Average Apple Watch user runs/walks equivalent of a marathon in 334 days

Based in Boston at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the Apple Heart & Movement Study researchers feel the city buzzing with spring energy as a significant day draws near – Patriots’ Day. Celebrated on the third Monday of April, it’s a state holiday for Massachusetts that commemorates pivotal battles from the American Revolutionary War. Key to the celebrations is the annual Boston Marathon. Runners, spectators, and enthusiasts from around the globe converge on Boston and its surrounding areas to partake in this iconic event, making it one of New England’s most anticipated sporting events.
In this update, the Apple Heart & Movement Study team analyzed walking and running workouts recorded throughout the study to share insights on just how far the study’s participants are moving and what training and cardio fitness look like for those who have reached that marathon (26.2 miles) milestone.
Apple Heart & Movement Study:
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Since the Apple Heart and Movement Study’s launch in November 2019 through January 1st, 2024, there have been over 197,700 participants who recorded at least one walking workout and about 99,400 with at least one running workout. Over 50% of participants who recorded either exercise achieved a 5k (5.0 kilometers = 3.1 miles) distance or more at least once in each respective category.
For people new to running, the 5k is a popular distance to work up to, with more and more races geared towards charity, inclusivity, and general health and wellness. It is a great distance for novice runners and those interested in building up faster speeds alike, without heavy endurance training needed to cross the finish line.
While running or walking a marathon in a single period may seem unachievable to many, consistent physical activity is a great goal to have overall. One question our team asked was if all the running and walking workouts were to be added up in a given period, how long would it take Apple Heart and Movement Study participants to reach the 26.2-mile marker? We did this for last year’s Boston Marathon month, April 2023.
A total of 76,114 participants in April 2023 logged at least one walk or running workout. Within the month, 17,376 (22.8%) participants recorded a summed distance of 26.2 or more miles. In addition, we estimated the number of days it would take each of the 76,114 participants to complete a marathon based on the frequency of walks or runs and the distance they traveled that month.
Based on April’s data, half of our participants would walk and/or run 26.2 miles in 90 days or fewer. The average speed is a bit slower, 334 days per marathon – due to a long tail of participants who infrequently log a run or walk. Note that our method may tend to underestimate true distance traveled because we only consider walks or runs that were part of a workout logged and shared with AH&MS. Apple Watch can automatically detect a run or walk, but not all participants configure their Apple Watch to do this.

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MacDailyNews Note: Before iPhone and Apple Watch, conducting large-scale health studies has been time-consuming and expensive. Now, Apple Watch and iPhone capture meaningful health information, including signals from your heart, your level of motion and activity, and your sound exposure levels throughout the day. With Apple’s Research app, designed for privacy, volunteering to help advance medical understanding has been greatly simplified. You just sign up for a study (or studies) right from your iPhone. If you meet the criteria for a given study, you’re in!
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