World Athletics Creates a Mass Participation Department: 320+ Label Races and 1 Billion Runners
World Athletics now has a standalone department for mass participation running and the rest of the sport off the track. The governing body announced it on 28 October in a press release, days before the New York City Marathon. The new Running & Mass Participation department will be led by Jakob Larsen and will cover road running, the marathon, cross country, mountain and trail, the RUN X World Treadmill Championship and the label programme held by more than 320 races around the world.
What World Athletics announced
World Athletics already staged world championships on the road, in cross country and in trail running. It now brings that work into a standalone department which, according to the release, aims to bring “even greater focus” to its work across the global running ecosystem.
Larsen has 25 years of experience as an international sports federation executive and industry leader. The release credits him with developing the 2014 World Half Marathon Championships in Copenhagen, the 2019 World Cross Country Championships in Aarhus and the first World Athletics Ultimate Championship, held last month in Budapest. He will work alongside Alessio Punzi, who according to World Athletics built the federation’s presence in running over the past decade.
What the mass participation department will handle
According to the release, the department will handle:
- World Athletics road running, marathon, cross country, mountain and trail events and activities;
- the RUN X World Treadmill Championship;
- the World Athletics Label Road Races programme;
- regulation, technical and educational services;
- new partnerships with technology and data companies and the wider running industry.
RUN X is the part closest to runners who enter mass participation events: anyone can qualify on a treadmill at a participating gym. We covered the dates and how to enter in our piece on the RUN X World Treadmill Championship.
Why now: a billion runners
World Athletics CEO Jon Ridgeon gave the figure behind the move: the federation’s research shows at least 1 billion people worldwide run in some form, which makes athletics the most practised sport in the world. Ridgeon said mass participation running supports mental wellbeing, public health, social cohesion and economic development in host cities, and that road running is one of the fastest-growing parts of the sport.
He summed up the federation’s role in three tasks: governing running safely, staging the top world championships, and growing the sport through its own work and by supporting others.
The release also reviews a busy year on the roads: the World Road Running Championships and the Global Running Conference in Copenhagen, the announcement of a standalone World Marathon Championships, the launch of RUN X and the one-year countdown to the 2027 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Cape Town.
What World Athletics already does for mass participation races
The more than 320 races with a World Athletics label are tied to a road race integrity programme that raises 3 million US dollars a year for anti-doping testing. On top of that comes course measurement, official results and safety work. In total, World Athletics says it invests more than 8 million dollars a year in the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) to protect road racing. The AIU is the body behind recent cases such as the provisional suspension of Peres Jepchirchir for EPO.
The release also mentions the shoe rules, which World Athletics says embrace innovation while giving every major brand access to the same technology. We explained them with the example of the Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 2, which is not legal for competition.
On health, World Athletics funds race emergency medicine programmes that have trained hundreds of road race medical directors. It also researches thermoregulation in endurance sport and uses the findings to guide mass participation organisers as races get hotter.
What changes for runners
Nothing concrete yet. The release announces no new rules, label changes or new events for amateurs. It does make clear that the federation wants a bigger role in mass participation running: Ridgeon said World Athletics will keep directing “energy and finances” into contributing much more to the running ecosystem.
For most amateur runners, the visible side of World Athletics is the label on big road races, tied to anti-doping testing of the elite, and open events such as RUN X. The new department will handle both, plus trail and cross country, and its first announcements will show whether more events open to amateurs follow.
The announcement falls in New York City Marathon week; the race is this Sunday, 1 November, and we previewed it in our New York City Marathon 2026 guide.
Frequently asked questions
What is the World Athletics Running & Mass Participation department?
It is a standalone area of the federation created in October 2026 for mass participation and road running, the marathon, cross country, mountain and trail, the RUN X treadmill championship, the label road race programme and running regulation. Jakob Larsen leads it, working with Alessio Punzi.
How many races hold a World Athletics label?
More than 320 road races worldwide, according to the press release of 28 October 2026.
How many runners are there in the world?
World Athletics estimates that at least 1 billion people run in some form, based on its own research.
Does anything change in the races I run?
Not for now. The announcement is organisational and includes no changes to rules, labels or entries.
