Why the Fourth of July is America’s running holiday

Today–July 4th–is the second most popular running and racing holiday in the U.S. Last year saw a record 330,000 people complete a Fourth of July running event making it the second most popular day for running in the country. There were also a record 586 events taking place on July 4th last year.

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Thanksgiving has and will likely continue to rank a clear first with some 900,000 people crossing a finish line on the fourth Thursday of November each year. Halloween, although not a distinct holiday but rather counted as an entire week, sees some 700,000 people complete an October 31st-themed event.

The Top 10 Running Events taking place on July 4th

Peachtree Road Race
Atlanta, Georgia
10K
56,993 finishers (2016)

Firecracker Four Mile
Saratoga Springs, New York
4 Mile (6.4K)
2,783 finishers

Freedom Run
Provo, Utah
5K
2,557 finishers

OTC Butte To Butte
Eugene, Oregon
10K
2,482 finishers

Bluegrass 10K
Lexington, Kentucky
10K
2,439 finishers

Red, White and Boom Half Marathon
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Half Marathon
2,266 finishers

Village Runner 4th Of July 5K Run and Community Walk
Redondo Beach, California
5K
2,094 finishers

Bridgton Four On The Fourth Road Race
Bridgton, Maine
4 Mile (6.4K)
2,071 finishers

Brentwood Firecracker
Brentwood, Pennsylvania
5K
2,008 finishers