Trail running is surging in popularity and its offer of scenic, traffic-free settings and joint-friendly terrain compared to road running is fuelling the sport’s rise among older outdoor enthusiasts.
According to data from RunRepeat in partnership with World Athletics, trail running participation has increased by 231% over the past decade, and the average age of trail runners has reached an all-time high of 39.5 years.
“I didn’t take up running until I was 48,” explains Robert Duncombe, a pharmacist from Chelmsford, Essex. “Before that, I’d never run a race or attended a parkrun. In 2016, I decided it was time to change that.”
Working as a chief pharmacist at the Christie Cancer Hospital in Manchester, Duncombe decided to apply for a charity place in the London Marathon through Cancer Research. “I secured a spot and that marked the beginning of my journey,” he says.
