Boom in running as a fitness path

The Fleet Feet Ignite Group of runners head west along the Centennial Trail in Kendal Yards, Saturday, May 8, 2021, in Spokane. (DAN PELLE/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)
Anne Barker, Angie Curtis and Karin Roberts lead the Ignite Group of runners from Fleet Feet in Kendall Yards as they head west along the Centennial Trail on Saturday morning in Spokane. (Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review)
The Fleet Feet Ignite Group of runners begin their training run from Kendal Yards along the Centennial Trail, Saturday, May 8, 2021, in Spokane. (DAN PELLE/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)
The Fleet Feet Ignite Group of runners head west along the Centennial Trail in Kendall Yards, Saturday, May 8, 2021, in Spokane. (DAN PELLE/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)
Sun Dunn paces the Ignite Group of runners from Fleet Feet in Kendal Yards as they head west along the Centennial Trail, Saturday, May 8, 2021, in Spokane. (DAN PELLE/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)
Kyle and Tammie Spitzer stretch before joining the Ignite Group of runners from Fleet Feet in Kendal Yards running west along the Centennial Trail, Saturday, May 8, 2021, in Spokane. (DAN PELLE/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)
The Ignite Group of runners from Fleet Feet in Kendal Yards head west along the Centennial Trail, Saturday, May 8, 2021, in Spokane. (DAN PELLE/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)
There has been a boom in running as a fitness path. Similar to the growing popularity in cycling this past year, the sport of running has gained fans as a solo way to keep fit during a pandemic year when it was more challenging to get to the gym. Locally, shops are seeing that trend, a recent national survey estimates nearly 30% of runners today are new since the pandemic.