have always been, some of the most popular and inclusive sports worldwide. Many running sports require little to no prior experience or equipment, and therefore anyone worldwide could participate in a running sport. These sports take place over a variety of distances, times, locations, and other factors, but all tend to relate back to runner’s goals of moving faster and staying in shape. Some people run just for the exercise it provides, but others compete at extremely high levels and race competitively. Some of the most famous running events are the Boston Marathon and the Empire State Building Run-Up, among countless others worldwide. Some of the most famous running sport athletes include Olympians Jesse Owens, Usain Bolt, and Florence Griffith-Joyner. Overall, running sports provide the best of both worlds, allowing people to compete at extremely high levels while also allowing a non-competitive environment to exercise and improve physiological health. 

Running Sports List A to Z

  • 10K Run
  • 200 Meters Sprint
  • 5K Run
  • Aquathlon
  • Beach Flags
  • Brännboll
  • Canicross
  • Capture the Flag
  • Chase Tag
  • Cross Country
  • Cross Triathlon
  • Cross-Country Running
  • Decathlon
  • Duathlon
  • Ekiden
  • Endurance Running
  • Fell Running
  • Free Running
  • Half Marathon
  • Heptathlon
  • Hurdling
  • Icosathlon
  • Indoor Triathlon
  • Ironman Surf Lifesaving
  • Jogging
  • Kabaddi
  • Kho Kho
  • Kick The Can
  • Long-Distance Running
  • Marathon
  • Middle-Distance Running
  • Military Pentathlon
  • Modern Pentathlon
  • Mountain Running
  • Naval Pentathlon
  • Obstacle Course Racing
  • Parkour
  • Pursuit Racing
  • Quadrathlon
  • Red Rover
  • Relay Race
  • Road Running
  • Roque
  • Rounders
  • Skyrunning
  • Snowshoe Running
  • Steeplechase
  • Tag
  • Tetradecathlon
  • Tetrathlon
  • Three-Legged Race
  • Tower Running
  • Track And Field (Athletics)
  • Trail Running
  • Triathlon
  • Triple Jump
  • Ultramarathon
  • Winter Triathlon

FAQ

What are running sports?

Running sports are sports where athletes race on foot over a certain distance, time period, or course in order to exercise or achieve a goal. Running sports are among the most popular sports in the world because of the easy access individuals have to running worldwide, compared to other sports that require lots of equipment and resources. Running sports can include anything from a casual walk or jog around the neighborhood to clear your head to a 100-mile ultramarathon in extreme weather conditions. Running sports are inclusive of a wide range of activities and can be extremely casual or extremely competitive, depending on the individual athlete and the event they’re competing in.

The most popular running sports are running, jogging, and trail running. Other running sports that are most popular on an organized level are cross country, track & field, and marathon running, where people sign up to join a team or compete with others individually. Running sports can generally be done in many ways, with many different goals attached to them and little to no equipment or training necessarily needed to participate. Therefore, running sports are easy to take part in and are extremely popular worldwide.

What running events are in the Summer Olympics?

Running sports fall under the “Athletics” category at the Olympics and are split into track, field, and road events. Running sports like sprints from 100 meters to 10,000 meters, hurdles, steeplechase, and relays are included in the track portion of the Summer Olympics. The Summer Olympics also include marathons, decathlons, and heptathlons for athletes to compete in.

Which running sport covers the longest distance?

The running sport that covers the longest distance is the ultramarathon. Ultramarathons are races that extend farther than the 26.2 miles covered in a marathon. Popular distances for ultramarathons are 50 km, 50 miles, 100 km, or 100 miles. Ultramarathons may also be based on time, meaning marathons could run for six, twelve, twenty-four, or any set number of hours. The most experienced ultramarathoners compete in the Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race. This is the longest certified road race as runners run around a half-mile block in Queens, NY, from 6 am until midnight every day for 52 days. This equates to almost 60 miles per day!