Americans Celebrate 4th of July Holiday by Running

RunSignup, the leading technology solution for U.S. endurance events, released July 4th racing data for 2026, reporting a significant jump in both race counts and participation. In all, 306,465 runners signed up for 769 July 4th races on RunSignup – a 39% increase in participants and a 55% increase in the number of races compared to 2025.

Some growth could likely be attributed to new races due to the 250th celebration, the holiday falling on a Saturday (typically the busiest racing day of the week), and increasing market share for RunSignup. However, the numbers also showed growth for existing races. Races using the platform in both 2025 and 2026 grew an average of 9.9%, outpacing the already-strong 5.9% per-race growth rate seen across the full first half of 2026.

“July 4th races don’t (yet) compete with Turkey Trots in terms of holiday tradition, but their upward trajectory is strong,” said Bob Bickel, CEO and Founder at RunSignup. “Race directors who launched a new event this year because of the favorable calendar and 250th anniversary should seriously consider making it an annual tradition for their community.”

Highlights from July 4th racing in 2026:

All 50 states hosted at least one race. Texas led the way with 50 races, followed by California (48), Ohio (47), Florida (46), Michigan (41), and Pennsylvania (37).

Larger events showed up, too. 66 races – 8.6% of all July 4th events – drew more than 1,000 participants.

For the full July 4th race data, visit:
https://info.runsignup.com/2026/07/06/july-4th-races-in-2026-holiday-running-gr

ows/