5 Emerging Running Trends for 2026
Here is a quick look at five key running trends that will emerge in 2026 based on what we saw at The Running Event trade show.
As a way to honor those who served on Veterans Day, we bring you the stories of three veterans who have taken to marathons as a second chance at life and a powerful way to honor their loved ones and fellow service members.
Each of these veterans turned to endurance sports after service, injury or illness, as a way to rebuild purpose, community, and hope. They now run to give that same support to others through the veteran nonprofit Semper Fi & America’s Fund, which helped them and thousands of service members and their families recover, adapt, and thrive after service.
An Army combat veteran, law enforcement officer, and paramedic who ran the New York City Marathon in 4:26:05 on November 2 to raise money for The Fund, Johnson has already completed Chicago and Berlin and is planning to run Tokyo in 2026 with fellow veteran Dustin Biggerstaff while honoring the organization that supported his friend when he came home from war.
“Running has become my therapy and my way of proving to myself that forward is always the goal,” Johnson says. “It started as a way to challenge myself after the military while staying in shape and balancing the busy transition to civilian life of juggling school, family, and work. It also filled the gap that military structure and purpose once did. Over time, it became much more. It’s a way now for me to stay grounded, to show my kids what discipline and faith look like in motion, and, more recently, a way to give back and connect with causes that matter deeply to me.
How has running has become so integral in your life and how it has helped keep you moving forward?
“Training for a marathon is a daily recommitment to growth and grit,” he says. “Every long run, every cold early morning, every unforeseen setback all build toward something greater than a single race. When I cross the finish line, it’s not the end; it represents resilience, community, and the belief that we can always become stronger versions of ourselves. There’s also a quiet joy to be found in the training process itself.”
A Marine veteran and brain cancer survivor who credits the Fund for standing by him through treatment and transition, Donigan runs marathons to support others struggling with PTSD. A testament to the endurance of gratitude and grit, he celebrated his 500th marathon in Boston in April while raising money for The Fund.
“Running has been my compass and my engine for more than 40 years,” Donigan says. “I ran my first marathon in 1981, and it’s carried me through deployments, transition, brain surgery, a pulmonary embolism, and now running with a partially collapsed lung. Running gives me purpose, clarity, humility, and hope. It reminds me daily that forward motion, even slow, even painful, is still forward. Every mile honors Marines who never made it home and veterans still fighting battles you can’t see. Running keeps me present, grateful, and mission focused.”
With his cancer in remission, Donigan continues to teach at the Marine Corps Command and Staff College on Camp Pendleton, and he continues to train for marathons. he firmly believes a marathon finish line isn’t the end, it’s a reaffirmation.
“It says I endured, I kept faith, I moved forward when it wasn’t easy,” he says. “For me, each marathon is a way to honor fallen Marines, support wounded warriors, and show other veterans that purpose and community continue long after service. Training builds discipline. Race day builds gratitude. The next start line builds hope.”
A Retired USMC Sergeant who lost both of his legs in Afghanistan in 2010, Stinson discovered handcycling to help with healing through The Fund. The adaptive sports program reignited his sense of purpose, and 15 years later, he’s completed nearly 20 marathons, earning handcycling division titles at Boston, Chicago, Detroit, and Marine Corps and has raised awareness and given back to the organization that first got him moving again. He competed in the 2022 and 2023 UCI Para-Cycling Road World Championships, and is hoping to qualify for the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles.
Stinson says leaning into the challenges of endurance sports have helped him overcome numerous obstacles in life. Handcycling has also been a great way for him to stay in touch with other military members through Team Semper Fi or other racing outlets, as he sometimes races other veterans who have been at it for a long time or helps someone else out that is just getting started in the sport.
For him, it’s not about reaching a marathon finish line, it’s about continuing on after every race.
“Handcycling has been such a huge part of my life since being injured,” he says. “Initially, it was a way of recovery and therapy and over the years it has transitioned into a lifestyle and a career. A way for me to display my God-given talent, as well as teaching my kids about perseverance and honestly just an outlet for me to have some good old-fashioned competition.”
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