Young athletes swapping gadgets for ‘digital detox’ as marathon fever floods London

Young people are swapping electronic gadgets for a “digital detox” as more turn to running as London Marathon ‘fever’ floods London.

According to footwear specialists New Balance, the teens and twenties are the fastest growing age groups in the running boom.

Kevin Fitzpatrick, the brand’s global vice president of running,, said: “We are seeing this age group tending to prioritise being with other people and having experiences and running ticks those boxes.”

He added that runners “bringing it back to analogue” by removing smart watches, phones, and activity trackers from exercise.

Runners are now increasingly going out on runs unplugged, rather than obsessing about the data, said Mr Fitzpatrick.

A third of all entries in this year’s London Marathon were from people aged 18 to 29, representing more than double the level of earlier years.

Research from The Great Run Company found in 2024 that the boom in running is being fuelled by Gen Z, while the gender gap in participation continues to grow.

Marathon fever has taken the capital by storm, with a record-breaking 1.13 million ballot entrants. Some 59,000 lucky runners will take off from the start line in Greenwich on Sunday.

Previous booms were more typically driven by people in their thirties and forties worried about unhealthy lifestyles.

Ahead of the London Marathon, New Balance has launched its London Run House at Somerset House on the Strand.