During a year in which athletic brand performance has been uneven, there is one undeniable bright spot: running .

Regardless of a company’s overall fortunes, the category is performing strongly for almost everyone. U.S. footwear sales were down 1 percent in the first half of 2025, but performance running grew by 7 percent. And running-inspired styles helped the sport lifestyle category increase by 3 percent, according to Circana’s Retail Tracking Service.

Ahead of The Running Event , industry players shared a sense of optimism on the staying power for the category and the feeling that there’s ample room for shared success. The phrase “a rising tide lifts all boats” was thrown around as often as “hit the wall” in the debrief for a marathon.

“Our industry is a running race — not box

See Full Page