{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/643e9138272eed00117d32b9/6a86ab3c5c9c346c63afd4e9?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Running Is Booming. So Why Is Athletics Dead?","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/643e9138272eed00117d32b9/1787210515011-57cc4617-3af2-462e-9bf9-270aa4b2ca0e.jpeg?height=200","description":"<p>Parkruns are packed. Marathon ballots are more oversubscribed than ever. Strava is full of PBs. So why does track and field feel like it's on life support?</p><p>In this episode, we dig into the strange paradox at the heart of the sport: running has never been more popular, yet athletics participation keeps declining. We break down what the recent European Championships and Commonwealth Games revealed about the state of the sport — empty stands, shrinking grassroots numbers, and a growing gap between recreational running culture and competitive athletics.</p><p><br></p><p>We ask the hard questions:</p><ul><li>Is this a funding crisis, or something deeper?</li><li>Why isn't the running boom translating into club membership or track participation?</li><li>Have the sport's governing bodies lost touch with what's actually pulling people toward running?</li><li>What needs to change before athletics gets left behind entirely?</li></ul><p><br></p><p>If you love the sport but you're worried about where it's headed, this conversation is for you.</p><p><br></p><p>🎧 Listen/watch the full episode and let us know in the comments — what do you think is really killing athletics participation?</p>","author_name":"FORDY RUNS "}