In Partnership With
Forwarded this by a friend? Subscribe here to join the community and never miss out!
It’s Wednesday, and this week’s edit has a pretty clear theme: categories that felt niche a few years ago are getting very big, very quickly.
Running is booming, but a lot of people still do not feel like they belong in it. Women’s performance footwear is finally being treated like a serious market. Recovery is becoming something hotels want to sell on demand. And the WNBA just delivered another set of numbers that make the old “is there demand for women’s sports?” conversation feel very outdated.
Here are the five stories actually worth knowing this week, plus a few more on our radar.
1. Running Is Booming. So Why Do So Many People Still Think They’re “Not Runners”?
Running has never looked more visible, but that does not mean it feels accessible. Fitt Insider’s piece on running’s growth paradox points to new Runna data showing nearly a third of Americans aspire to run a marathon, rising to 52% of Gen Z, while far fewer have actually committed to a race or physical challenge.
Part of the gap may be cultural. Running technically requires very little, but online it can look like carbon shoes, GPS watches, sold-out races, gels, expensive kits and people discussing their VO2 max before breakfast.
Why It Matters: Running’s next growth phase may depend less on getting people interested and more on making them feel like they belong before they have the gear, pace or medal.
2. Women’s Performance Shoes Are Finally Being Treated Like a Real Market
The old “shrink it and pink it” approach is finally looking as outdated as it should. Fitt Insider’s look at female-specific footwear shows how quickly brands are investing in women as a distinct performance consumer, not a smaller version of the men’s market.
That shift is happening at the same time more women are running, strength training and entering competitive fitness. Women’s sports growth is no longer just a media-rights story. It is starting to change what products get designed, funded and put on shelves.
Why It Matters: The women’s sports boom is finally moving into product design, where the opportunity is much bigger than simply selling more of the same gear to women.
3. Recovery Is Leaving the Treatment Room
Hotels and spas increasingly want recovery to become something you can do on demand instead of booking around a therapist’s schedule. Athletech News recently looked at the business case for self-guided recovery, including automated massage and recovery technology that can operate for longer hours with less staff involvement.
For consumers, the bigger shift is that recovery is becoming an amenity category of its own. The hotel gym was only the beginning. Now hospitality wants to sell the sauna, compression, massage tech and recovery lounge too.
Why It Matters: Recovery is becoming easier to access, but also increasingly commercialized as something every hotel, club and wellness space can package and sell.
4. The WNBA Just Had One of Those “We Should Probably Stop Calling This a Trend” Weekends
The WNBA’s first-ever Finals Game 7 averaged 3.3 million viewers, making it the most-watched playoff game in league history. Reuters reported the record audience after Golden State beat Atlanta 68–63.
The Valkyries are breaking commercial records too. Reuters reported last month that Golden State became the first WNBA franchise and first women’s professional sports team to pass $100 million in annual revenue.
Why It Matters: The women’s sports conversation is moving from “potential” to proof, with viewership, revenue and fandom all growing at the same time. As Valkeries player Tiffany Hayes said it: “This is what happens when you invest in women’s sports.”
5. Wellness Is Becoming Part of Our Identity
New McKinsey research covered by Glossy found that 38% of U.S. consumers now consider health and wellness a core part of their identity.
That explains a lot about the current market. Run clubs, wearables, boutique studios, supplements and recovery spaces are not just products and services anymore. They increasingly signal taste, routine, community and lifestyle in the same way fashion has for years.
Why It Matters: When wellness becomes identity, brands are no longer competing only on results. They are competing on aesthetics, belonging, community and status too.
On Our Radar
Pilates Is Still Very Much Pilates-ing
Pilates is still one of the strongest forces in boutique fitness. Athletech News continues to track the category’s growth, including the continued expansion of reformer-led concepts and new studios.
Why It’s On Our Radar: Pilates is increasingly shaping where boutique fitness investment goes, not just benefiting from the trend.
Apple Wants to Be Your Strength Coach Too
Apple is pushing Fitness+ further into structured gym programming, another sign that tech platforms want a bigger role inside actual training routines. Athletech News has been following the shift as the line between wearable, app and coach gets increasingly blurry.
Why It’s On Our Radar: The next battle in fitness tech may be less about tracking workouts and more about who gets to tell you what to do next.
Premium Fitness Aggregation Is Back
A new generation of premium memberships is trying to bundle boutique fitness and wellness experiences under one monthly price. Athletech News is tracking the category as consumers look for variety without maintaining several separate memberships.
Why It’s On Our Radar: Premium aggregation could solve boutique-fitness subscription fatigue, or simply become one more expensive membership to manage.
Whoop Is Coming to Ulta
Wearables are moving deeper into beauty retail too. Glossy reports that Ulta will begin selling Whoop devices online and in select stores.
Why It’s On Our Radar: A performance wearable sitting next to skincare says a lot about how quickly beauty, fitness and wellness retail are merging.
The NYC Marathon Is Basically Wellness Fashion Week
The New York City Marathon has become as much a brand activation weekend as a race. Glossy documented the growing activation ecosystem around the marathon, with running brands joined by fashion, beauty, beverage and lifestyle companies trying to reach the same audience.
Why It’s On Our Radar: Running has become a cultural audience brands want access to, not just a sport they want to sponsor.
Padel + HYROX Are Heading to College
Fitness culture is moving onto campus too. Athletech News is following the expansion of HYROX and adjacent competitive fitness formats into collegiate settings.
Why It’s On Our Radar: College adoption is a strong signal that these formats are trying to move from trend to long-term social fitness infrastructure.
The Bum Line
This week feels like a pretty good snapshot of wellness right now. Running is growing, but belonging still matters. Women’s sports are generating real viewership and revenue. Recovery is becoming another service category. And wellness itself is increasingly part of how people describe who they are.
The common thread is participation. People want things they can join, wear, book, track, share and identify with. The brands that understand that seem to be winning.
Your Wellness Routine, Simplified.
A daily wellness routine shouldn't require a shelf full of supplements. IM8 Daily Ultimate Essentials brings together 92 ingredients, including vitamins, minerals, probiotics, and other functional compounds, in one daily drink. Less supplement clutter, more convenience. Because sometimes the best upgrade to your routine is making it easier to maintain.
Wellness Bum readers get 10% off IM8.
That’s this week’s Edit: five stories worth actually knowing, six more on our radar, and further evidence that every industry would now like to become a wellness company. See you Sunday but if you need more, join our 6,000+ community over on Threads.
Valerie
